Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
Rank Order
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Background:
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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
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Location:
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Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
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Geographic coordinates:
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41 00 S, 174 00 E
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total: 268,680 sq km
note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
water: NA sq km
land: NA sq km
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Area - comparative:
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about the size of Colorado
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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15,134 km
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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Climate:
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temperate with sharp regional contrasts
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Terrain:
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predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Cook 3,764 m
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Natural resources:
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natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
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Land use:
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arable land: 5.8%
permanent crops: 6.44%
other: 87.76% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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2,850 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
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Population:
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3,951,307 (July 2003 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 21.9% (male 443,837; female 423,118)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,318,751; female 1,307,796)
65 years and over: 11.6% (male 199,722; female 258,083) (2003 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 33.1 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 33.9 years (2002)
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Population growth rate:
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1.09% (2003 est.)
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Birth rate:
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14.14 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Death rate:
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7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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4.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 6.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.32 years
male: 75.34 years
female: 81.44 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1,200 (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (2001 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand
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Ethnic groups:
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New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%
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Religions:
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Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)
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Languages:
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English (official), Maori (official)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand
abbreviation: NZ
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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Wellington
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Administrative divisions:
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16 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, West Coast
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Dependent areas:
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Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
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Independence:
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26 September 1907 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
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Constitution:
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consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter
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Legal system:
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based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 67 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 53 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8, other 2
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Judicial branch:
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High Court; Court of Appeal
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Political parties and leaders:
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ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Alliance (a coalition of the New Labor Party, Democratic Party, New Zealand Liberal Party, and Mana Motuhake) [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [William (Bill) ENGLISH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; United Future or UF [leader NA]; United New Zealand or UNZ [Peter DUNNE]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, C, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227
telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96531-1001
telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000
FAX: [64] (4) 478-1701
consulate(s) general: Auckland
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Since 1984 the government has accomplished major economic restructuring, transforming New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. While per capita incomes have been rising, however, they remain below the level of the four largest EU economies, and there is some government concern that New Zealand is not closing the gap. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the New Zealand economy has been relatively resilient, although growth may slow to 2.5% in 2003.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $78.8 billion (2002 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.4% (2002 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $20,200 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 8%
industry: 23%
services: 69% (2001)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 0.3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.7% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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1.92 million (2001 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 65%, industry 25%, agriculture 10% (1995)
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Unemployment rate:
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5.3% (2002 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $29.2 billion
expenditures: $31.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002)
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Industries:
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food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3% (2001 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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37.51 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 31.6%
hydro: 57.8%
other: 10.7% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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34.88 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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42,160 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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132,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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30,220 bbl/day (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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119,700 bbl/day (2001)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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89.62 million bbl (January 2002 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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58.94 billion cu m (January 2002 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish
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Exports:
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$15 billion (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
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Exports - partners:
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Australia 18.8%, US 14.4%, Japan 12.2%, UK 4.8%, South Korea, China (2001)
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Imports:
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$12.5 billion (2001 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
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Imports - partners:
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Australia 21.9%, US 15.9%, Japan 11.0%, UK 3.8%, China, Germany (2001)
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Debt - external:
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$33 billion (2002 est.)
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $99.7 million
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Currency:
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New Zealand dollar (NZD)
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Currency code:
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NZD
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Exchange rates:
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New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000), 1.8896 (1999), 1.8683 (1998)
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June
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Railways:
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total: 3,898 km
narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2002)
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Highways:
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total: 92,200 km
paved: 53,568 km (including at least 144 km of expressways)
unpaved: 38,632 km (1996)
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Waterways:
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1,609 km
note: of little importance in satisfying total transportation requirements
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Pipelines:
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petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1,000 km; liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 150 km
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Ports and harbors:
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Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington
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Merchant marine:
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total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 69,685 GRT/106,627 DWT
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
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Airports:
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113 (2002)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 5 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 67
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 26
under 914 m: 39 (2002)
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Heliports:
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1 (2002)
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Disputes - international:
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territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
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This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003
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