New Zealand Country & Tourist Information

Location
South Pacific.

Area
270,534 sq km (104,454 sq miles).

Population
4 million (Statistics New Zealand, 2004).

Population Density
14.8 per sq km.

Capital
Wellington.
Population: 423,765 (2003). Auckland, with a population of 1.3 million (2005), is the largest urban area in the country.

Government
Constitutional monarchy since 1907.
Recent history: Helen Clark became New Zealand’s first woman Deputy Prime Minister in 1989 and Prime Minister in 1999. She was re-elected as Prime Minister for a third time in September 2005. Her Labor Party won 50 seats in Parliament and formed a coalition with the Progressive Party. Her government voted a number of controversial measures such as the decision to legalize prostitution. The government’s opposition to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 raised tensions with the US, one of the country’s main trading partners.

Language
English is the common and everyday language, but other languages are also spoken, including Maori, which is New Zealand’s second official language (spoken by the indigenous Maori people who constitute approximately 15 per cent of the population).

Religion
60 per cent Christian: Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Methodist are all represented.

Time
New Zealand: GMT + 12 (GMT + 13 from the first Sunday in October to the third Sunday in March).
Chatham Island: GMT + 12.75 (GMT + 13.75 from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March).

Electricity
230 volts AC, 50Hz. Most hotels provide 110-volt AC sockets (rated at 20 watts) for electric razors only.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Helen Clark since 1999.

Head of State
HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1952, represented locally by Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright since 2001.

Cook Islands and Niue have separate individual sections in the World Travel Guide.

Telephone
Country code: 64. Most public phones take cards purchased from bookstalls; some also accept credit cards, but very few still accept coins.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet
There are Internet cafes in cities and smaller town central business districts. Travelers may access the Internet at many hotels and youth hostels.

Media
New Zealand’s media scene is very liberal. The broadcasting sector was deregulated in 1988.

Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes four to five days and to the USA three to 10 days.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700.

Press
• The English-language daily newspapers with the highest circulation include the New Zealand Herald (website: www.nzherald.co.nz), the Dominion Post, Otago Daily Times, and The Press.

Radio
• Public broadcaster Radio New Zealand runs three networks: National Radio, Concert FM and The AM Network.
• Radio New Zealand International broadcasts to the South Pacific region.
• Niu Mai is Maori-owned.
• Radio Works’ stations include Radio Pacific.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1-2 Jan New Year.
6 Feb Waitangi Day.
6 Apr Good Friday.
9 Apr Easter Monday.
25 Apr ANZAC Day.
4 Jun Queen’s Birthday.
22 Oct Labor Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2008
1-2 Jan New Year.
6 Feb Waitangi Day. 
21 Mar Good Friday. 
24 Mar Easter Monday.
25 Apr ANZAC Day. 
2 Jun Queen’s Birthday.
27 Oct Labor Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Note
Each province also observes its particular anniversary day as a holiday.

Contact Information:

New Zealand High Commission in the UK
2nd Floor, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7930 8422.
Website: www.nzembassy.com/uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700.

New Zealand Immigration Service in the UK
Mezzanine Floor, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE, UK
Tel: 09069 100 100 (visa information and immigration service; calls cost £1 per minute).
Website: www.immigration.govt.nz
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1545.

Tourism New Zealand in the UK
Level 7, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7930 1662 or 0906 910 0100 (immigration).
Website: www.newzealand.com 

New Zealand Embassy in the USA
37 Observatory Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 328 4800.
Website: www.nzemb.org

Tourism New Zealand in the USA
501 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 300, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Tel: (310) 395 7480 or 1 866 639 9325.
Website: www.newzealand.com or www.tourisminfo.govt.nz


Next Page »

Related New Zealand Content