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The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ
This is the soc.culture.new-zealand list of Frequently Asked Questions, and
some hopefully useful answers.
It should be possible to find the latest edition of this FAQ at:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/new-zealand-faq
*** PLEASE DON'T E-MAIL CONTRIBUTIONS TO ME ***
*** E-mailed contributions will NOT be included ***
*** E-mailed requests/questions will NOT be answered ***
*** Replies to this message go back into the newsgroup ***
I am NOT here to supply information on request or research obscure topics.
I merely compile the information from the newsgroup and add whatever I
think may be useful or relevant. If you really can't look something up for
yourself, *ask in the newsgroup*!
Like many people in New Zealand (and some other parts of the world) I pay
for my e-mail by volume, both incoming and outgoing. E-mailing a request
to someone you don't know without an invitation is often NOT appreciated.
I very seldom respond to such mail. It particularly annoys me to receive
requests for information which is in the faq...
Contributions and comments are welcomed, but PLEASE POST THEM to s.c.n-z so
that others can comment on their accuracy/relevance. If you quote bits of
the faq for context, please keep it to a minimum.
Thanks.
I correct and amend the FAQ as information and time come to hand and post
it on the tenth of each month. The subject line on the FAQ and the weekly
reminder will be constant for the convenience of those who wish to killfile
them.
Hopefully this FAQ will reduce the number of requests from people who want
to know all about NZ but can't be bothered finding a NZ embassy or travel
agent or want all replies by mail 'because they don't read this group very
often...'.
My thanks to the contributors (listed at the end of section 2) without whom
I couldn't (and wouldn't) have compiled this. Please remember that most of
this stuff is quoted so I may not be to blame for factual errors! :-)
===========================================================================
CONTENTS
==============================
INTRODUCTION: History of soc.culture.new-zealand
==============================
PART A: INFO SOURCES
A1 HOW TO FIND NZers AND INFORMATION ABOUT NZ
A1.1 On The Net
A1.2 Elsewhere
A1.2.1 Overseas Offices of the NZ Tourism Board
A1.2.2 Traditional sources (libraries, newspapers, etc.)
A2 INFORMATION FOR NZers OVERSEAS
A2.1 NZ Consulates/Embassies Overseas
A2.2 How Do I Get News From Home?
A2.3 Expatriate Organisations?
A3 INTERNET ACCESS WITHIN NZ
==============================
PART B: FACTS AND FIGURES
B1 THE COUNTRY
B1.1 Where Is NZ?
B1.1.1 General
B1.1.2 Statistics
B1.1.3 Dependencies
B1.1.4 Time Zones
B1.2 The Landscape
B1.2.1 General
B1.2.2 Miscellaneous Figures
B1.2.3 Flora and Fauna
B1.2.4 Climate
B2 THE PEOPLE
B2.1 A Short History
B2.2 Maoritanga
B2.2.1 The Moriori Question
B2.2.2 Guide to Maori pronunciation
B2.3 Demography
B2.3.1 General
B2.3.2 Major Cities
B2.3.3 Age Distribution
B2.3.4 Ethnicity
B2.3.5 Official Languages
B2.3.6 Religions
B3 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND
B3.1 The Political Scene
B3.1.1 Why 'New Zealand'
B3.1.2 Constitution
B3.1.3 Form of Government
B3.1.4 The Justice System
B3.1.5 Organisation Membership
B3.2 Economy
B3.2.1 Defence Against Silly Questions
B3.2.2 Current Status
B3.2.3 Currency
B3.2.4 Stockmarket
B3.2.5 Interest Rates
B3.2.6 Taxes
B3.2.7 Miscellaneous Prices
B3.3 Life In General
B3.3.1 Business Hours
B3.3.2 Tipping
B3.3.3 Cost of Living
B3.3.3.1 Rent
B3.3.3.2 Wages
B3.3.3.3 Transport
B3.3.3.4 Food
B3.3.3.5 Consumer goods
B3.3.4 Crime
B3.3.5 Finding a job
B3.3.6 Schools and Education
B3.3.7 Universities
B3.3.7.1 Teaching focus
B3.3.7.2 Addresses
B3.3.7.3 The University Hierarchy
B3.3.7.4 Postgrad Study
B3.3.8 Health
B3.3.8.1 Water Supply
B3.3.9 Communications
B3.3.10 Misc
B3.4 Holidays
B3.4.1 National
B3.4.2 Regional
B3.5 Technical Stuff
B3.5.1 Electricity
B3.5.2 TV info
B3.5.3 Video Conversion
B3.5.4 Bringing Computers In
B3.5.5 Telephone
B3.5.6 Radio
B4 COMING TO NEW ZEALAND
B4.1 Travel To NZ
B4.1.1 Travel Details
B4.1.2 Agricultural Restrictions
B4.1.2.1 Animal Quarantine
B4.1.3 Overseas Embassies in NZ
B4.2 Immigration Stuff, Points System
B4.2.1 Assessment for the General Category
B4.2.2 Employability
B4.2.3 Work Experience
B4.2.4 Age
B4.2.5 Settlement Factors
B4.2.6 Business Investment Category
B4.2.7 Importing a Car
B5 TRAVEL WITHIN NZ
B5.1 Info Sources
B5.1.1 Tourism Board
B5.1.2 Maps
B5.2 Accommodation
B5.2.1 Youth Hostel Association
B5.2.2 Backpackers
B5.3 Transport
B5.3.1 Cycling/Sea kayaking
B5.3.2 Hitchhiking
B5.3.3 Renting a car/campervan
B5.3.4 Train Services
B5.3.5 Cook Strait Ferry
B5.3.6 Coach Travel
B5.3.7 Driving
B5.3.8 Commercial Tours
B5.3.9 Flying
B5.4 Misc Info
B5.4.1 Film Developing
B6 MAP OF NEW ZEALAND
B7 CONTRIBUTORS
==============================
PART C: THE SUBJECTIVE BITS
C1 DEFINITION OF 'KIWI'
C2 DESCRIPTIONS OF NZ CITIES
C3 HOLIDAYING IN NZ
C3.1 Places
C3.1.1 Parks and Tracks
C3.1.2 Beaches, etc.
C3.1.3 Distinctive Features
C3.1.4 Archaeology/Historical/Heritage Sites
C3.1.5 Places To Go To
C3.1.6 Places To Avoid
C3.1.7 Temporary Attractions
C3.2 Activities
C3.2.1 Tramping
C3.2.2 Skiing
C3.2.3 Climbing/mountaineering
C3.2.4 Watersports
C3.2.5 Whale/Dolphin Watching
C3.2.6 Pubs To Go To/Nightlife
C3.2.7 Anything Else????
C4 GENERAL CULTURE
C4.1 Sport
C4.1.1 Why do New Zealander Sportspeople Wear Black?
C4.2 Food
C4.2.1 What is Vegemite/Marmite?
C4.2.2 Pavlova recipe
C4.2.3 The Edmonds Cook Book
C4.2.4 Laying A Hangi
C4.3 National Anthems
C4.4 The Gumboot Song
C4.5 Some Works by NZ Authors
C4.6 Other Bits
C5 FAMOUS NEW ZEALANDERS
C5.1 Cinema
C5.1.1 Films
C5.1.2 People
C5.2 Music
C5.2.1 Pop/rock bands
C5.2.2 Blues
C5.2.3 Country
C5.2.4 Classical
C5.3 Literature
C5.4 Fine Art
C5.5 Humour
C5.6 Other...
===========================================================================
INTRODUCTION: History of soc.culture.new-zealand
The only record I have of the history of soc.culture.new-zealand is this
copy of the CFD, kindly passed on through various people. It appears the
archives of the original material may have been lost, and as this is a
repost (of sorts) I'm not sure how any of the details relate to the
original.
----------
Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups,soc.culture.australian,
soc.culture.british,soc.culture.celtic,soc.culture.misc,nz.general
From: gcwillia@daisy.waterloo.edu (Graeme Williams)
Date: 25 Feb 91 04:41:44 GMT
[ I have the rest of the header if it'd be useful ]
Z*******Z******* CFD: A New Zealand culture group *******Z*******Z
This is a call for a discussion regarding the creation of a new
newsgroup devoted to "New Zealand culture". Here is what I propose:
NAME: This will need to be decided on, several suggestions are:
soc.culture.newzealand
soc.culture.aoteoroa
soc.culture.kiwi
soc.culture.nz
MODERATION STATUS: The group would be unmoderated.
CHARTER:
The group will provide a forum for discussion of topics
related to New Zealand. In particular such things as:
News, politics, Maori and Pacific Island culture, music, sport,
events, films, telly, jobs, farming, the enviroment, economics,
tourism, places to see, trade, education, bungy jumping, pavlovas,
the Goodnight Kiwi and Wal and the dog in Footrot Flats.
In short anything and everything Kiwi, or related to NZ.
Contributions and queries from people other than New Zealanders
will also be most welcome.
COMMENTS:
I have had rather a lot of positive feedback via email regarding
the creation of this group, some very enthusiastic. What I would
like to see now is some discussion on the net amongst the various
people interested. In particular we will need to decide on a name
for the group.
I have set the Followup-to: field to news.groups so all discussion
regarding this proposal should take place there.
So, if you're interested and don't subscribe to news.groups, SUBSCRIBE
to it NOW! I want to hear publicly from all you Kiwis (and others
interested) scattered few and far between all over the globe. Shake
off the traditional Kiwi apathy cos "she'll be right" won't work
here on the net. Get those fingers typing and tell us what you think.
Cheers,
Graeme Williams - a Kiwi in Canada
gcwillia@daisy.waterloo.edu
----------
That's it. Any comments or contributions to this introduction would be
appreciated. Please post as usual...
===========================================================================
PART A
Subject: A1 HOW TO FIND NZers AND INFORMATION ABOUT NZ
Subject: A1.1 On The Net
Anyone searching for people in NZ might like to try searching the online
telephone directory first. Try pointing your Web browser at:
http://tdl.tols.co.nz/cgi-bin/wmain.pl
-----
Follow this newsgroup! You might also want to investigate the nz.* groups
(if they are available to you) particularly nz.general. Corrections for
any of these addresses would be appreciated.
The faq is available from numerous sites, including:
ftp site: ftp.demon.co.uk
dir: /pub/ibmpc/misc
including the internet access faq and immigration eligibility software.
For those who want to know who is able to be contacted in New Zealand, Mark
Davies of Victoria University has put the list of New Zealand Internet
connected sites on the web at:
http://www.comp.vuw.ac.nz/~mark/netsites.html
Other info about NZ is available via WWW from:
Michael Witbrock's NZ pages at http://nz.com/
eg. http://nz.com/nz/NZNewsArchive/
and http://nz.com/nz/MainPage.html/
and Sam Sampson says:
"We now have Stewart Island Pages on the akika tour of nz. Site is:
http://nz.com/tour/Stewart Island/
and
Philip Greenspun's file (illustrated with 25 JPEG photos):
http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/philg/travel/
then click on "email from New Zealand" and all the old stuff is there.
and
Jennifer George's pages:
Obscurities/infrequently asked questions;
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jmgeorge/ifaq.html
and home page
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jmgeorge/nz.html
and
Pat Cain's ftp site/web page:
http://www.dosli.govt.nz/lists
ftp://ftp.dosli.govt.nz/pub/lists
including the Internet Access in NZ FAQ, Tony Sutorius' NZ Internet Typical
User Profiles FAQ and BBS Listings for Auckland, Waikato, Manawatu,
Wellington and Christchurch.
and
David Lobb's site:
http://www.tricky.com/davelobb.html
and
Jon Clarke's site:
http://air.com.hk/~jonc
Library sites throughout NZ.
National Library of New Zealand:
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/
Email: visitors@natlib.govt.nz
New Zealand Library Catalogues:
http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/libr/nzopac.htm
New Zealand Library and Information Association:
http://www.netlink.co.nz/~nzlia/
which gives details of the organisation, and links to related sites.
Canterbury Public Library:
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/Library/
University of Auckland:
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/lbr/libhomehtm
University of Waikato:
http://www2.waikato.ac.nz/library/
Victoria University of Wellington:
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/library/
University of Canterbury:
http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/libr/home.htm
Lincoln University:
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/libr/libhome.htm
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/libr/nz/
and their alphabetical list of NZ WWW Home Pages at:
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/libr/nz/nzalpha.htm
University of Otago:
http://librius.otago.ac.nz:800/home-page.html
Library servers on the web:
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/morgan/alcuin/wwwed-catalogs.html
Other sites:
http://133.30.120.10:10080/=@=:www.ntt.jp/AP/oceania.html
http://archpropplan.auckland.ac.nz/misc/sources9.html
http://charm.wcc.govt.nz/extern/kennett/homepage.htm
http://icair.iac.org.nz/nz/tourism/index.html
http://liber.stanford.edu/~torrie/
http://pluto.taranaki.ac.nz/pukeiti/locus.html
http://pluto.taranaki.ac.nz/tourism/welcome.html
http://www.actrix.gen.nz/general/nz-faq.html
http://www.actrix.gen.nz/users/jbarton/index.html
http://www.gphs.vuw.ac.nz:80/meteorology/meteorology.html
http://www.govt.nz/ps/min/stats
http://www.indirect.com/www/richardk/NZgraphic.html
http://www.iol.ie/~saris/bpguide.html
http://www.nzso.co.nz/
http://www.pncc.govt.nz/
http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/
http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/cgi-bin/news?rsnz/news
http://www.tricky.com/davelobb.html
http://www3.waikato.ac.nz/waitomo/index.html
A list of newspaper sites is at the end of section 1.2.2.
The Wizard of New Zealand (also known as the Wizard of Christchurch) is
pleased to announce that he will shortly reveal his master plans on a WWW
homepage. Comments welcome to:
http://www.chch.planet.org.nz/wizard.html
For the ftp and WWW challenged; to get the FAQ (or any of the other WWW
files mentioned), in ASCII form, send email to:
info.cern.ch">listserv@info.cern.ch
with the body of the message reading
www http://the.URL.you.want
A message to the same address containing only the 'word' WWW will give you
some useful help and other options, such as retrieving batches of files
and/or pictures, etc.
Also, a recent copy may be obtained by mailing a request to Mark Moir
(moir@cs.unc.edu) and asking very nicely.
Also, try Gopher:
gopher://gopher.wcc.govt.nz/ (The Wellington City Council)
A quick check of gopherspace used to tell you all you never needed to know
about someone but it appears that Lincoln and Waikato both intend to phase
out their gopher servers. Some universities have a database of email
addresses available. Try:
www.<university>.ac.nz
or
http://www.comp.vuw.ac.nz/Technical/x500nzquery.html.
or
http://nz.com/NZ/EducationResearch/Universities.html
which will send you to home pages (and all sorts of info including snail
mail) of universities in NZ.
Subject: A1.2 Elsewhere
A1.2.1 Overseas Offices Of The New Zealand Tourism Board
AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY:
Prudential Finance House,
84 Pitt Street,
NSW 2000
Ph (02) 231 1322, 221 7333
GP Box 614,2100 Sydney
BRISBANE:
Ground Floor, 288 Edwards St
GPO 2634, Brisbane, Queensland 4001
Ph (00617) 221 3176
Fax (00617) 221 7289
MELBOURNE:
Level 19 Comco Office Tower
644 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Melbourne
Victoria
Ph (00613) 823 6283
BRITAIN
LONDON:
New Zealand House,
Haymarket,
SW1Y4TQ
Ph (071) 973 0363
EUROPE
FRANKFURT:
6000 Frankfurt am Main 1,
Kaiserhofstrasse,
Ph (069) 288 189
Fax (069) 281 482
JAPAN
TOKYO:
Toho Twin tower Building,
2nd Floor,
1-5-2 Yurakucho C
Hiyoda-ku 100
Ph (03) 508-9981
PAN-ASIA
SINGAPORE:
13 Nassam Rd,
Singapore 1025
Ph 2359966
HONG KONG:
3414 Jardine House,
1 Connaught Place,
Central
Ph (05) 255 044
UNITED STATES
LOS ANGELES:
501 Santa Monica Blvd 300,
Santa Monica CA 90401
Ph 1 800 3885494
Fax (310) 395 5453
NEW YORK:
Suite 1206,
432 Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 10016
Ph (001212) 447 0550
Fax (001212) 447 0558
CANADA
VANCOUVER:
1200 - 888 Dunsmuir Street,
Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3K4
ph (604) 684-2117
fax (604) 684-1265
Air New Zealand also has offices at 1250 - 888 Dunsmuir Street
ph (604) 640-4600
--------------------
A1.2.2 Traditional Sources (libraries, newspapers, etc.)
Check libraries, travel agents, embassies, consulates. Year books,
almanacs, census data(?) etc. are all usually available.
The Lonely Planet guide has been described as 'very helpful'.
The following book has been suggested as a useful source of information:
New Zealand - a travel survival kit
by Tony Wheeler
published by Lonely Planet Publications
The following CD is available:
New Zealand Encyclopedia (TVNZ): An encyclopedia of NZ that covers lots of
different areas. Over 1200 illustrations, 20 maps, over 20 minutes of
videos (1994 version).
Available from:
The Electric Book Co.
PO Box 34-422
Auckland 10
New Zealand
Ph/fax 64-9-4159343
If all else fails, try the:
Auckland Information Bureau/Auckland Information Centre
Aotea Sq
299 Queen St
PO Box 7048
Auckland 1
Phone 366 6888
Fax 366 6893? 358 4648? (Hey Lin! Which of these is right???)
Wellington Info Centre
Phone 801 4000
Fax 801 3030
Wellington is included because if you know how to send a fax via e-mail,
use Wellington's fax number. They probably can't email you back.
Christchurch Info Centre
Phone 379 9629
Fax 377 2424
Lincoln University library keeps (or kept?) a list of all the NZ
magazines/newspapers at:
http://manuka.lincoln.ac.nz/libr/nz/nzserial.htm
-----
Newspaper Contact Information
New Zealand Major Daily Newspapers: (>25,000 Circulation)
Newspaper Postal Box City Circulation
Phone Mngmnt Fax Editorial Fax
New Zealand Herald (M) PO Box 32 Auckland 238,000
09/379-5050 09/303-0265 09/366-1568
Otago Daily Times (M) PO Box 181 Dunedin 48,000
03/477-4760 03/477-5120 03/477-1313
The Daily News PO Box 444 New Plymouth 29,000
06/758-0559 06/758-4653 06/758-6849
The Dominion (M) PO Box 3740 Wellington 67,000
04/474-0222 09/474-0584 04/474-0350
The Evening Post (M) PO Box 3740 Wellington 69,000
04/474-0222 04/474-0584 04/474-0237
The Press (M) Private Bag Christchurch 100,000
03/379-0940 03/364-8496 04/364-8492
The Southland Times PO Box 805 Invercargill 33,000
03/218-1909 03/218-4349 03/214-9905
Waikato Times Private Bag 3086 Hamilton 41,000
07/849-6180 07/849-9554 07/849-9603
New Zealand Other Daily Newspapers: (<25,000 Circulation)
Newspaper Postal Box City Circulation
Phone Mngmnt Fax Editorial Fax
Ashburton Guardian PO Box 77 Ashburton 6,300
03/308-3089 03/308-9855
Bay of Plenty Times Private Bag Tauranga 21,000
07/578-3059 07/578-0047
Daily Post PO Box 1442 Rotorua 13,000
07/348-6199 07/349-0959 07/346-0153
Evening News PO Box 92 Dannevirke 2,700
06/374-7081 06/374-9353
Evening Standard PO Box 3 Palmerston North 24,000
06/356-9009 06/350-9525 06/357-6316
Evening Star PO Box 3 Greymouth 5,600
03/768-7121 03/768-6205
Hawkes Bay Herald Tribune PO Box 180 Hastings 20,000
06/878-5155 06/876-0655 06/878-5668
Northland Times PO Box 96 Dargaville 2,900
09/439-8209 09/439-6505
Te Awamutu Courier PO Box 1 Te Awamutu ?
07/871-5151 07/871-3675
The Daily Telegraph PO Box 343 Napier 16,000
06/835-4488 06/835-6786 06/835-1129
The Ensign PO Box 182 Gore ?
03/208-9280 03/208-9594
The Gisborne Herald PO Box 1143 Gisborne 9,700
06/868-6655 06/867-8048
The Levin Chronicle PO Box 547 Levin 6,400
06/368-5109 06/368-2366
The Nelson Mail PO Box 244 Nelson 19,000
03/548-7079 03/546-2849 03/546-2802
The Northern Advocate PO Box 210 Whangarei 15,000
09/438-2399 09/430-5669 09/430-5665
The Oamaru Mail PO Box 343 Oamaru ?
03/434-9970 03/434-9723
The Timaru Herald PO Box 46 Timaru 15,000
03/684-4129 03/688-1042
Wairarapa Times-Age PO Box 445 Masterton 9,100
06/378-9999 06/378-2839 06/378-2371
Wairoa Star PO Box 41 Wairoa ?
06/838-7194 06/838-6973
Wanganui Chronicle PO Box 433 Wanganui 15,000
06/345-3919 06/345-3232
Westport News PO Box 249 Westport 2,200
03/789-7319 03/789-7203
New Zealand Non-daily Newspapers:
Newspaper Postal Box City Circulation
Phone Mngmnt Fax Editorial Fax
Clutha Leader (N) PO Box 45 Balclutha 2,500
03/418-1115 03/418-1173
Marlborough Express (N) PO Box 242 Blenheim 10,000
03/578-6059 03/577-6006 03/578-0497
National Business Review* (W) PO Box 1734 Auckland 13,000
09/307-1629 09/373-3997
Northern News (W) PO Box 1 Kaikohe ?
09/401-0123 09/401-2129
Sunday News* (W) PO Box 1409 Auckland 119,000
09/302-1300 09/366-4670 09/358-3003
Sunday Star-Times* (W) PO Box 1409 Auckland 195,000
09/302-1300 09/366-4670 09/309-0258
The Independent* (W) 17 Victoria St West Auckland 10,000
09/303-3534 09/303-2999
The New Truth* (W) PO Box 1409 Auckland 35,000
09/302-1300 09/366-4670 09/309-2279
Whakatane Beacon (N) PO Box 243 Whakatane 8,600
07/308-8129 07/307-0719
Type Note: Provincial Daily unless: (M) Metropolitian Daily
(N) Non-Daily (ie. 2-5 times/week)
(W) Weekly
Distrubution Note: * = Nationwide Circulation
The above information was kindly supplied by the NZPA & INL via Tony Randle
For further information, please contact the NZPA.
Phone: 04/472-7910
Facsimile: 04/478-1625
Postal Address PO Box 1599, Wellington
-----
Email addresses (some may be EMail to fax gateways).
The owner of most of the above newspapers, INL has the site
http://www.inl.co.nz
http://www.inl.co.nz/websites.html
Waikato Times http://www.wave.co.nz/times/
The Dominion http://www.infotech.co.nz (the weekly computer section)
The Evening Post http://www.evpost.co.nz/ (empty page still?)
The Press http://www.press.co.nz
Otago Daily Times (a domain name registered but inoperative as yet)
also
http://nz.com/nz/NZNewsArchive/
http://nz.com/NetEdit/
http://nz.com/NZ/Commerce/NetEdit/VOICE.HTM
http://nz.com/webnz/
Above and beyond all this, apparently you can read newspapers all over the
world at:
http://www.worldaccess.nl/~brien
Subject: A2 INFORMATION FOR NZers OVERSEAS
Subject: A2.1 NZ Consulates/Embassies Overseas
Chase up a phone book. There are embassies and consulates all over the
place. In countries where there are no New Zealand representatives, the UK
representatives usually look after the interests of NZ nationals by
agreement.
For callers in the U.S. the New Zealand Tourism Board has a 24 hour number;
1-800-388-5494. Leave your name, address and particular interests and lots
of free information on New Zealand will be mailed to you. During regular
California business hours it might even be possible to get a real person on
the line.
New Zealand Embassy in Haymarket (UK):
phone:
0171-930 8422
0891-200 288
0171-973 0366
0171-973 0368
New Zealand Embassy in Washington D. C.:
37 Observatory Circle, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20008
Phone: (202) 328-4800
(Is this place open?)
NZ Embassy
Suite 1206,
432 Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 447 0550
Fax: (212) 447 0558
TRADENZ
NZ Consulate General
NZ Tourist Board
780 Third Avenue, Suite 1904
New York, NY 10017-2024
Phone: (212) 832-8482
Fax: (212) 832-7602
They opened a couple of months ago. The NZ Tourism Board office at the
same address has been open for business (to travel agents only) for several
years. The office hopes to have full consular capacity "shortly".
Currently it gives advice, dispenses forms and "aids distressed travelling
Kiwis". The East Coast Manager is Anna Synolt and Peter MacDonald
(pmac@pipeline.com.us) heads the office.
There's a new e-mail address for the New York NZ Consulate/TRADENZ et al.:
tradenz@pipeline.com
It should be noted that the NY NZ Consulate only answers questions and
distributes forms. All processing - issuing visas, renewing passports etc.
- is performed at the Washington DC High Commission. The NY NZ Tourist
Board deals only with travel agents etc. and will not answer questions from
individuals.
The West Coast Consulate:
New Zealand Consulate-General
Suite 1150
12400 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles
CA 90025
Phone: (310) 207-1605
Fax: (310) 207-3605
Mr. Terence Charles Baker is listed as Consul General.
There is also a New Zealand Tourism Board located in Santa Monica, phone
1-310-395-748. Try also (is this valid???):
NZ Embassy
501 Santa Monica Blvd 300,
Santa Monica CA 90401
Phone: 1 800 388 5494
Fax: (310) 395 5453
And in Canada, there is the:
New Zealand High Commission
Ottawa
Phone: (613) 238-5991
Fax: (613) 238-5707
There are consul offices listed for the District of Columbia, Tennessee,
Guam, and Washington State.
Subject: A2.2 How Do I Get News From Home?
Check the notes on ftp sites; some current news may be archived there.
Read soc.culture.new-zealand, and nz.general if you can get it. A weekly
summary of NZ News is compiled and posted to soc.culture.new-zealand by the
generous Brian Harmer (usually on Sundays). These postings are all
archived on the WWW at http://nz.com/nz/NZNewsArchive/. To get a personal
e-mail copy of the postings, send mail to:
majordomo@nz.com
with the line:
subscribe nznews <email-addr>
in the *BODY* of the message.
"The New Zealander " is a new full colour weekly tabloid available in
Australia for A$2.95. Like other publications we know of, the Dominion,
and the Evening Post are among the sources of its articles, although it can
presumably print articles verbatim.
(I'll be interested to hear what Australian WYSIWYG readers think - BH)
TVNZ has established a web page for those who want to see recent news
items. Comment has been mixed, and like most graphic-laden pages is slow
to load. Try
http://www.tvnz.co.nz/
particularly
http://www.tvnz.co.nz/news/stories
There is a thing called a NewZgram. It's like an aerogram but is printed
with excerpts of news about NZ, including sections about sport, health,
business, etc. It's 4 sides of a page long, sent fortnightly).
Subscription Prices: 24 issues (12 months)
NZ address surface NZ$36
Australia/Sth Pacific - air NZ$55
Rest of world - air NZ$67
The address is:
Peak Communications Ltd
PO Box 54046
Mana
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone/Fax 64/4/2399123
and/or???
Newzgram
PO Box 3882
Christchurch, NZ
Phone - 3-3559222
Fax 3-3559337
Then there is:
New Zealand News UK is an Independent Weekly newspaper, covering NZ
news/current events, United Kingdom jobs, NZ jobs, travel, migrating to NZ,
shipping and accommodation/entertainment in London. There is apparently
also a version called 'Overseas' with lots of info about visa requirements,
etc. for Brits wishing to travel. Try calling NZ News on 0171 930 6451.
NZ news is available free in London and by subscription elsewhere. It does
contain a fair bit of London specific news, but has some quite good
features on Emigrating and NZ lifestyles for people thinking of making a
move to NZ. Prices in Pounds Sterling.
3 Months 6 Months 1 Year
UK £ 8.90 £ 16.40 £ 28.00
Europe £ 12.00 £ 23.00 £ 38.50
World £ 20.80 £ 40.50 £ 57.75
Make your cheque payable to New Zealand News UK and send it to:
Circulation Manager,
New Zealand News UK,
PO Box 10, Berwick upon Tweed,
Northumberland TD15 1BW
Phone/Fax: (44) 0289 306677
Or, have a look at the new net version:
http://www.nznewsuk.co.uk/
which apparently has no pictures, but a good selection of sports news.
Subject: A2.3 Expatriate Organisations?
There's an organisation in HK called the New Zealand Society. Point of
contact is either the NZ Consulate in Central HK (Jardine House) or Grant
Baird at a restaurant called Landaus. They meet regularly and it's fairly
social.
There's a Kiwi Club of New York for those interested in such things.
Kiwi Club of New York
c/o TRADENZ
780 Third Avenue, Suite 1904
New York, NY 10017-2024
Phone (212) 832-4038 x222 (Brenda Henderson)
The club's secretary is Beatrice Cheer at bcheer@panix.com who can
occasionally be found in s.c.n-z.
Subject: A3 INTERNET ACCESS WITHIN NZ
Public internet access is available from a growing number of sources
throughout New Zealand, particularly around the main centres. Access for
university staff and students (sometimes only post-grads) is usually
available. For more detailed information, read Simon Lyall's monthly faq
on the subject;
newsgroups: (news.answers, nz.net.announce, nz.general, s.c.n-z)
archive-name: internet-access/new-zealand
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/nz.general/Internet_access_in_New_Zealand_FAQ
and also;
http://actrix.gen.nz/general/internet.faq
although:
ftp://ftp.dosli.govt.nz/pub/lists/
is slightly better and has a few other FAQs.
===========================================================================
PART B
Subject: B1 THE COUNTRY
Subject: B1.1 Where Is New Zealand?
B1.1.1 General
New Zealand is in the south-west \_
Pacific and has two large islands, \}
one smaller island, and numerous \9
much smaller islands. It is usual North )`-'7
to refer to the main islands as 'the Island ( c`
North Island' and 'the South Island'. ) /
F,% n_/
For a larger map of the main islands South J /
see section B6. For a map showing Island / 6
the dependencies, see an atlas... / /
{_, /`
Ascii maps are copyright, Stewart Island @ ~
please do not repost.
New Zealand = Aotearoa, Niu Tireni (uncommon, adulteration of 'New
Zealand'), Land of the Long White Cloud, 'Godzone'
North Island = Aotearoa (original name(?) referring to the NI only?),
Te Ika-a-Maui[-Tikitiki-A-Taranga] (The Fish of Maui),
Nga Ahi o Maui (verification and definition anyone?)
South Island = Te Waka-a-Maui (The Canoe of Maui), Te Wa[h]ipounamu
(Greenstone waters or Place of Greenstone)
Stewart Island = Rakiura (The Land of Glowing Skies) or
Te punga o te waka a Maui (The anchor of Maui's canoe)
"Kiwiland" is slang for "New Zealand" and not very common. "Down Under"
tends to mean Australia but may also include NZ.
--------------------
B1.1.2 Statistics
For the main three: Latitude: 34 S to 47 S
Longitude: 167 E to 178 E
AREAS sq kms sq mi
North Island 114,453 44,191
South Island 150,718 58,193
Stewart Island 1,746 674
The Rest ?
TOTAL 268,700 103,745
COASTLINE: 15,134 km
LAND BOUNDARIES: 0 km
MARITIME CLAIMS:
Continental shelf; edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone; 200 nm
Territorial sea; 12 nm
Take a look at:
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/nz.html
and
http://www.govt.nz/ps/min/stats
And Steve Israel (israel@spheroid.otago.ac.nz) invites people to look at
his remote sensing page:
http://spheroid.otago.ac.nz:808/courses/remote.sense/RemoteSense.html
--------------------
B1.1.3 Dependencies
Antarctica (Ross Dependency): between 160 degrees east and 150 degrees
west longitude together with the islands lying between those degrees and
south of latitude 60 segrees south. The land is estimated to be between
400,000 and 450,000 sq km, with a further 330,000 sq km of permanent ice
shelf. The main NZ station is Scott Base at approx 78 degrees south.
The next two are part of NZ territory, and apart from the Chatham Islands,
they are uninhabited except by research personnel.
Antipodes Islands: a small group of outlying islands off the east coast of
the South Island, latitude 49 degrees 41' South and longitude 178 degrees
43' east. Total area about 62 sq km.
Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Kermadec Islands, Snares
Islands. The sub-Antarctic islands are integral parts of NZ. Actually,
with the exception of the Kermadecs (to the NE of NZ) all those island
groups are in the sub-antarctic, as are the Antipodes Islands. The Anres
and Bounty Islands are marginal for being classed as sub-Antarctic.
The Chatham Islands are well east of New Zealand (850kms) and have their
own 'Time Zone' in as much as their clocks are always 45 mins ahead of the
rest of NZ and I guess they keep in step with changes to and from NZDT.
Lyndon Watson wrote:
"The Cook Islands were originally under sole British administration and
later under sole New Zealand administration. There was no condominium.
The Cook Islands have been independent since the 1970s.
"The Cook Islands are an independent state. At *their* request (not
surprising in view of their small population and resources) they are
represented in most overseas countries by New Zealand diplomats and New
Zealand undertakes their military defence. They can change that at any
time simply by notifying New Zealand, one government to another.
"Not only could Cook Islanders vote in New Zealand elections before they
became independent, but the can still do so even now under special dual
nationality arrangements which *they* requested on independence. New
Zealanders, of course, cannot vote in Cook Islands elections.
"New Zealand has never colonised Niue or Tokelau. Rather the Niueans and
Tokelauans have colonised New Zealand. In the case of Tokelau, especially,
the population of Tokelauan descendants in New Zealand is now far larger
than the atolls could possibly support.
"Niue is internally self-governing but not fully independent. Their
problem, like that of other tiny Pacific nations, is a lack of population
and resources. They are so totally dependent on New Zealand subsidies that
no one has been able to devise a viable scheme for full independence.
Tokelau has the same problem in even greater form. Like Kiribati, they
even stand to lose their home islands (atolls) altogether if the sea level
keeps on rising they way that it has been lately. Most of the people who
identify as Tokelauans are resident in New Zealand. Tokelau is talking
about some form of autonomy or independence right now.
"New Zealand has no strategic interest in these islands and has never
settled them; they are a financial burden to us which we undertake because
they are our friends and neighbours and have important links with our own
population. In our own narrow self-interest, we should either give them
full independence and cast them adrift, or simply incorporate them
seamlessly into New Zealand, but the decision is theirs, not ours."
--------------------
B1.1.4 Time Zones
New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich mean time making it one of the
first places in the world to see the new day. Summer time (or Daylight
Saving Time we call it here) is an advance of one hour at 2am in the
morning on the first Sunday in October and back to NZST at 3am in the
morning on the third Sunday morning of March.
NZST (GMT+12) or NZDT (GMT+13) October - March
Subject: B1.2 The Landscape
B1.2.1 General
NZ is a long narrow country lying roughly North/South with mountain ranges
running much of its length. It is predominately mountainous with some
large coastal plains and is a little larger than Britain, slightly smaller
than Italy, and almost exactly the size of Colorado.
The only 'geographical feature' New Zealand doesn't have is live coral
reef. We have all the rest: rainforest, desert, fiords, flooded valleys,
gorges, plains, mountains, glaciers, volcanoes, geothermics, swamps, lakes,
braided rivers, peneplains, badlands, and our very own continental plate
junction... As a result of the latter, earthquakes are common, though
usually not severe (patience... :-)
For more information, go to sci.geo.geology, and download the earthquake
maps for this week. The little black line snaking through New Zealand is
the plate boundary. A good URL for this is:
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/QUAKES/WEEKREPS/LATEST/world.gif
Also try
http://www.gphs.vuw.ac.nz/geophysics/geophysics.html
http://www.civeng.carleton.ca/cgi-bin/quakes
and
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/quakexe/quakes
which lists the strong earthquakes worldwide during the last few days.
You can get almost instant info about larger quakes from the US Geological
Survey at:
http://www.usgs.gov/research/environment/hazards/earthquake/
Or try
gopher://gldfs.cr.usgs.gov:79/0quake
for a simple record of any quake. [not at all sure how this works. help?]
--------------------
B1.2.2 Miscellaneous Figures
Mt Cook: highest point in NZ. A landslide in December 1991 lowered the
3764m summit by about 10 metres. NZ has 28 peaks over 3000 metres. The
lowest (Mount Aspiring) is the only one outside Mount Cook National Park.
Also within the park is the Tasman Glacier, which is about 20 kms long.
The North Island's main mountains are all volcanoes: Ruapehu (2797m/9175'),
Ngauruhoe (2291m), and Tongariro (1968m) in the centre, and Taranaki
(2518m) to the west.
Lake Taupo; 40.2 km long, 27.4 km wide, 606 sq km, depth 159m
Lake Waikaremoana; 19.3 long, 9.7 km wide, 54 sq km, depth 256m
The artificial lakes in the North Island deeper than both are Lake Ohakuri
(287m) and Lake Whakamarino (274m).
Lake Wakitipu 77.2 by 4.8 km, 293 sq km is 310m deep. It's noo but a puddle
compared to Lake Hauroko (443m deep). Both are glacial in origin.
--------------------
B1.2.3 Flora And Fauna
It is still hotly debated whether or not New Zealand was *completely*
submerged between 60 - 30 mya. There are now two competing views as to
NZ's biogeographic history:
(1) the traditional view, that our biology - especially the vegetation -
is a living example of a 'Gondwanan' fragment that has a lineage directly
traceable back to when NZ split off from Gondwana (maybe as early as 90 mya
or as late as 75 mya, depending on who you believe).
(2) a more recent view, that actually almost none of our current plants
and animals can be traced in a continuous lineage back to Gondwana, and
instead have all arrived via long-distance dispersal from Australia and SE
Asia, maybe even as recently as 20 - 10 mya. There is some compelling
fossil evidence for this view. For those interested in this, an excellent
though clearly biased account of this second view is given by Mike Pole in
a recent review (The Journal of Biogeography, Vol. 21 pp 625, 1994).
In any case during its time of isolation, birds have continued to arrive
and develop in NZ without large predators, making them vulnerable to recent
arrivals. The predators that have really been widely destructive were the
mustelids, cats and European rat species. The most important impact of
pre-Europeans was the widespread burning used in moa-hunting especially in
the drier areas of the South Island.
We have the worlds largest flightless parrot (kakapo), the only truly
alpine parrot (kea), the oldest reptile (tuatara), the biggest earthworms,
the heaviest insect (also the largest weta), the smallest bats, some of the
oldest trees, and many of the rarest birds, insects, and plants in the
world....
NZ is home to the world famous Tuatara, a lizard-like reptile which dates
back to the dinosaurs and perhaps before (260 mill years?). The only
member of its order (Rhynchocephalia) it is now restricted to protected
offshore islands which you have to have special permission to visit.
Specimens are kept at some zoos.
The only native land mammals are two rare species of bat.
NZ's many endemic birds include the flightless kiwi, takahe, kakapo and
weka. Far too many species of bird have become extinct since humans
arrived on NZ included the various species of Dinornis (moa) the largest
of which stood up to 2.5 metres high. While the rare takahe (Notornis
australis) can be seen in semi-wild conditions at Te Anau, the Kakapo is
too endangered to be on display anywhere (see quote below).
For those who are interested, the following NZ CD is available:
New Zealand birds: Information on more than 300 bird species, plus over 500
photos, video clips of NZ attractions and birds, and 20 windows bmps.
Available from:
Protech International
PO Box 324
Nelson
New Zealand
Ph/fax 64-3-5451799
There is also some unique insect life such as the Giant Weta and glow
worms. Other than two spiders, there is a lack of any deadly poisonous
things (snakes, spiders, etc.) which is why NZ Agricultural Regulations are
so strict.
The great kauri trees in the few remaining kauri forests in Northland are
very old with some believed to be up to 2000 years old.
Much of the South Island is still forested, particularly the West Coast.
-----
cakes@io.org (cakes) has provided the following article (advice on legality
requested!):
Reprinted without permission.
RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE ANCIENT PARROTS
Reuters, 19.01.96
WELLINGTON, New Zealand.
After a peaceful existence spanning millions of years, the survival odds
seem stacked against New Zealand's native parrot, a fat, flightless bird
called the kakapo.
With only 50 kakapo left in New Zealand, Britain's World Conservation
Monitoring Center (WCMC) recently placed the bird on its list of the
world's 20 most-endangered species predicted to become extinct during 1996.
"That bird has so much stacked against it," said Kevin Smith, president
of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand.
Only one kakapo chick has survived into adulthood since 1990, although
three more are almost there.
"At the moment the clock is just ticking. Unless there are some chicks
fledged in the next five years the kakapo's prospects are very bleak,"
Smith said.
Fully grown kakapo weigh up to eight pounds, heavier than most other
parrots, and are bright green in color. Scientists say the bird existed
without significant threat for millions of years.
Their decline began 1,000 years ago when humans arrived in New Zealand,
bringing predatory mammals such as cats, dogs, rats and stoats. Flightless
native birds, including the kiwi, moa and kakapo, had not developed
defenses against predation.
"Some were literally eaten alive. The kakapo's only defense was to sit
very still, and predators basically had meals on wheels," said Janet Owen,
Department of Conservation (DOC) Director of Protected Species.
She said kakapo populations were plundered as a food source by Maori and
European settlers alike, and their natural habitat was largely destroyed by
the clearance of rich forests.
Hope seemed lost in the late 1960s when it was found all kakapo known to
exist were male. Then the discovery of a single feather on Stewart Island,
at the foot of the South Island, led to a hitherto unknown population of
about 200 birds, including females.
But cats discovered this kakapo haven at the same time. "By the time we
could do anything about the cats, the population had plummeted to around 50
or 60 birds," said Paul Jansen, head of DOC's Kakapo Recovery Program.
The kakapo were moved in the 1980s to the relative safety of Codfish,
Little Barrier and Maud islands, dotted around New Zealand's coastline.
The nests need video monitoring as they come under constant attack from
rats, and Maud Island is occasionally invaded by stoats swimming over from
the mainland.
The male kakapo abandons the female after mating, forcing her to leave
the nest dangerously unattended while she feeds.
What is more, kakapo are reluctant breeders mating only once every four
or five years. They also have a history of laying infertile eggs.
Despite the hurdles facing the kakapo, the WCMC's prediction of imminent
extinction is overly dire, DOC says. While the kakapo is critically
endangered, it is a national treasure which can be dragged back from the
brink of oblivion.
"Results will take a while because they're long-lived birds. We think
they live around 60-80 years, so they won't be wiped out this year," DOC
Director-General Murray Hosking said.
Over the next 10 years the recovery program aims to establish a younger
breeding population, although numbers will probably remain similar as older
birds die.
"Conceivably we will be giving help to the kakapo for at least the next
five decades, if not longer," Jansen said.
Smith is sharply critical of the amount of funding the government
provides for endangered species research. DOC has a $660,000 budget for
kakapo research in 1996.
"We've become too insulated in New Zealand we don't realize just how
special our native plants and animals are. There's a niggardly,
pathetically small amount of money going into conservation, and we reap
what we sow," he said.
Smith said predation was causing the decline of New Zealand's bird
populations in general, and forest habitats were gradually being destroyed
by possums, deer and goats.
"New Zealand's wealth has been generated out of the 75 percent of the
country we've cleared. Unfortunately we're not using any of that wealth to
save those species that are trying to survive in the little remnants we
left them," Smith said.
"The dawn chorus in our forests, which used to be a real feature of New
Zealand, is in many places becoming more of a solo." Reuters
I found this article on a bird-related web site - I can't recall which
one as I've scanned many over the last few weeks. Recently I saw a
television program on the Discovery channel, which highlighted the plight
of the kakapo in much the same manner as this story.
--------------------
B1.2.4 Climate
The NZ climate is temperate with no real extremes; the north tends to be
warm temperate. Being an island nation, the yearly range of temperatures
is quite small, around 10 degrees Celsius variation between winter and
summer. NZ enjoys long hours of sunshine throughout the year making it an
ideal year round destination. In winter the South Island mountain and
central North Island do have heavy snowfalls providing great skiing.
Summer: December - February
Winter: June - August
sunshine Temperature (C) rainfall rain
hours mean max min daily av. (mm) days
sum win
Kaitaia 2113 15.6 29 0 1429 138
Auckland 1904 15.7 28 3 23 14 1289 140
Tauranga 2217 14.3 29 -2 1363 118
Hamilton 1981 13.5 29 -5 1236 131
Rotorua 1872 12.7 30 -4 23 12 1509 123
Gisborne 2173 14.1 33 -2 1079 113
New Plymouth 2157 13.4 26 -1 1514 142
Napier 2187 14.3 32 -2 830 92
Palmerston North 1764 13.2 28 -3 991 127
Wellington 2008 12.7 27 1 20 11 1305 124
Nelson 2372 12.2 28 -4 22 12 1005 96
Blenheim 2449 12.9 32 -4 671 84
Hokitika 1889 11.6 25 -2 2809 168
Christchurch 1992 11.9 34 -5 22 10 668 85
Timaru 1828 11.4 32 -4 586 81
Milford Sound 1828 10.5 25 -3 6213 183
Queenstown 1865 10.4 30 -5 21 8 832 93
Dunedin 1645 11.1 29 -2 19 10 802 119
Gore 1665 9.7 31 -5 894 137
Invercargill 1595 9.7 28 -5 1040 157
(some of the table above was pirated and I seriously doubt it's accuracy...
Anyone care to confirm it?)
Ross Levis kindly offered:
All the weather links you should ever need are located on my ISP page at:
http://www.enternet.co.nz/weather.html
which links to VUW and shows some other Antarctic pictures.
Frank van der Hulst and Tony Wilkes provided (combined and mildly amended):
NZ Metservice forecasts, including TV-style maps showing forecasts:
http://web.co.nz/weather/
Satellite weather pictures from VUW:
http://www.rses.vuw.ac.nz/meteorology/pictures/
[ see also ...meteorology/maps.html and ...pictures/ir1/latest.jpg ]
These are in mono. For similar maps in colour:
http://rs560.cl.msu.edu/weather/
Weather of the whole region, including NZ. Up to 3-day forecasts,
including satellite pictures and maps showing isobars & sea surface winds
over the Tasman & NZ:
gopher://gilgamesh.ho.BoM.GOV.AU/1/1/Australian%20Weather%20Information
gopher://gilgamesh.ho.BoM.GOV:70/11/Australian%20Weather%Information/Weatrts
[ not sure if the second one is correct ]
Latest (3-hourly) weather satellite images:
http://geog.canterbury.ac.nz/weather/index.html
The NZ sites seem to be somewhat intermittent, and often their latest
images are 3 or 4 days old. The Aussie site is probably the most useful.
Airways Corp also has a Web site http://www.airways.co.nz/index.html which
contains articles from their latest magazine.
Also at
http:/www.sel/bldroc.gov/today.html
are sunspot details and solar activity, which is of interest to radio hams
(among others).
Hugh Grierson adds:
Point your browser at
gopher://gilgamesh.ho.bom.gov.au:70/
and follow the links "Australian weather information ..." -> "Weather
Charts".
There is also:
http://www.xtra.co.nz/metservice/index.shtml
but that requires a Java capable reader.
Subject: B2 THE PEOPLE
Subject: B2.1 A Short History
900 AD (+/-) Maori arrived from Pacific.
1740's Europeans started to bumble around the area.
1800's Exploiters arrived (whalers, sealers, traders).
1830's Settlers started arriving.
1840's The 'Maori' Land Wars
There were actually four separate wars (though some tribes fought in more
than one):
NgaPuhi, Northland (1840s)
Taranaki,(1860s)
Kingites, Waikato (1860s)
Te Kooti etc (1860s)
John Hopkins offers the following 'gratuitous comments ;-)' (sic):
"The term "Maori Wars" has not been used for some considerable time, as it
suggests that Maori were responsible for the wars - another example of "the
winner" rewriting history to suit their own purposes. Recognised
descriptions now are "the New Zealand Wars", or the "Land Wars" - the
latter is preferable in some ways because it reveals what the wars were
about. In particular, the invasion of the Waikato by English led troops as
a pretext to force Maori to defend themselves and then confiscate their
land for being "in rebellion" against the English Crown. A good reference
is the Waitangi Tribunal report on the Tainui claim."
1893? Universal Suffrage.
The 1945-50 Baby Boom
There was a baby boom in 1945-50 after the survivors returned from the
Second World War. The reasons should be obvious. (I think that it has
been mentioned here that New Zealand lost a larger fraction of its
population in the Second World War than any other Allied country except
the USSR, nearly all of them young men). There was a lesser peak 20 to
30 years later as the products of the first boom had their own children.
1985 Internet gets going... :-)
May 1994 The soc.culture.new-zealand faq gets posted!
Subject: B2.2 Maoritanga
Maoritanga is Maori culture; a way of life and view of the world. It is a
growing and changing part of life in NZ. The ancestors and all living
things are descended from the gods, who are often embodied in specific
mountains, rivers and lakes, which is why kinship and links with the land
are so important. Maui was one of the earliest descendants and was
responsible for slowing the sun to make the days longer, taming fire, and
fishing the North Island (Te Ika a Maui) from the sea from his brothers'
canoe (the South Island - Te Waka a Maui). Most Maori can trace descent
from the chiefs of Hawaiki who sailed to Aotearoa in voyaging canoes from
about 1200 years ago. The marae (particular area of land and buildings,
containing the Whare or meeting house) is the focus of traditional Maori
community life.
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, after Maori had petitioned Queen
Victoria about the damage being done to their land and culture by
uncontrolled land speculators and resource exploiters. Another influence
was the wish of the British to prevent the French or Americans from gaining
a hold on the new colony (Hone Heke flew the Stars and Stripes on his war
canoe). The first article ceded to the Queen of England the right to make
laws in exchange for the retention of full control of their lands, forests,
fishing and prized posessions. The second article promised the Maori full
rights to their lands, forests and treasured possessions (and fisheries in
the English version). The third article gave the Maori all the rights and
privileges of British subjects.
Despite the egalitarian language, in practice the principles of the Treaty
were often ignored. Dissatisfaction over the control of land in the North
Island led to war in the 1860's with the result that much Maori land was
confiscated. It was 100 years before the Maori protest movement had enough
strength to come into the public eye, although certain key personalities
have been supporting a Maori renaissance since the early years of this
century. All environmental and planning legislation passed since 1986
contains provisions for the support of the principles of the Treaty of
Waitangi. Recent claims to the Waitangi Tribunal have resulted in some
land being returned to Maori control. In other cases the resource
implications are so complex and potentially vast that decisions on
reparation have been delayed for some years. This is the case, for
example, with the claim of Ngai Tahu, the largest and most powerful South
Island tribe. The claim has been accepted in principle, but settlement
appears to be some way away.
Maori is now an official language of NZ, although outside the Maori
community it is rare to hear it spoken except on ceremonial occasions.
Maori have established various programmes for the revival of their
language, particularly in pre-school and primary schools.
Most Maori are now town and city dwellers, and many have lost touch with
their original marae base. However there is a groundswell of regeneration
of interest in the marae, and some people are returning to their tribal
homes. In the cities, urban marae, sometimes catering for people of many
tribes, have been established.
Maori culture was transmitted orally, through the telling of stories, song
(waiata) and the reciting of whakapapa (genealogies). It was also
represented in stylised form in carvings and woven panels that adorned
whare (meeting houses). There is a revitalisation of these traditional
arts, especially as the marae movement gains more strength, and also
because new marae, for example on school and university campuses, are being
built. Maori traditional music was very effectively suppressed by the
nineteenth century missionaries. Traditional instruments are now rarely
seen but the Maori love of music survives in waiata, which today are a
blend of remembered traditional waiata plus adaptations from western music.
One of the most difficult things for any dominant culture to handle is the
acceptance of real partnership with another group, especially one that for
many years was regarded as inferior. The pretty or quaint sides of Maori
culture, long exploited by the tourist industry, are not the whole thing.
The real thing involves power and resource sharing, and this process of
reallocation will cause debate and some strife within New Zealand for years
to come.
-----
Brian Harmer:
"To give an indication of how complex the Maori situation is, here are the
names of some of the tribes. This section is evolving...
Maori Tribes (this is not exhaustive), listed in approximate North to South
geographic distribution (paraphrased from The Revised Dictionary of Modern
Maori by P.M. Ryan, 1989 Heinemann Education)
Te Aupouri
Ngati Kahu
Te Rarawa
Ngapuhi
Ngati Whatua
Ngati Tai
Ngati Paoa
Ngati Tamatera
Ngati Whanaunga
Ngati Maru
Ngai te Rangi
Ngati Haua
Ngati Mahuta
Waikato
Te Arawa
Ngati Ranginui
Whanau-a-Apanui
Whakatohea
Ngati Awa
Ngati Maniapoto
Ngati Porou
Ngati Tuwharetoa
Tuhoe
Rongo Whakataa
Ngati Tama
Taranaki
Te Aitanga-a-Makahi
Ngati Raukawa
Ngati Ruanui
Ngarauru
Ngati Apa
Ngati Hau
Rangitane
Ngati Kahungunu
Ngati Toa
then to the South Island
Rangitane
Ngai Tahu
Poutini
Ngati Mamoe
I believe most tribes had sub-tribes, and there was much ebbing and flowing
as various groups conquered, or were in turn conquered and enslaved."
-----
Lyndon Watson wrote:
"There are more in the Marlborough Sounds-Nelson region, e.g. Ngati Koata
who broke off from Ngati Toa in the last century and sided with local
tribes and who have just been in the news for getting Stephens Island back
and promptly giving it to the Crown as a nature reserve.
The question of tribal affiliation in the lower three-quarters of the South
Island is a vexed one because some descendants of the tribes who lived
there before the Ngati Mamoe and Ngai Tahu invasions from the North Island
(e.g. Te Waitaha of South Canterbury-North Otago who claim to be the
original 'Moa Hunters') claim to be members still of those tribes while
Ngai Tahu consider that they (and, indeed, the Ngati Mamoe) are now at the
most subtribes of Ngai Tahu. Tempers can get very heated round here over
this matter.
And it should also be mentioned that some do not like 'iwi' being
translated as 'tribe', and 'hapu' as 'subtribe'."
-----
For more info on Maori culture and history, try:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/aust/maori.htm
which gives a brief overview of Maori history, and:
http://tattoos.com/moko.htm
which deals with the art of Moko.
and
For info on Maori history and lists several Maori writers:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/aust/maori.htm
Also:
<http://iconz.co.nz/commercial/educator>
<http://iconz.co.nz/~educator>
And the Auckland City Art Gallery collection of Maori portraits by Charles
Fredrick Goldie:
http://www.well.com/user/wldtrvlr/auckgal.html
Adam Gifford (for whom I have no net address) invites people to visit:
http://nz.com/webnz/tekorero/
Once Were Warriors homepage:
http://www.flf.com/warriors/
--------------------
B2.2.1 The Moriori Question
Simon O'Rorke provides the following quotes and opinions:
In her book "The Prehistory of New Zealand" (Longman Paul, Auckland,
1987) Janet Davidson wrote:
"...[during the 1890s]... many spurious traditions about [Maori] origins
began to gain wide acceptance. Some of these still hinder the study of New
Zealand prehistory today. One theory was the so-called 'Maruiwi myth',
which suggested that the first inhabitants of new Zealand had been a
different and probably inferior race to the later Maori. The resumption of
intensive archeological work in the South Island during the 1920s and 1930s
was partly in response to this theory.
"[this] archeological work....demonstrated the Polynesian nature of
moa-hunter assemblages and disproved the idea that the moa-hunters were an
earlier and different race from the Maori. Yet the idea of the inferior
and defeated Maruiwi or Moriori still lives on in the minds of modern New
Zealanders, confused with the Moriori of the Chatham Islands who were in
fact an isolated group of Polynesians, although very closely related to the
New Zealand Maori."
The Maruiwi was a Maori tribe (iwi) whose name is known from oral tradition
but which did not survive to the time of the settlement of New Zealand by
Europeans. Contrary to the assertions of the 19th century European
mythologizers of Maori origins, they were not a pre-Maori people. They
were probably wiped out in inter-tribal warfare during the 14th century or
later, i.e. hundreds of years after Polynesians settled what is now New
Zealand in the 9th century.
The European mythologizers of Maori origins, in particular S. Percy Smith,
who in 1892 founded the Polynesian society, noticed the similarity between
the word "Maruiwi" and the word "Moriori", the name of the indigenous
people of the Chatham Islands, which are located in the Pacific Ocean about
400 km East of New Zealand. They jumped to the conclusion that the Moriori
were the descendants of (supposedly pre-Maori) Maruiwi survivors who had
fled to the Chathams to New Zealand when Polynesians (Maori) first settled
New Zealand. Until recently, New Zealand school children were taught this
story as historical fact.
Davidson has this to say about the Moriori:
"Despite widespread popular belief that the Moriori were a vanquished group
who fled to the Chathams from New Zealand, Moriori and Maori were unaware
of each others' existence before the rediscovery of the Chathams by
Europeans in the late 18th century. Sutton has recently strongly argued
that the Chathams were settled from New Zealand between A.D. 1000 and 1200
and became completely isolated after about A.D. 1400. No archeological
sites of this early period have yet been excavated in the Chathams,
however, and the possibility of settlement from elsewhere in East Polynesia
cannot be entirely excluded."
Why did the European myth of a people in New Zealand before the Maori
arise? And why has it persisted despite clear contrary evidence? In his
book on the struggles of the Maori since the European settlement of New
Zealand, "Ka Whatwhai Tonu Matou: Struggle Without End", (Penguin,
Auckland, 1990) Ranginui Walker put it very well:
"The myth of the Moriori is essentially ideological in the sense of being a
false consciousness as a solution in the mind to conflict generated by the
colonisers' expropriation of Maori land. According to the myth, the Maori,
as a superior and more warlike people, expropriated the land from the
Moriori. Therefore Pakeha [Maori term for European settlers and their
descendants] expropriation of the same land on the basis of their superior
civilisation was in accordance with the principle of the survival of the
fittest. For this reason the false myth of the Moriori has been one of New
Zealand's most enduring myths. Pakeha need the myth for the endorsement of
colonisation and Pakeha dominance."
I can back up Walker's argument from personal experience. I have
frequently heard (usually right-wing) European New Zealanders using the
Maoris' alleged extermination of the Moriori in New Zealand as
justification of European mistreatment of Maori. I would note however,
that these days the justification tends to be in terms of a rather guilty
"The Maori were just as bad as the Europeans" rather than the more
self-confident social-Darwinist survival-of-the-fittest justification that
was prevalent at the beginning of this century.
--------------------
B2.2.2 Guide to Maori pronunciation
The five vowels; a, e, i, o and u, are pronounced in two ways:
short long
a as u in but a as a in father
e as e in pen e as ai in pair
i as i in bit i as ee in feet
o as o in fort o as o in store
u as u in put u as oo in boot
Where two vowels are together: both are sounded but they are run together
smoothly.
The ten consonants in Maori: h, k, m, n, p, r, t, w, ng, wh.
The first eight are pronounced as in English. The last two are digraphs,
'ng' being pronounced as the ng in 'singer', and 'wh' as wh in 'whale', or
as a 'f'.
From The Revised Dictionary of Modern Maori:
The consonants:
'r' is not rolled.
'p' is soft.
'wh' is usually pronounced 'f', sometimes as 'h', 'w', of 'wh'.
'ng' has a softish 'g' and is pronounced/spelled 'ng' or 'k' depending on
the area; usually 'k' in the South Island.
In the book "He Whakamarama - A new course in Maori" the following
describes 'ng' and 'wh':
"When we say 'na', the tip of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth
somewhere behind the top of the upper teeth. When we say 'nga', the tongue
stays down with the tip touching the back of the lower teeth.
"'Wh' differs from 'f' in this way. When we say 'f', the upper teeth
firmly touch the bottom lip, but with 'wh' there is little or no pressure
of the upper teeth on the bottom lip.
The following:
http://www.dia.govt.nz/dia/general.dictionary/maori
may help with the preceding.
-----
Lachy Paterson wrote:
"Te Reo Maaori will exist only if it is taught (and learnt) as a spoken
language. This means that students should have a tutor of some sort who
can actually talk to them (analog not digital!). While this would be
difficult in another country, it should not be difficult in NZ.
However, if people wanted to teach themselves the rudiments of Maaori/Maori
grammar, then I would recommend
He Whakamarama A new Course in Maori
by John Foster (Heinemann)
or
Te Kakano (Stage 1 University text)
Te Pihinga (Stage 2)
by John C. Moorfield (Longman Paul).
Kia manawanui."
Lyndon Watson adds:
"Yes, and to complicate matters there are some dialectical variations.
Some East Coast speakers tend to replace 'ng' with the simple 'n'. And
some South Island speakers replace it with 'k', but then it is spelled
accordingly so there is no problem for the outsider.
The 'wh' sound also seems to vary from place to place. I have heard
elderly speakers in Northland say something very like the (proper) English
'wh' sound - 'h' followed by 'w' - and again some Eastern speakers use a
plain 'w'. Pakehas tend to give up and fall back on a plain 'f'.
Judy Shorten adds:
"Say it in Maori" by Alan Armstrong is a really good little book with a
limited English-Maori and Maori-English dictionary as well as a wide
variety of phrases that cover many situations. There is also a page on
pronounciation. I would recommend this little book for anyone wanting to
have a very basic knowledge of the Maori language, but on the other hand
most tourists travelling around NZ on tours don't have the time or the
inclination to read even a little book about correct pronounciation and
therefore make some rather hilarious attempts at trying to pronounce even
the simplest names.
References:
The Concise Maori Dictionary, A.H. & A.W. Reed
The Revised Dictionary of Modern Maori, P. M. Ryan's, reprint 1989,
Heinemann, ISBN 0 86863 564 2
Say it in Maori, Alan Armstrong
Subject: B2.3 Demography
B2.3.1 General
Total population is about 3.5 million. Over 70% of the population are in
the North Island, largest centre is Auckland (over 1 million), capital is
Wellington.
1975 3,071,000
1988 3,343,000
1990 3,402,000
1992 (July) 3,347,369
1994 3,541,000
2000 3,714,000
Population Growth 0.88 %
Population Density 32/sq mi
Population Doubling Time 79 years
Net migration rate: -2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
--------------------
B2.3.2 Major Cities
Latitude, Long Dist
Population Longitude Code
Wellington 360,000 41.17S,174.47E 4
Auckland 890,000 36.52S,174.46E 9
Christchurch 335,000 43.33S,172.40E 3
Hamilton 100,000 37.46S,175.18E 7
Dunedin 110,000 45.52S,170.30E 3
--------------------
B2.3.3 Age Distribution
Age range Male % Female %
0-9 8.0 7.6
10-19 9.4 9.0
20-29 8.6 8.4
30-39 7.4 7.5
40-49 5.4 5.3
50-59 4.5 4.4
60-69 3.6 4.1
70+ 2.7 4.1
Total 49.6 50.4
Literacy Rate 99 %
Urbanization 83.5 %
--------------------
B2.3.4 Ethnicity
Data from the "1991 Census of Population and Dwellings" publications.
Ethnic Group,
for Population Resident in New Zealand
Single Ethnic Group
Total Percent
European (1) 2,658,738 79.5
NZ Maori 323,493 9.7
Samoan 68,565 2.0
Cook Island Maori 26,925 0.8
Tongan 18,264 0.5
Niuean 9,429 0.3
Tokelauan 2,802 0.1
Fijian 2,760 0.1
Other Pacific 1,413 --
Total, Single Pacific Group 130,158 3.9
Chinese 37,689 1.1
Indian 26,979 0.8
Other Single Ethnic Groups (2) 25,926 0.8
Total, Single Ethnic Groups 3,202,980 95.7
(1) May include combinations of European groups e.g. NZ European and/or
British and/or Dutch etc.
(2) All Groups not included above. May include combinations of Other
Groups, eg. Japanese and/or Korean and/or Middle Eastern Groups.
There is a very good (not *too* technical) book on Maori Demography for
further reference of those interested:
Pool, Ian. 1991. _Te Iwi Maori: A New Zealand Population Past, Present
and Projected_ Auckland University Press (dist. by Oxford Univ. Press
outside of New Zealand)
--------------------
B2.3.5 Official Languages
English, Maori. Pacific Island and Asian languages may be heard in cities.
--------------------
B2.3.6 Religions
A Massey research project reveals that 28 percent of Kiwis pray, at
frequencies varying between several times a day, to weekly. About 21
percent of the population are regular churchgoers. The radio report on the
topic said that over 60 percent of NZers believe in a God.
And/or...
1991 census: (%)
Anglican 22.1
Presbyterian 16.3
Catholic 15.0
Methodist 4.2
Agnostic 0.1
Atheist <0.05
No religion 20.1
Object to state 7.6
In 1981 (and I presume earlier censuses) there was simply a blank where you
wrote your religion. In 1986 and 1991, there were half a dozen or so boxes
you could tick, including "No Religion" and "Other" (with a blank space to
fill in if you ticked "Other"). In 1981, Agnostic and Atheist accounted
for 0.8 and 0.7%, so clearly many people who would write "Atheist" when
confronted with a blank space would tick "No Religion" when such a box was
an option. (I did this myself in 1986.)
In 1986, "No Religion" got 16.7%, so this is growing fast, and is the
second largest group. (It was less than 1% in the 1950s.)
Subject: B3 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND
Subject: B3.1 The Political Scene
Would anyone care to write a brief summary of the main political parties
and post them to the net for comment?
B3.1.1 Why 'New Zealand'
It is simply "New Zealand" - not the "People's Republic of" or
"Commonwealth of" or "Kingdom of" or anything like that. It used to be
"The Dominion of New Zealand" pursuant to a long-forgotten dream of a kind
of federal British empire that one of our early prime ministers (Bill
Massey) was keen on, but the "Dominion of" bit was dropped several years
ago.
I have a long debate about the origins of the names for NZ which I'm still
editing into shape. It may go in here.
--------------------
B3.1.2 Constitution
New Zealand shares with Britain and Israel the distinction of being one of
the three developed countries that does not have a codified Constitution on
the U.S. model. When the country was annexed by Britain in 1840, the
British parliament enacted that all applicable law of England as at 1840
became the law of New Zealand. In 1856, the New Zealand parliament was
given the power to enact its own law and nothing changed when full
independence was achieved (26-9-1907) except that the British parliament
lost its overriding authority. We have, thus, never had the problem that
Australia and Canada have had of "repatriating" a constitution that was
really an Act of the British parliament.
Our constitution, like the British, consists of parliament's own
conventions and rules of conduct, some legislation such as the New Zealand
Constitution Act (1986, not enacted), and fundamental rules applied by the
Courts which go back into English history. It evolves rather than is
amended.
The flag of NZ is blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the
outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross
constellation.
--------------------
B3.1.3 Form Of Government
Paul Gillingwater wrote:
"Constitutional monarchy, with a single-chamber parliament.
The monarch is said to "reign but not rule": except for a residual power
to actually govern in the event of some complete breakdown of the
parliamentary system, the monarch has merely ceremonial duties and advisory
powers. When the monarch is absent from the country, which is most of the
time, those duties and powers are delegated to the Governor-General who is
appointed by the monarch for a limited term after approval by the
government.
Parliament is the consitutional "sovereign" - there is no theoretical limit
on what it can validly do, and the validity of the laws which it enacts
cannot be challenged in the courts (although the courts do have and use
wide-ranging powers to control administrative acts of the government). A
new parliament is elected every three years (universal suffrage at age 18).
The leader of the party which commands majority support in parliament is
appointed prime minister and he or she nominates the other Ministers of the
Crown. The ministers (and sometimes the whole majority party in
parliament) are collectively called "the government". Our system almost
entirely lacks formal checks and balances - the majority party can
virtually legislate as it likes subject only to its desire to be re-elected
every three years.
Until now, members of parliament have been elected on a single-member
constituency, winner takes all, system similar to those of Britain and the
U.S.A. As a result of referenda conducted in 1993, future parliaments will
be elected on a mixed-member proportional system modelled on that of
Germany.
The administration is highly centralised. The country is divided into
"districts" (the urban ones called "cities") each with a District (or City)
Council and Mayor, but their powers are limited to providing public
facilities (not housing) and enforcement of by-laws (local regulations)
such as parking regulations. The Police are a single force controlled by
the central government.
The draft of the new electorate Boundaries under MMP is available from
http://actrix.gen.nz/general/politics.html. There are 3 files:
nth_isle.gif --> north island electorates
sth_isle.gif --> South island electorates
auckland.gif --> Auckland electorates"
Ross Stewart (WWG IT recruiters, Akld, NZ) writes:
For interest, we've put up (as best we can) details as to how seats will be
allocated under MMP. Have a look at:
http://www.clearfield.co.nz/wilson_white/mmp.htm
Colin Jackson adds:
Announcing the NZ Elections Home Page on the government web server:
http://www.govt.nz/
Material on the server includes:
- A Guide to the MMP voting system
- How to Enrol, with an Internet form
- Maps of all the new electorates
- A text search tool to establish which electorate(s) a given place is in
- Results of the last election
It will carry the results of the 1996 election as these become available.
The address of the elections home page is:
http://www.govt.nz/elections
--------------------
B3.1.4 The Justice System
There is a four-level hearings and appeals system:
Top level Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (London)
|
Court of Appeal (Wellington)
|
High Court (in all cities)
|
Bottom level District Courts (most towns)
There is also the Small Claims Court which handles smaller personal
disputes.
Civil and criminal cases start in the District or High Court, depending on
their seriousness and appeals go up the chain. Certain rare cases can
start in the Court of Appeal. District and High Court judges sit alone or
with juries. The Court of Appeal (and on certain rare occasions the High
Court) consists of three or five judges sitting "en banc". The Judicial
Committee of the Privy Council consists mainly of British Law Lords with
New Zealand judges also sitting in New Zealand cases; in theory its
decisions merely "opinions" for the benefit of the monarch as the fount of
all justice, but in practice its rulings have the force of ultimate appeal.
All judges are appointed by the government - High Court judges are
nominated by the Law Society, but District Court judges apply for the job
like any other. Various special-purpose courts (Industrial Court, Maori
Land Court, Family Court, etc.) exist and have the same status as either a
District Court or the High Court.
For the NZ Statutes:
http://io.kete.co.nz/gpprint/gptop.htm
and there's a pointer to it from http://www.govt.nz/
--------------------
B3.1.5 Organisation Membership
New Zealand is a member of the following organsations:
ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC,
AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, COCOM, (cooperating country), EBRD,
ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS,
MTCR, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO
Subject: B3.2 Economy
Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian economy
dependent on a guaranteed British market to an open free market economy
that can compete on the global scene. The government had hoped that
dynamic growth would boost real incomes, reduce inflationary pressures, and
permit the expansion of welfare benefits. The results have been mixed:
inflation is down from double-digit levels, but growth has been sluggish
and unemployment, always a highly sensitive issue, has exceeded 10% since
May 1991. In 1988, GDP fell by 1%, in 1989 grew by a moderate 2.4%, and
was flat in 1990-91. Current (1994) growth is around 2-4% and rising.
The economy is based on agriculture (particularly dairy products, meat, and
wool (68 m sheep, 2 m dairy cows)), food processing, wood and paper
products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and
insurance, tourism, mining. Fish catch reached a record 0.5 m tonnes in
1988. Highly dependent on external trade, NZ is currently trying to move
from being a primary to a secondary producer.
--------------------
B3.2.1 Defence Against Silly Questions
Lyndon Watson wrote:
"Look in on sci.economics and sci.econ.research.
In response to yet another request from abroad about NZ's supposedly
interesting economic past and present structure, Lyndon Watson composed the
following.
What is it with these idiots from Canada? This garbage seems to come round
three or four times a year - is some fool teaching it to students there?
Some notes for these twits (and their teachers) -
1. New Zealand was not subsidized from England, or anywhere else.
2. The nation did not at any time go bankrupt (or default on its
debts, or become subject to IMF or World Bank or any other outside
economic direction).
3. Our terms of trade worsened catastrophically in the early 1970s (not
the 1980s) as a result of (a) the oil shock that also affected
our trading partners and (b) the erection of tariff and quota
barriers against our trade by the U.K.
4. The Labour government of 1972-75 and the National government that
followed it tried to deal with adverse terms of trade by borrowing
in foreign markets, with the result that by the early 1980s we had
(and we still have) a debt ratio that looked bad even by Third World
standards.
5. The Labour government of 1984-90 and the current National government
have restructured the economy by abruptly stopping all state
subsidies, removing nearly all tariff and quota barriers against
imports, greatly reducing income tax and substituting the Goods and
Services Tax on the sale of goods and services, greatly reducing the
the state's involvement in trading activities and social services,
and the reform of labour laws to promote individual workplace
agreements.
6. The removal of subsidies and import barriers saw many incompetent
and uneconomic businesses, many of which were reliant on subsidies,
fail and the official unemployment rate exceed 10% of the workforce.
7. After a decade of restructuring, our net terms of trade are in our
favour and the official unemployment rate is the fourth lowest in
the OECD (currently just over 7% for the country as a whole, 5.9%
in most of the South Island). A major current problem is the
shortage of skilled workers in many industries."
-----
Kindly submitted by Paul Walker. These were published in the Christchruch
Press on September 13th and 14th, 1995. Anyone prepared to archive these
and the following references for ftp and such?
BRINGING HOME THE CUP
Michael Carter
Senior Lecturer in Economics
University of Canterbury
When Australia wrested the America's Cup from the New York yacht club in
1983, Tom Schnackenberg was a member of the shore team (a sail designer).
When New Zealand won the cup in San Diego, Tom was head of the design team
and navigator on NZL 32. His progression from shore to ship was far less
imposing than that in his native country. In 1983, a New Zealand
challenge for the America's Cup would have been inconceivable. The
domestic boat building industry was struggling. It had been decimated by
the imposition of an ill-conceived sales tax in 1979, which cut turnover
from $57 million to $8 million in two years.
Like Schnackenberg, many of New Zealand's best talents lived and worked
overseas, driven away by high tax rates and the lack of opportunity.
Innovation was discouraged by regulations, import controls and selective
taxes. The idea of a New Zealand team taking on the might of corporate
America was laughable.
At the end of 1984, I left Australia to return to New Zealand. Some of my
Australian colleagues laughed. They saw New Zealand as a basket case, a
joke, small isolated islands drowning in a sea of debt. My Australian
friends wondered when, not if, Australia would have to come reluctantly to
the rescue.
Ten years later, how things have changed. Our triumph in San Diego is due
in no small measure to the changes which have be wrought in the New
Zealand economy over the last 10 years. Moreover, bringing home the Cup
was only the most visible sign of the new vigour, confidence and strength
in New Zealand and its people.
New Zealanders are justifiably proud of the performance of Team NZ in San
Diego. They could be even more proud of the performance of home team, of
the radical transformation of their economy over the last ten years.
Domestic critics talk of the "New Zealand experiment" as though New
Zealand has pursued a lone path in recent years. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Massive economic change has occurred throughout the world
over the last fifteen years. Deregulation and privatization are universal
trends. No country remains untouched, from Britain and the US to the
former constituents of the Soviet block to Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Around the world, there is a feeling that New Zealand has done it better
than most. The Australians are now looking cautiously over their shoulder,
as their economy is consistently eclipsed by their Tasman rival. The
Economist regularly cites New Zealand as exemplifying the benefits of
economic reform. Monetary economists pay significant attention to the
Reserve Bank Act. Experts on telecommunications watch with interest New
Zealand's system of light regulation. New Zealanders are employed as
consultants advising on economic reform all round the world.
>From the laggard of the OECD, New Zealand has emerged to one of the
strongest economies in the world. It is an achievement to be proud of, an
accomplishment which surpasses even the yacht races in San Diego. That is
not to say that we have got everything perfect. Mistakes have been made,
implementation of some policies was less than perfect, and there is still
much to be done. But, from an international perspective, New Zealand's
transformation in a single decade has been remarkable. At a time when
some politicians are promoting a return to the past, it is sobering to
recall the changes which have been made and to reflect on the way we were
ten years ago. It is also interesting to remark how the opponents of
change have often become its most vocal advocates, as exemplified by
Federated Farmers and recently the Manufacturers Federation.
Much of the current political debate on economic policy is futile and
distracting, driven by poor memories and wishful thinking. If only New
Zealanders could achieve some consensus that we have been moving in the
right direction, debate could turn to the more constructive issues of how
to secure continued growth and equitable distribution. Prospective
voters could do their part by signalling more clearly to aspiring
politicians that they want to build on the present rather than return to
the past.
Tomorrow, we look back to the way we were in 1984 and review some of the
changes which have been made in our economic lives.
LOOKING BACK TO 1984
Michael Carter
Senior Lecturer in Economics
University of Canterbury
Eleven years ago, the Fourth Labour Government came to power in a snap
election. They inherited control of country whose economy had been
devastated by years of mismanagement. Aided by a willing and able
bureaucracy, they set about implementing an ambitious programme of
economic reform. As New Zealand approaches its first MMP election, it is
instructive to look back over these reforms, and to recall the way we
were in 1984.
One of the first changes was the freeing of the financial system from
obstructive regulation and the floating of the New Zealand dollar. This
has promoted a healthy, competitive and innovative financial system.
People may rue market interest rates, but at least it possible to borrow
when required. Remember the old days when obtaining a mortgage required
appropriate obsequiousness before the bank manager, who exercised a
patronizing and crucial power over investment decisions. Since it was
floated, the Kiwi dollar has shown a remarkable stability in a world of
stormy change. So stable has it been, that international bankers use it
has a short term safe haven, and temporary resting place for funds. Why
should we be alarmed at that vote of confidence? A strong currency is a
manifestation of a strong economy. No country has every got rich by
debasing its currency.
One consequence of a floating currency is that New Zealander's are
enabled to convert their currency at will. Remember the days when foreign
exchange had to be squirreled away, carefully collected to finance meagre
purchases. Funds for overseas travel were limited. Obtaining funds for
small purchases such as magazine subscriptions required hoarding post
office money orders.
Similarly, ten years ago, there were an enormous range of import controls
and prohibitive tariffs. Overseas trips where often shopping trips.
Travelers would return laden with booty which was too expensive to
purchase in New Zealand. The main beneficiaries were foreign distributors
and retailers. It was a very inefficient way of restricting consumption
of luxury goods to the rich.
Exchange and import controls spawned a variety of ingenious rackets.
Under one scheme, those with access to foreign currency could go to the
top of the queue for a new car, while ordinary people had to spend three
or four years on a waiting list. Consequently, the favoured few were
enabled to buy a new car every year, and then sell it to the less
fortunate for more than they paid for it. Such rorts are almost inevitable
under a system of controls.
The most spectacular result of the abolition of import controls was the
flood of second-hand Japanese cars. The quality of the New Zealand vehicle
fleet improved dramatically, and the cost of transportation declined. Of
course, there has been a down side. Traffic congestion has also increased
dramatically. But at least congestion is egalitarian. Vehicle ownership
is widespread and not restricted to the rich and powerful.
The relaxation of import controls and tariffs has also had a dramatic
impact on clothing, footwear and consumer goods. The range of clothing
readily available in New Zealand has increased dramatically, and prices
have fallen. Since families spend a higher proportion of their budgets on
clothing and transport, freer trade has been especially valuable to the
less well off. This makes the Alliance's wish to reverse this change all
the more imponderable.
In 1984, New Zealand's production was guided by a system of subsidies,
through which New Zealand taxpayers funded the lifestyles of those with
political clout. Most pernicious were the agricultural subsidies such as
SMPs. Naturally, farmers produced were the subsidies were highest, which
tended to be were demand was lowest. The subsidies became capitalized in
land values, another windfall gain for those of means. When the
government abolished subsidies in 1984, land prices halved. For many
individual farmers, this was devastating. But farmers as a whole soon
recognised that the subsidy system was untenable. They soon became the
most vocal advocates of deregulation, and New Zealand could mount a
credible campaign against protection in world agricultural markets.
Much political flak was attracted by the privatization of public owned
businesses. Yet, this was part of world-wide trend. A recent book on
privatization which I reviewed for the Press cited 120 countries.
Privatization in New Zealand seems to have been handled more sensibly
than in some other countries. This is because serious thought was given to
post-sale market structure, which it is more important than ownership.
For example, Ansett was permitted to fly in New Zealand before Air New
Zealand was floated. Similarly, competition was permitted in
telecommunications before Telecom was sold. The benefits in these cases
are clear. New Zealand enjoys one of the best and cheapest telephone
systems in the world. Competition in transport has certainly improved the
quality of service.
It is plausible to argue that current impasse between Telecom and Clear
stems primarily from the Kiwi share obligation imposed on Telecom, which
was explicitly designed to impede the consequences of competition in the
residential market. The Kiwi share may have been one of the less fortunate
ideas.
A keystone of economic reform has been the Reserve Bank Act, which has
succeeded in controlling inflation in New Zealand. Inflation adds to the
uncertainty of investment decisions, and leads to arbitrary
redistributions of wealth. Admittedly, the rapid reduction in inflation
was achieved at considerable cost. However, nothing would be gained now
by loosening the controls on inflation embodied in the Reserve Bank Act.
Reform of the tax system was also important.
In 1984, the top marginal tax rate was 66%, which left little incentive
for additional effort. It provided ample incentive for avoidance and
evasion which were widespread. The imposition of GST had two major
advantages: avoidance was almost impossible and the tax fell on
consumption and not saving. By cutting the rates but broadening the base,
tax receipts have actually increased, which is why New Zealand is now
repaying debt rather than accumulating it. The reformed system is also
much fairer, since the opportunities for avoidance under the former system
were very unevenly distributed.
Reform reached beyond market institutions. "Tomorrow's Schools"
revolutionized the ways our schools are run. There have been some hiccups,
but by and large this seems to have been a successful and welcome reform.
A recent review in the Press could find no one who wanted to return to the
former system of centralized Ministry control. Similar decentralization
in the health system has provoked more debate. However, it is notable that
a recent careful survey by Consumer magazine detected widespread
satisfaction with the health system. Much of the criticism comes from
those working in the system, with a vested interest in protecting their
working conditions.
As in similar countries, the process of immigration was changed, from a
system of regional quotas to a points system. Points are awarded to
prospective immigrants for various criteria, and those with the highest
points are admitted. The advantage of this system is its openness and
transparency. On the whole, it is much fairer to immigrants. Other
changes which come to mind include deregulation of shopping hours, the
huge change in planning process embodied in the Environmental Protection
Act, the auctioning of property rights in spectrum and fisheries and of
course the Employment Contracts Acts.
The changes which have been wrought have been massive. They have been
guided by the desire to introduce openness, accountability and rationality
into public decision making. It would be silly to pretend that all the
changes and their implementation have been beyond criticism. We live in an
uncertain world characterized by imperfect information and human frailty.
Mistakes have been made and improvements are available. Inevitably, there
have been winners and losers from change.
Nevertheless, we need to look at the larger picture. Those with nostalgia
for a lost past need to colour their memories with a degree of realism. Do
we really want to return to the days of import and exchange controls,
inefficient state monopolies, old broken-down cars, a gray, dull
uniformity of relative poverty and quaint backwardness. That is the
direction in which some politicians wish to lead.
-----
Following are a collection of references on the changes from Paul Walker
who added: "The one problem they all have is that they were out of date by
the time they were published. For a quick overview of the last 10 years or
so check out":
http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/econ/mike.htm
Australian Economic Review; 0(104), Oct.-Dec. 1993
Len Bayliss
Prosperity Mislaid: Economic Failure in New Zealand and What Should be Done
About it.
GP Publications, Wellington NZ, 1994
A. Bollard
New Zealand Economic Reforms: 1984-91, Country Study No. 10.
International Center for Economic Growth, 1992
Alan Bollard
The Political Economy of Liberalisation in New Zealand.
New Zealand Institute of Economic Research Working Paper WP93/2
Alan Bollard and Robert Buckle (eds)
Economic Liberalisation in New Zealand.
Allen and Unwin, 1987
Alan Bollard and David Mayes
Corporatization and Privatization in New Zealand in The Political Economy
of Privatization.
Thomas Clarke and Christos Pitelis (eds)
Routledge, London, 1993
Jonathan Boston
Reshaping Social Policy in New Zealand.
Fiscal Studies; 14(3), August 1993, pages 44-85.
Jonathan Boston and Paul Dalziel (eds)
The Decent Society?: Essays in Response to National's Economic and Social
Policies.
Oxford University Press, Auckland, N.Z., 1992
Jonathan Boston and Martin Holland (eds)
The Fourth Labour Government: Radical Politics in New Zealand.
Oxford University Press, Auckland, N.Z., 1987
Jonathan Boston and Martin Holland (eds)
The Fourth Labour Government: Politics and Policy in New Zealand 2nd Ed.
Oxford University Press, Auckland, N.Z., 1990
Pat Colgate and Joselyn Stroombergen
A Promise to Pay: New Zealand's Overseas Debt and Country Risk.
New Zealand Institute of Economic Research Research Monograph 58
Ajit Dasgupta
Is New Zealand Slipping up? Some Borda Condorcet Measures of Relative
Performance.
Economics discussion Papers No.9311 Uinversity of Otago.
Ian Duncan and Alan Bollard
Corporatization and Privatization.
Oxford University Press, 1992
Stephen Gale
The New Zealand Experience of Liberalisation and Deregulation.
New Zealand Institute of Economic Research Working Paper WP 90/13
G. Hawke (ed)
A Modest Safety Net? The Future of the Welfare State.
Institute of Policy Studies, 1991
Warren E. Johnston and Gerald A. G. Frengley
The Deregulation of New Zealand Agriculture: Market Intervention (1964-84)
and Free Market Readjustment (1984-90).
Western Journal of Agricultural Economics; 16(1), July 1991, pages 132-43.
Susan K. Jones
The Road to Privatization; The issues involved and some lessons from New
. Zealand's Experience.
Finance and Development, March 1991.
Tim Maloney
Has New Zealand's Employment Contracts Act Increased Employment and Reduced
Wages?
Working Papers in Economics No.135 July 1994, Department of Economics,
University of Auckland.
Peter Nicholl
New Zealand's Monetary Policy Experiment.
University of Western Ontario Papers in Political Economy: 31 October 1993
Susan St John
Tax and Welfare Reforms in New Zealand.
The Australian Economic Review, 4th Quarter 1993
Robert Stephens
Radical Tax Reform in New Zealand.
Fiscal Studies; 14(3), August 1993, pages 45-63.
The Old New Zealand and the New
New Zealand Business Roundtable, Wellington N.Z., 1994
Simon Walker (ed)
Rodgernomics: Reshaping New Zealand's Economy.
GP Books, Wellington, N.Z., 1989
Graeme Wells
Economic Reform and Macroeconomic Policy in New Zealand.
Australian Economic Review; 0(92), Oct.-Dec. 1990, pages 45-60
P. C. Dalziel
A decade of radical economic reforms in New Zealand
British Review of New Zealand Studies 7, forthcoming (it may be out by now).
Patrick Massey
New Zealand: Market Liberalization in a Developed Economy
Macmillan Press, 1995
You could also check out the last 10 years or so of "New Zealand Economic
Papers" and the "Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin".
Paul
--------------------
B3.2.2 Current Status
Govt: going into surplus
Business confidence: on the up and up
Building: both business and residental are doing very well.
Unemployed, welfare, students, solo parents feeling hard done by.
Business (particular exporters), overseas investors very pleased.
GNP 1988 (millions) $25,856
GNP per Capita $7,734
GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $46.2 billion, per capita $14,000; real
growth rate - 0.4% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.1-1.4% (1993)
Unemployment rate: 11% (mid 1994)
Budget: revenues $17.6 billion; expenditures $18.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
Economic aid: donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $526 million
Exports: $9.4 billion (f.o.b., FY91)
commodities: wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fruit, fish, cheese, manufactured
goods, chemicals, forestry products, beer, wine
Imports: $8.4 billion (f.o.b., FY91)
commodities: petroleum, consumer goods, motor vehicles, industrial
equipment
Natural resources: natural gas, oil, iron sand, coal, timber, hydropower,
gold, grass
Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 53%;
forest and woodland 38%; other 7%; includes irrigated 1%
---------
For an up-to-date outline on the current state of NZ's economy, look out
for one of Brian Harmer's excellent weekly WYSIWYG news reports in s.c.n-z.
--------------------
B3.2.3 Currency
Decimal system based on New Zealand dollar, with cent denominations.
Coins are 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, 1 and 2 dollars
Notes are 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars
Major credit cards are accepted widely.
--------------------
B3.2.4 Stockmarket
Same structure as overseas. Ours tends to fluctuate depending on the state
of the world markets.
--------------------
B3.2.5 Exchange/Interest Rates
Information on exchange rates is available from many daily papers, or you
can get the information through www on:
http://www.ora.com/cgi-bin/ora/currency?New_Zealand
It's updated weekly, so it's usually a little out of date, but it's a good
guide mostly.
Current figures for main currencies (10/6/95):
NZ$
Aust$ 93.63c
Pounds 42.56p
US$ 67.65c
Yen 57.78
Interest rates are fluctuating between 6 and 10% depending on overseas
markets. Fixed interest (1/4/95):
% call rates 9.00
% 90-day bank bills 9.04
% July 1998 Govt Stock 8.21
--------------------
B3.2.6 Taxes
New Zealand operates a Goods and Services Tax of 12.5% on ALL goods and
services sold and this is usually included in the display price. The
exceptions are purchases at duty free shops. Visitors cannot claim refunds
on this tax however when a supplier agrees to export a major item to a
visitors home address then GST will not be charged on the goods or the
freight.
Income tax (as at May 96):
$1 - $9,500 - 15% (allowing for the low income rebate)
$9,501 - $30,875 - 28%
$30,876 + - 33%
changing to:
$1 - $9,500 - 15% (allowing for the low income rebate)
$9,501 - $34,200 - 24% (up to $38,000 and down to 21% on July 1st 1997)
$30,876 + - 33%
on the July 1st 1996.
Apparently family support will also increase with a guaranteed minimum
family income, and a new independent family tax credit.
For wage and salary earners virtually nothing is tax-deductible except the
first $1500 of donations to churches, schools, and other charities, and
then only at a 33% rate (ie max $500).
There are various rebates for things like low incomes, children, donations,
Housekeeper, Home/Farm/Vessel Ownership, and others.
Government Revenue Source(1990) How it was expected to be spent(1990)
Income Tax $16,950 Education $3,912.5
Goods and Service Tax $5,500 Health $3,791.1
Other Direct Taxes $360 Transport $711.6
Excise Duties $1,670 Administration $2,769.0
Highway tax $670 Development of Industry $1,231.3
Other Indirect Tax $790 Government Borrowing $575.1
Foreign Relations $1,733.7
Social Services $10,292.1
Total $25,940 Total $25,016.4
On a regional scale, all local authorities fund their activities (with some
limited back-up from central government) from 'rates'. These are taxes on
land owners, assessed annually as a fraction of the 'unimproved' (i.e. land
only) value of the land. Each local authority sets its own rates and they
can be challenged as unreasonable in court - some Wellington City rates for
the current year have just been thrown out by the High Court.
Note that we do not have overlapping local authorities as in the U.S. Any
given place is controlled by one, and one only, local authority - either a
"city" or a "district" - and so the only taxes that people pay are local
authority rates and central government taxes.
There are still some anomalous levies and taxes on certain goods - a high
excise duty on wine, for example - that should not really exist in the GST
environment.
--------------------
B3.2.7 Miscellaneous Prices
litre of petrol; $0.90 - 0.96
loaf of bread (700gm/1.5 pound loaf); $1.60 - 1.90
butter (500gms); $1.60 (on special)
milk (2 litre bottle); $2.70
eggs (dozen) $3.20
apples (1kg/2lb); $0.60 - 1.20 depending on season
fresh fruit/veges - much cheaper than US city and much nicer/fresher
frozen chicken (2 kg/4 pounds); $6 (good special price)
sausages (3 kg/6 pounds); $10
steak; $10/kg often much more.
coffee (kg, beans) $22
ice cream (2 litres); $3
cheapest hamburger at McDonalds; $0.95 (a LOT more for a big mac)
12 cans of beer; $13.
restaurant prices; much less than the US
clothes/shoes; much more expensive than the US
60 watt light bulbs; $1 each
university textbooks; $80+/-
queen size mattress (without base, reasonable quality); $500
Sony G14 34cmv TV 14 inch; $439
top-loading automatic washing machine (5 kg loads); $919
cars: used Holden Commodore VL automatic 1987 (i.e. 8 years old); $12,700
new Honda Civic (fairly typical for NZ size cars); $33,170
auto insurance for that car; $250/annum (depending on policy, age of owner)
electrician charges; $30 per hour
doctor - standard consultation; adult $35, child $10-20
treatment in public hospital (eg maternity unit, 3 days); free. The trick
is to have something so urgent that they let you in. That's not so easy
unless you're pregnant. Waiting lists can be months long.
For housing rental - see under 'cost of living'.
-----
House prices.
The following table is taken from the New Zealand Herald, Wed 20 Dec, 1995.
Median price ($) by district of real estate for November 1995.
Dwelling total
District House Unit Section 1995 1994 1993
Northland 110,000 89,000 35,000 108,000 97,500 96,250
Auckland 212,000 182,500 75,000 200,000 178,000 150,000
Waikato/ 128,000 120,000 45,000 127,000 120,000 110,000
Bay of Plenty/
Gisborne
Hawkes Bay 118,000 115,000 35,000 118,000 118,000 118,000
Manawatu/ 102,500 86,250 45,000 101,000 102,750 96,750
Wanganui
Taranaki 94,000 93,500 52,555 93,750 95,000 90,000
Wellington 145,000 115,000 54,250 140,000 140,000 132,500
Nelson/ 130,000 117,750 60,000 130,000 135,000 120,000
Marlborough
Canterbury/ 129,000 120,900 52,750 128,000 125,000 115,000
Westland/
SouthCant'y
Otago 91,500 113,000 38,750 91,500 101,000 90,750
Southland 79,500 140,000 76,000 84,000 84,000 74,250
Average for 143,000 157,000 55,000 146,000 118,000 107,600
New Zealand
-----
For more info, try:
http://www.govt.nz/ps/min/stats
Follow the "New Zealand" link on the home page.
Ewan McKissock wrote:
It's interesting what items they list (and what they don't). This is
either very revealing about life in NZ, or about life in Statistics New
Zealand, I'm not sure which. Odd that they quote annual Tennis club
subscription, but no mention of other sports.
Russell Turner wrote:
You could try looking at New Zealand newspapers. The dominion or evening
post would be a could source of adverts for household gizmos and houses,
rent, cars etc. Try phoning (04) 474 0100 to speak to the newspaper
publisher.
to which Charles Eggen added:
The Weekly Wellington - City Voice is on-line at
http://nz.com/NZ/Commerce/NetEdit/VOICE.HTM
(watch those Caps in the above address). It will give you some current
info and you can subscribe to the fully paper at a reasonable cost.
Subject: B3.3 Life In General
B3.3.1 Business Hours
Banks 9:00am to 4:30pm - can vary slightly. Otherwise, Monday to Friday
9:00am to 5:30pm. Late night for shopping is either Thursday or Friday.
Changes to the Shop Trading Hours Act means that most shops are open for
longer hours than this. Almost all are open Saturday morning, many are
open on Sunday with some shops and markets remaining open later during the
week.
Automatic teller machines are widely available including a system in many
supermarkets and petrol stations called EFTPOS where you can buy goods with
your card and a PIN number and/or obtain cash. Many Atm's will accept
Cirrus cards.
All international credit cards are accepted in NZ. Travellers cheques can
be changed in banks, hotels, stores, etc. Mike Gill said; "I used MC and
carried some Travellers cheques for emergencies. This worked out great".
There is no restriction on the amount of foreign currency which may be
brought into or taken from New Zealand. Funds may be in the form of bank
notes, coins, travellers cheques or any other instrument of payment.
Visitors may convert surplus NZ currency at any outlet authorised to deal
in foreign exchange.
--------------------
B3.3.2 Tipping
Tipping is not expected in New Zealand, but is not unheard of. Employed
people don't depend on tips for their income and service charges are not
[usually] added to hotel and restaurant bills. Tip for service if you
think it's really deserved, but don't be surprised by the response. Some
consider tipping to be an undesirable practise.
--------------------
B3.3.3 Cost Of Living
B3.3.3.1 Rent
A moderately decent house/week (VERY approx!):
Dunedin $130 - $180
Christchurch $140 - $200
Wellington $160 - $300
Auckland $200 - $350
The average house price is hovering around $140K, mortgage rates are
fluctuating around 11% currently. Mortgage rates include inflation
adjustment.
----------
B3.3.3.2 Wages
The govt would have us believe an 'average' income is around $26K, people
with an income over $30K are considered well off.
----------
B3.3.3.3 Transport
Petrol is $0.93 per litre (+/- $0.05), insurance on a small car (eg. 85
toyota starlet 1.3l) is a mere $240 per year, registration is another $200
per year. There are lots of cheap Japanese used imports over here, so you
can get a good car for as little as $5K, and a cheap car for less than $2k.
Repairs are the worst cost - especially parts for late model cars, so
getting something reliable is a good idea.
----------
B3.3.3.4 Food
Pretty cheap depending on how much you eat of what. It'd be easy to eat
your way through a lot of money, but it is possible to live on less than
$40/wk and probably quite a lot less depending on how keen you were...
----------
B3.3.3.5 Consumer Goods
Most import duties have been abolished, and instead we have a flat 12.5%
goods and services tax (GST). Beware of advertised prices which exclude
this. This means that imported goods (electrical appliances, clothing
etc.) are pretty reasonably priced.
--------------------
B3.3.4 Crime
Yes, we have crime. While it may be 'safe' compared to most other
countries, serious crime does exist here and visitors should take sensible
precautions. Always lock your vehicle, and don't leave it in isolated
locations for extended periods. Avoid leaving valuables visible in the
car. Avoid areas/situations which appear unwholesome. The emergency phone
number (police, ambulance, fire) is 111, and ask the operator for the
service required (this can be used from payphones without paying).
-----
John Davis wrote:
"The crime rate isn't overly high, there was some information in the paper
today (1/95) showing the average number of reported crimes per 10,000
people for Chch is 1877. The NZ average is 1457, Chch came second
(Auckland had 2130). The safest place is rural Canterbury at 568. This
may sound rather high, but this _all_ reported crimes, from shoplifting up.
If you break it down into crime types, the NZ average for violent crimes
per 10,000 is 124, sexual crimes is 14, drugs and 'anti-social' crimes
(presumably things like being drunk and disorderly) is 150, property damage
is 98 and property abuse is 74. As you can see from this, the serious
crime rate here is therefore very low, things like murder and rape are
fairly rare (rare enough to make the national TV news), armed offences are
virtually un-heard of (again, and armed hold-up will make the national
news). You're most at risk from petty crime (opportunist car theft,
break-ins etc. - as opposed to 'professional' thieves who are fairly
rare). Your chances of being assaulted, held up, or murdered are virtually
nil. Probably the most dangerous part of day to day life here is the way
people drive :-)
On the other hand, do silly things like leave a nice expensive camera
sitting in your car whilst it's parked in a dark street in the middle of
town at night, and you'll probably find someone's nicked it (lots of
tourists find this out the hard way - wish people would stop telling them
NZ is totally safe)."
-----
Murder Statistics for 1991
Brian Dooley wrote:
"Notes
(1) All data taken from NZ Year Books and adjusted to include only males
aged 15+ years.
(2) Numbers marked "*" are taken from Year Books where murders and
manslaughter (not incl. deaths by careless driving) were aggregated.
(3) Numbers 1967-82 are taken directly from tables which give
deaths/million.
(4) Numbers 1974-94 refer specifically to murder only.
(5) These numbers are approximations but good enough to allow reasonable
conclusions. You will observe that my value of 3.3/100,000 for 1991
accords pretty well with the value of 3.4/100,000 quoted before from the
Economist.
MURDERS/100,000 of Total Population:
1967 1.4* 1970 1.2* 1980 1.3 1990 1.6
1968 0.7* 1971 0.9* 1981 1.3 1991 1.5
1969 1.1* 1972 1.0* 1982 1.3 1992 2.1
1973 0.8* 1983 --- 1993 1.1
1974 1.4 1984 1.2
1975 1.0 1985 ---
1976 1.1 1986 1.8
1977 1.8 1987 1.7
1978 1.9 1988 ---
1979 1.6 1989 2.0
MURDERS/100,000 MEN for NZ (men=age 15+):
1967 3.2* 1970 2.7* 1980 3.0 1990 3.8
1968 1.6* 1971 2.0* 1981 3.0 1991 3.3
1969 2.5* 1972 2.3* 1982 3.0 1992 4.9
1973 1.8* 1983 --- 1993 2.6
1974 3.2 1984 2.7
1975 2.3 1985 ---
1976 2.5 1986 4.2
1977 4.1 1987 4.1
1978 4.3 1988 ---
1979 3.6 1989 4.8
The thing which strikes me about the table is that it does have a
consistency, which implies that if the Economist's conclusions are true
then not only is NZ comparatively violent now - it has been for a long
time. However I am not persuaded that a simple ratio is applicable to all
situations, particularly where small numbers are involved. The table has a
volatility which I don't think it would have if a population of 50 million
were involved."
-----
I had a debate with myself about where to put this stuff. After the murder
stats seemed as good as any...
Frank van der Hulst offers:
"Whilst doing a spot of research in Massey's library, I took the time to
look for road traffic accident stats. Like all stats, take them with a
grain of salt. Your mileage may vary :-)
"What I found is somewhat dated, but FWIW here are comparisons of injury
accidents/100mill km for various countries. Illuminating perhaps for those
who claim NZer's are the worst drivers in the world (possibly excepting
Romans).
Finland 62
Norway 70
USA 72
Niger 79
Denmark 79
NZ 88 *
Canada 88
Turkey 88
Italy 91
Australia 92
Spain 120
France 127
Germany 129
Great Britain 130
Peru 131
Netherlands 157
Hungary 193
Israel 229
India 242
Syria 264
Morocco 279
Belgium 285
Japan 320
Ivory Coast 539
"These data are for 1970/71. As usual, I ask anyone with more recent stats
to email them to me or post them.
"Don't go driving in Ivory Coast!"
Steffan Berridge has added the following.
Here's some authoritative info which I found in "Motor Accidents in New
Zealand" published by the LTSA, originally entered in the OECD
International Road and Traffic Accident Database held by Bundesanstalt fur
Strassenwesen, Germany. The data are all 1993 except the ones with *s
which are 1992 and the countries are ordered in decreasing vehicles per
capita.
Country Deaths per Deaths per
100,000 pop 10,000 vehicles
USA 15.6 2.1*
NZ 17.0 2.7
Italy 12.6 2.0
Luxembourg 19.2 3.1
Canada 12.5 2.0
Australia 11.1 1.9
Switzerland 10.5 1.8
Germany 12.3 2.2
Japan 10.6 1.9
UK 6.8 1.3
Austria 16.2 3.1
Norway 7.6 1.3*
Iceland 6.4 1.3
Sweden 7.3 1.5
Belgium 16.5 3.4
France 16.6 3.4
Spain 16.3 3.6
Finland 9.6 2.1
Netherlands 8.2 1.9
Denmark 10.8 2.7
Ireland 12.1 3.7
Greece 20.3 6.6
Turkey 14.3 -
Portugal 32.9* -
Kind of makes you wonder what they get up to in Portugal... NZ roads are
safe after all! It looks like the figures for 1994 should have been
published by now, and the 1995 due shortly.
-----
Hantie Braybrook wrote:
"all reported crimes per 100 000 of the entire 1994 population:
South Africa 5651
Norway 5563
USA 5820
<lots of countries deleted>
UK 8986
Canada 11443
NZ 13247
Sweden 14188
Why are the figures for NZ almost 3 times those of SA ?"
The following suggestions are in response.
John Mee:
"According to Statistics New Zealand, Distinct Cases Resulting in
Conviction:
1991 1992 1993
Against the person 7,603 8,454 10,681
Property 20,669 21,166 21,459
Drug 6,930 6,652 7,949
Other 16,115 16,661 20,759
Total convictions, exclusive of traffic: 60,848
And the population:
Census at 31 March 1993 1994 1995
Total Population 3,435.0 3,541.6 3592.4
Since the only overlap is 1993, only consider that year, therefore there
are 34.35 (100,000) divided into 60,848 gives a rate of 1771.412/100,000
CONVICTIONS (not crimes). Since I can't lay my hands on a conviction rate,
or total of crimes committed, this will have to do.
I suspect somebody fouled up, or there are vast differences in reporting
methodologies from country to country, making any statistic meaningless."
Bruce Hoult:
"I'd take a wild stab in the dark and guess that these numbers include
everything down to and including speeding tickets, and that the majority
are in fact exactly that."
Paul Dansted:
"Because of changing attitudes towards domestic violence in NZ assaults in
the home are now more likely to be reported as crimes. I think domestic
violence accounts for something like 80% of violence in NZ!
Policy changes have encouraged police to treat these incidents as crimes
rather than 'just domestics'."
Hantie Braybrook
"There was a follow-up article the next day which is summarised below.
Anyone interested can search the articles at the Independent Newspapers WWW
site viz. http://www.inc.co.za
"Essentially, the crime and murder rates could be double estimates due to
the 50% rate of under-reporting. According to Nedcor researcher Simon Lee,
the project used current SAPS (SA Police Service) crime statistics and
statistics obtained through its own study to calculate an overall crime
rate of 5,651 per 100,000 people.
"Lee said that the crime rate could be doubled to at least 11,500 if the
under-reporting rate were taken into consideration. This would also apply
to the murder rate of 45 per 100,000 people which could in fact be 90.
"Commenting on the high overall crime rate in countries such as Sweden, New
Zealand and Canada, Lee said it could be attributed to the fact that these
countries had a reporting rate of at least 95%.
"The international rates had been obtained through Britannica World Data,
which publish reliable forms of comparative crime statistics."
--------------------
B3.3.5 Finding A Job
Try:
http://www.jobnetz.co.nz
and/or:
http://www.in