New Zealand Travel Podcast with Aroha Ngata

Location

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Terrain

Predominately mountainous with large coastal plains

Climate

Temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Elevation

Highest point

Aoraki/Mount Cook 3,724 m; note - the mountain's height was 3,764 m until 14 December 1991 when it lost about 10 m in an avalanche of rock and ice; erosion of the ice cap since then has brought the height down another 30 m

Lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

388 m

Area

Total

268,838 sq km

Land

264,537 sq km

Water

4,301 sq km

Size comparison

Almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado

Coastline

15,134 km

Land borders

Total 0 km

Natural resources

Natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

Land use

Agricultural land

36.9% (2023 est.)

Arable land

2% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

34.6% (2023 est.)

Forest

38.6% (2023 est.)

Other

24.5% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Volcanism: significant volcanism on North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 m) has a history of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul Island, Tongariro, and White Island; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

Note

Note 1: consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands; South Island, the larger main island, is the 12th-largest island in the world and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps; North Island is the 14th-largest island in the world and is not as mountainous, but it is marked by volcanism

Note 2: New Zealand lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

Note 3: almost 90% of the population lives in cities and over three-quarters on North Island; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

Population

Total

5,161,211 (2024 est.)

Male

2,584,607

Female

2,576,604

Nationality

Noun

New Zealander(s)

Adjective

New Zealand

Ethnic groups

European 64.1%, Maori 16.5%, Chinese 4.9%, Indian 4.7%, Samoan 3.9%, Tongan 1.8%, Cook Islands Maori 1.7%, English 1.5%, Filipino 1.5%, New Zealander 1%, other 13.7% (2018 est.)

Languages

English (de facto official) 95.4%, Maori (de jure official) 4%, Samoan 2.2%, Northern Chinese 2%, Hindi 1.5%, French 1.2%, Yue 1.1%, New Zealand Sign Language (de jure official) 0.5%, other or not stated 17.2% (2018 est.)

Religions

Christian 37.3% (Catholic 10.1%, Anglican 6.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 5.2%, Pentecostal 1.8%, Methodist 1.6%, Church of Jesus Christ 1.2%, other 10.7%), Hindu 2.7%, Maori 1.3%, Muslim, 1.3%, Buddhist 1.1%, other religion 1.6% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 48.6%, objected to answering 6.7% (2018 est.)

Median age

Total

38.1 years (2025 est.)

Male

37.2 years

Female

38.6 years

Life expectancy

Total population

82.9 years (2024 est.)

Male

81.2 years

Female

84.8 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

87% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.92% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Over three quarters of New Zealanders, including the Maori, live on the North Island, primarily in urban areas

Largest cities

1.673 million Auckland, 422,000 WELLINGTON (capital) (2023)

Background

Polynesians settled New Zealand between the late 1200s and the mid-1300s. They called the land Aotearoa, which legend holds is the name of the canoe that Kupe, the first Polynesian in New Zealand, used to sail to the country; the name Aotearoa is now in widespread use as the local Maori name for the country. By the 1500s, competition for land and resources led to intermittent fighting between different Maori tribes as large game became extinct. Dutch explorer Abel TASMAN was the first European to see the islands in 1642 but left after an encounter with local Maori. British sea captain James COOK arrived in 1769, followed by whalers, sealers, and traders. The UK only nominally claimed New Zealand and included it as part of New South Wales in Australia. Concerns about increasing lawlessness led the UK to appoint its first British Resident in New Zealand in 1832, although the position had few legal powers. In 1835, some Maori tribes from the North Island declared independence. Fearing an impending French settlement and takeover, the majority of Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British in 1840. Land tenure issues stemming from the treaty are still being actively negotiated in New Zealand.

The UK declared New Zealand a separate colony in 1841 and granted limited self-government in 1852. Different traditions of authority and land use led to a series of wars between Europeans and various Maori tribes from the 1840s to the 1870s. Along with disease, these conflicts halved the Maori population. In the 1890s, New Zealand initially expressed interest in joining independence talks with Australia but ultimately opted against it and changed its status to an independent dominion in 1907. New Zealand provided more than 100,000 troops during each World War, many of whom fought as part of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). New Zealand reaffirmed its independence in 1947 and signed the Australia, New Zealand, and US (ANZUS) Treaty in 1951.

Beginning in 1984, New Zealand began to adopt nuclear-free policies, contributing to a dispute with the US over naval ship visits that led the US to suspend its defense obligations to New Zealand in 1986, but bilateral relations and military ties have been revitalized since the 2010s with new security agreements. A key challenge for Auckland that has emerged over the past decade is balancing concerns over China’s growing influence in the Pacific region with its role as New Zealand's largest export destination. New Zealand has close ties with Australia based to a large extent on the two nations’ common origins as British colonies and their shared military history.

Government

Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital

Wellington

Time zone

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Independence

26 September 1907 (from the UK)

National day

Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840); Anzac Day, 25 April (1915)

Overview

High-income, globally integrated Pacific island economy; strong agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism sectors; reliant on Chinese market for exports; recovery trajectory following deep post-pandemic recession; challenges of fiscal deficits, below-average productivity, cost of living, and drop in net migration

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$48,200 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$49,100 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$49,600 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.9% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

5.7% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

7.2% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

4.9% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

3.8% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

3.3% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

1.652 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

1.628 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

1.577 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

1.414 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

1.542 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, logs and wood articles, manufacturing, mining, construction, financial services, real estate services, tourism

Agriculture

Milk, beef, kiwifruit, apples, grapes, lamb/mutton, potatoes, wheat, barley, chicken (2023)

Airports

206 (2025)

Railways

Total

4,128 km (2018)

Narrow gauge

4,128 km (2018) 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified)

Ports

Total ports

22 (2024)

Large

2

Medium

1

Small

10

Very small

9

Ports with oil terminals

14

Key ports

Auckland, Bluff Harbor, Gisborne, Manukau Harbor, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Otago Harbor, Picton, Tauranga, Timaru, Wellington, Whangarei

Internet domain

.nz

Internet users

Percent of population 96% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

6.56 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

115 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Water quality and availability; rapid urbanization; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species

Fresh water

327 billion cubic meters (2022)