New Zealand (Maori: Aotearoa) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Maui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 700 smaller islands, covering a total area of 268,021 square kilometres (103,500 sq mi). New Zealand is about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country’s varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand’s capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.
Owing to their remoteness, the islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable landmass to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and then developed a distinctive Maori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, and in 1907 it became a dominion; it gained full statutory independence in 1947, and the British monarch remained the head of state. Today, the majority of New Zealand’s population of 5 million is of European descent; the indigenous Maori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand’s culture is mainly derived from Maori and early British settlers, with recent broadening of culture arising from increased immigration. The official languages are Maori and New Zealand Sign Language, with English being dominant and a de facto official language.
A developed country, New Zealand ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency, and economic freedom. New Zealand underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy. The service sector dominates the national economy, followed by the industrial sector, and agriculture. International tourism is also a significant source of revenue. Nationally, legislative authority is vested in an elected, unicameral Parliament, while executive political power is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the prime minister, currently Jacinda Ardern. Queen Elizabeth II is the country’s monarch and is represented by the governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes. The Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (a dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing states in free association with New Zealand); and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealand’s territorial claim in Antarctica.
New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, OECD, ASEAN Plus Six, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Community and the Pacific Islands Forum. (Wikipedia)
Take a look at these fascinating black and white photos from Archives New Zealand to see the beautiful life of this country in the early 1970s.
A shop in the Strand Arcade, Auckland, December 1970Arikikapakapa Golf Course, January 1970Arrowtown, High Street, Otago, January 1970Auckland School for Dental Nurses, Mt Eden, Auckland, October 1970Car Ferry ‘Opua’, Opua-Russell, Bay of Islands, Northland, January 1970Churton Park Subdivision, Wellington, December 1970Hamurana Picnic scene at Rotorua, January 1970Housing in Waiuku, Auckland, April 1970Women with their a rental car stop on Omapere Hill for a photograph of Hokianga Harbour, Northland, August 1970Kerikeri Stone Store, 1970Nurses relaxing beside the river Avon, Hagley Park, Christchurch, September 1970Queen Street, Auckland, December 1970School library service, Waterview Primary School, Auckland, March, 1970Skiing at Coronet Peak, Queenstown, August 1970Endeavour Park, Gisborne, March 1971Lower Albert Street with Arcadia at Princes Wharf, Auckland, October 1971Mother and child among the daffodils on the banks of the Avon River, Hagley Park, Christchurch, September 1971Oriental Bay, Wellington, January 1971Parnell Baths, Auckland, January 1971Police Station, Gisborne, March 1971Summer beach scene at Kelvin Grove, Frankton Arm, Lake Wakatipu, Otago, January 1971Sunset on the Whakatane River, January 1971The swimming pool at the International Hotel, Rotorua, 1971Vauxhall Car sale at Ormond’s Motors Ltd, Gisborne, March 1971Afternoon teatime. Mount Ngauruhoe in the background. Tongariro National Park, September 1972Glendover Road, Fendalton, Christchurch, November 1972Government Bookshop, State Advances Building, Rutland Street, Auckland, February 1972Hamilton, Victoria Street. Hamilton’s ‘Golden Mile’ shopping street, September 1972Lunch scene, Albert Park, Auckland, November 1972Main street in Ashburton in the spring, Canterbury Province, October 1972Motor Camp, Coopers Beach, Northland, January 1972North Island New Zealand Blue Streak Rail Car travelling north between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki main trunk line to Auckland, July 1972Punakaiki, Nelson Province. Looking North. Girls on the Stratified rock formation high above the sea, February 1972Telephone exchange building in Timaru, Canterbury Province, October 1972Cameron Road, one of Tauranga’s shopping streets, January 1973Devonport Road one of Tauranga’s busy Shopping Streets, January 1973Karangahape Road, Auckland, March 1973Passengers from the commuter trains leave Wellington station in the early morning, February 1973The Can Can girls at the Bar inside the Gold Nugget Hotel on Gala Day, Shanty Town, Westland, January 1973Westland National Park Visitor Centre, August 1973Queen Street shoppers, school holidays, Auckland City, August 1974Queen Street, Auckland, May 1974Swanson Street, looking east towards Shortland Street, September 1974Upper Queen Street bus stop, Auckland, August 1974Auckland Harbour Bridge with yachts in harbour, January 1975Barbeque on Westshore Beach, Napier, Hawke’s Bay, February 1975Camping, Waitangi, Bay of Islands, January 1975Feeding the elephant at Wellington Zoo, January 1975Former Post Office Building now Labour Department, corner Fenton and Arawa Streets, Rotorua, January 1975High Street, Dannevirke. Hawkes Bay Province, April 1975Karangahape Road, one of Auckland’s busiest shopping areas, January 1975Main shopping area, Paraparaumu Beach, Wellington Province, January 1975Main shopping street, Taupo, January 1975Maori Land March, Wellington, 13 October 1975Morning traffic on northern motorway, Auckland, December 1975New housing area, Forrest Hill, North Shore, Auckland, November 1975Shops across from Rotorua International Hotel at Whakarewarewa, Rotorua, January 1975View from Custom Street West towards Central Police station. St. Patrick’s in centre foreground, Auckland, December 1975View of Plimmerton with an electric unit travelling along the main trunk line, January 1975View of the Downtown Development at Queen Street and Quay Street junction, and Air New Zealand House, Auckland, June 1975
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