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the schwa (symbol ə) sound (the "a" in "comma" and "about"); the short-"e"
sound (as in "dress") has moved towards the short-"i" sound; and the short-
"a" sound (as in "trap") has moved to the short-"e" sound. Hence, the New
Zealand pronunciation of words such as "bad", "dead", "fish" and "chips"

sound like "bed", "did", "fush" and "chups" to non-New Zealanders.
Education. Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for
children aged 6 to 16, with the majority attending from the age of 5. There

are 13 school years and attending state (public) schools is free to New
Zealand citizens and permanent residents from a person's 5th birthday to the
end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday. New Zealand has an
adult literacy rate of 99 percent, and over half of the population aged 15 to

29 hold a tertiary ([‘tə: ər ] third in importance) qualification. There are
five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of
education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and wānanga, in addition to

private training establishments. The OECD's Programme for International
Student Assessment ranks New Zealand's education system as the 7th best in
the world.

Religion. Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand,
although its society is among the most secular (мирський, світський) in the
world.

Literature. Māori quickly adopted writing as a means of sharing ideas,
and many of their oral stories and poems were converted to the written form.
Most early English literature was obtained from Britain and it was not until
the 1950s when local publishing outlets increased that New Zealand

literature started to become widely known. Although still largely influenced
by global trends (modernism) and events (the Great Depression), writers in
the 1930s began to develop stories increasingly focused on their experiences

in New Zealand. During this period literature changed from a journalistic
activity to a more academic pursuit.

Interesting Facts about New Zealand

 New Zealand is located in the south-western Pacific Ocean and features
two main islands, the North Island and the South Island, as well as
other smaller ones.
 Other smaller islands include Stewart Island, Waiheke Island, Chatham

Island, Great Barrier Island and more, although many are uninhabited.

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