New Zealand

1
New Zealand
2
Quick Facts

• Youngest country on earth
• Last major landmass to be discovered
• Population 4 million people
• Comparable in size to Colorado
• Warmest months Dec.-Feb.
• Coldest months June-Aug.

3
Maori People

• 1st inhabitants of New Zealand (Aotearoa)
• Came to NZ about 1,000 years ago from Polynesian
  islands
• Maoris
• Expert hunters and fishermen
• Cooked using a umu or earth oven built over a
  pit
• Constructed a pa or fortified village to
  protect from other people

Example of an Earth oven
Maori Greeting
4
British Colonization

• Tasman (Dutch) went to NZ 1st but only spotted it
• Captain Cook also went to NZ
• Before 1840, mostly whalers, sealers, and
  missionaries went to NZ and lived in coastal
  areas
• Europeans (Pakeha) brought disease and Maori
  people began to see a decline in their numbers
• Treaty of Waitangi (1840) New Zealand became a
  British colony
• Great increase in the number of British migrants
  coming to NZ

5
New Zealand Political Life Today

• Heavily influenced by its colonial heritage
• Member of the British Commonwealth
• An association of nations consisting of the
  United Kingdom and several former British
  colonies that are now sovereign states but still
  pay allegiance to the British Crown
• Is a nuclear-free zone
• Wants to become a republic

6
Culture of NZ

• Rugged individualism and a strong sense of
  fairplay and teamwork
• Mateship is important
• Rugby and yacht racing are popular
• Hiking, mountaineering, and kayaking

Photo credit www.northland.org.nz