Population l Geography l Climate l Land's Discovery l History of Maori

The estimated resident population as of 31st March 2001 was 4,035,461. This equates to a population density of about 14 people per square kilometre (Statistics New Zealand). New Zealand is a diverse and multicultural society. The approximate size of the main ethnic groups is as follows: 74.5% European, 9.7% Maori and 3.8% Pacific Islander. The remaining 7.4% consists mainly of Chinese, Indian and other Asian ethnic groups. In contrast, the sheep population in New Zealand in 2001 was an estimated 43,987,000, about 11 times higher than the number of people.

New Zealand lies in the southern Pacific Ocean and is made up of two primary islands and a number of smaller islands. New Zealand is about 1,600km long and has a total land area of 268,021 sq km, slightly larger than the United Kingdom

New Zealand has a particularly clear and unpolluted atmosphere with average daily sunshine hours ranging from seven to eight in summer and four to five in winter. Seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere - winter is between June and August and summer is between December and February. So, January and February are New Zealand's warmest months and July normally is the coldest. The climate is temperate - averages range from 8°C in July to 17°C in January, but summer temperatures occasionally go beyond.

Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand (Maori name, Aotearoa) in the 10th century and by the 12th century settlements were scattered around the coastline. The Dutch navigator, Abel Tasman, visited Aotearoa briefly and named it New Zealand in 1642. However, it was not until 1769 that the British naval Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to explore New Zealand's coastline thoroughly. Whalers and traders began to arrive on New Zealand's shores soon after Captain Cook. The first European settlers arrived in the early nineteenth century at the Bay of Islands and not long after missionary stations were established in the area. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between British and Maori, and soon after mass immigration from Britain occurred.

New Zealand is home to the Tangata Whenua (people of the land), the Maori. It is believed that the Polynesian navigator, Kupe, was the first man to sight New Zealand around 950AD and then returned home to tell of his findings. Around 1350AD seven great migratory canoes (waka) sailed from Hawaiki to New Zealand. They called the country Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud, and quickly adapted to the cooler climate and spread throughout the country. Here they developed a culture quite distinct from the rest of the Pacific since the long distances and treacherous ocean conditions discouraged return voyages