New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the Pacific situated southeast of Australia. It is separated from Australia by the Tasman Sea. It belongs to a large island group called Polynesia. New Zealand consists of two principal islands, North Island and South Island, and several dozen smaller islands. The country's population is over 3 million people; density is 13 people per km2. Wellington is a capital and Auckland is the largest city, a busy seaport, with engineering, shipbuilding, textile, chemicals and food industry. The Dutch sea captain Tasman was the first European to see New Zealand in 1642. After the visits of Captain Cook in 1760 - 1777 the settlements of the islands progressed. When in 1861 gold was found and in 1882 refrigerating machines were used by ocean-going ships, immigration from Britain increased. The natives of the country, the brown-skinned Maoris, were driven from good lands to reservations. In 1833 New Zealand was officially joined to New South Wales of Australia but they refused to join the Australian Commonwealth. In 1907 New Zealand became a British dominion, an independent member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. New Zealand is a beautiful country of snow-capped mountains, green lowlands, beaches, lakes, waterfalls, active volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, and with the glaciers in the Southern Alps. It is a mountainous country, the highest peak being Mount Cook. The climate is warm, but nearly all the country is well watered, with many rivers, evergreen trees, rich grasslands. There are few native animals. The kiwi, a bird that does not fly, is found only here, and has become the national emblem. New Zealand's climate with its good rainfalls makes it ideal for dairying, sheep and cattle farming. The country produces meat, butter, milk, cheese, apples, kiwi fruit, potatoes, wheat, wool and also timber. There is an excellent shipping system, many ports and well-developed hydroelectric industry. Other industries are textile, engineering, food and chemical. Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin are main cities and leading ports. New Zealand's standard of living among the highest in the world. New Zealand has a long tradition of equal rights and benefits for all citizens. In 1893 it became the first nation in the world to give woman the right to vote. The nation has one of the world's finest public health program. Most New Zealanders are descendants of the early European settlers, known as "pakeha", the Maori word for "white man".

About 12% are Maoris. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. It is a British dominion. The official head of the state is the British Queen, represented by a Governor General. The Prime minister and the Cabinet run the national government. New Zealand has a 97-member House of Representatives, also called Parliament. The main political parties are Labour and National Party. Ombudsman is an official selected by Parliament to investigate complains by citizens against government departments. If the department does not take the action the Ombudsman believes is needed, the findings may be reported to Parliament.