NEW ZEALAND

HISTORYNew Zealand has a rich and fascinating history, reflecting both its Maori and European heritage. Amazing Maori historic sites and taonga (treasures), some dating back almost a thousand years, are a contrast to many beautiful colonial buildings.

THE YOUNGEST COUNTRY

New Zealand was the last land mass on Earth to be discovered, making New Zealand the youngest country on Earth.

NATION OF MIGRANTSThe first New Zealanders, the Maori, migrated here from their ancestral Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. This was followed about 800 years later by extensive European migration. The influence of Pacific Island and Asian immigrants during the 20th century has helped shape New Zealand into an even more vibrant and diverse multicultural society.

FROM HAWAIKI TO AOTEAROAMaori first landed in Aotearoa (New Zealand literally Land of the Long White Cloud) on waka hourua (voyaging canoes) from their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki probably over 1,000 years ago. They settled throughout the land, surviving by farming and hunting. By 1800 there were believed to be over 100,000 Maori in New Zealand.

EUROPEAN MIGRATIONAbel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand, but it was after Captain James Cook began exploring the country in 1769 that European migration began. The first European migrants were whalers and missionaries.

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NATION

In 1839 there were only about 2000 Pakeha (Europeans) in New Zealand. However the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, which saw New Zealand become a British colony, had an enormous effect on the New Zealand population. British migrants were offered a paid passage to NZ, and 40,000 arrived here between 1840 and 1860. By 1858 the Maori and Pakeha populations were nearly equal. The South Island gold rush of the 1860s saw even more migrants flood in from around the world, including English, Scots, Irish and Chinese.

KILT

COUNTRY

During the mid and late 1800s a large number of Scottish migrants settled in New Zealand, especially in the South Island provinces of Otago and Southland. Dunedin (from Dun Edin, the old Edin, Celtic name for Edinburgh) is the capital of Otago. Otago. The Scottish influence can still be seen throughout the city s architecture, particularly in the University and Medical School.(Cunningham Tartan)

CLIMATEAs New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere, the summer months are December, January and February, and the winter months are June, July and August.

LANGUAGEEnglish is the common and everyday language of New Zealand. Maori is also an official language of New Zealand. However, NZ is a multi-cultural society and multiyou may hear many other languages spoken.

POPULATIONNew Zealand is an independent nation and a member of the British Commonwealth. It has a diverse multi-cultural population of multifour million people, the majority of whom are of British descent. New Zealand's indigenous Maori make up around 14 per cent of the population.

KIWIS AND KIWISNew Zealand's first settlers, the Maori, named the kiwi bird for the sound of its chirp - kiwi, kiwi, kiwi! This flightless bird, about the size of a domestic hen, has an extremely long beak and plumage that is more like hair than feathers. New Zealanders have adopted this nocturnal, flightless and endearing creature as their national emblem.

Referring to New Zealanders as Kiwis probably dates back to the First World War, when New Zealand soldiers first acquired this nickname. In the international financial markets, New Zealand s basic currency unit, the New Zealand dollar, is frequently called the kiwi The dollar coin features a kiwi bird on one side.

Perhaps the best - known kiwi is the bestdelicious kiwifruit. Originating in China, kiwifruit were grown in New Zealand domestic gardens for decades as Chinese gooseberries . However, when enterprising New Zealand farmers began propagating the fruit intensively for export, it was given the name kiwifruit and has since achieved worldwide fame.

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DIFFERENCES

New Zealand is one of the first places in the world to see the new day, 12 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

NEW ZEALAND FLAGThe New Zealand Flag is the symbol of the realm government and people of New Zealand. Its royal blue background is reminiscent of the blue sea and clear sky surrounding us. The stars of the Southern Cross emphasize this country's location in the South Pacific Ocean. The Union Flag gives recognition to their historical foundations and the fact that New Zealand was once a British colony and dominion.

WEB-PAGES http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/ countries/country_newzealand.html http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ player/places/regions-places/australia-andoceania/newzealand-overview-dest.html www.newzealand.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV 6Yd0Y&feature=related