Page 67 - 6557

- Dominion 26 September 1907
- Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947 25 November 1947
- Constitution Act 1986 13 December 1986
Population

- January 2014 estimate 4,509,461
Currency New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Geography. New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa [a ’t a a]) is an
island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country
geographically comprises two main landmasses – that of the North Island,
and the South Island, and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated

some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and
roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New
Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last

lands to be settled by humans.
Polynesians settled New Zealand in 1250–1300 CE and developed a
distinctive Māori culture. Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, was the first

European to sight New Zealand in 1642 CE. In 1840, the British Crown and
Māori signed the Treaty of Waitangi, making New Zealand a British colony.
In 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women

the right to vote. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of 4.5
million is of European de’scent; the indigenous Māori are the largest
minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. The official languages
are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, with English

predominant.
New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial
authorities for local government purposes. Nationally, legislative authority is

vested in an elected, unicameral Parliament, while executive political power
is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is
the country's head of state and is represented by a Governor-General. The
Realm ([r lm] (of monarch) королівство) of New Zealand also includes

Tokelau /’to kəla / (a dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue
/’nju’e / (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, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific
Islands Forum and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Etymology. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642
and called it Staten Landt, supposing it was connected to a landmass of the

66