New Zealand's Involvement with the Commonwealth

New Zealand is a founding member of the Commonwealth and has long been involved in a wide range of Commonwealth activities. A multitude of Commonwealth meetings and consultations have been hosted in New Zealand cities, including the 1995 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Auckland and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Meeting in Wellington in 1998. New Zealand has hosted three Commonwealth Games.

New Zealand is currently the sxith largest contributor to the Commonwealth Secretariat budget by volume. It also contribute voluntarily to a number of Commonwealth organisations.

New Zealand has actively promoted the Commonwealth’s core beliefs and principles through past and present membership of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) and continuing membership of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Small States.

Since 1992, New Zealanders have participated in numerous Commonwealth missions to observe elections in member countries, most recently the Parliamentary elections in Lesotho in February 2007.

 New Zealanders may view the Commonwealth from many angles but its value is still as relevant today as when it was first formed, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon told in a speech to the Orewa Rotary Club today and he said that democracy and development were the two foundations of the modern Commonwealth:

Speaking in his former electorate, Don McKinnon said the Commonwealth is not sitting on the shelf of international organisations:

“The Commonwealth constantly adapts to the times, and is as relevant today as it was to our family forebears in this country. Certainly, the Commonwealth is more relevant to New Zealanders today than is widely recognised. (...) Commonwealth membership makes New Zealand a member of a worldwide community of values. The bonds of values are both spoken and unspoken: either way, they are very strong.”

Politics

New Zealand has a parliamentary system of government closely patterned on that of the United Kingdom and is a fully independent member of the Commonwealth. It has no written constitution. Executive authority is vested in a cabinet led by the prime minister, who is the leader of the political party or coalition of parties holding the majority of seats in parliament. All cabinet ministers must be members of parliament and are collectively responsible to it. 

The unicameral parliament (House of Representatives) has 120 seats, six of which currently are reserved for Maori elected on a separate Maori roll. However, Maori also may run for, and have been elected to, nonreserved seats. Parliaments are elected for a maximum term of 3 years, although elections can be called sooner. The judiciary consists of the Court of Appeals, the High Court, and the District Courts. New Zealand law has three principal sources--English common law, certain statutes of the UK Parliament enacted before 1947, and statutes of the New Zealand Parliament. In interpreting common law, the courts have been concerned with preserving uniformity with common law as interpreted in the United Kingdom. This uniformity is ensured by the maintenance of the Privy Council in London as the final court of appeal and by judges' practice of following British decisions, even though, technically, they are not bound by them. 

Local government in New Zealand has only the powers conferred upon it by parliament. The country's 12 regional councils are directly elected, set their own tax rates, and have a chairman elected by their members. Regional council responsibilities include environmental management, regional aspects of civil defense, and transportation planning. The 74 "territorial authorities"--15 city councils, 58 district councils in rural areas, and one county council for the Chatham Islands--are directly elected, raise local taxes at rates they themselves set, and are headed by popularly elected mayors.  

The Hon John Key, Prime Minister 

The Hon John Key took office on 19 November 2008 after his National Party (NP) won the 8 November general election. Mr Key was born on 9 August 1961 in Auckland. He is concurrently Tourism Minister. 

Mr Key was elected as NP leader in November 2006 after becoming its Spokesperson on Finance in 2004. He won a parliamentary seat in 2002 as an NP representative for Helensville. He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 1999 to 2001. 

He had earlier worked for Merrill Lynch in Singapore, London and Sydney. Mr Key started his career in investment banking in the mid-1980s. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Economy

New Zealand's economy has traditionally been based on a foundation of exports from its very efficient agricultural system. Leading agricultural exports include meat, dairy products, forest products, fruit and vegetables, fish, and wool. The country has substantial hydroelectric power and sizable reserves of natural gas. Leading manufacturing sectors are food processing, metal fabrication, and wood and paper products.

Since 1984, government subsidies including for agriculture have been eliminated; import regulations have been liberalized; exchange rates have been freely floated; controls on interest rates, wages, and prices have been removed; and marginal rates of taxation reduced. Tight monetary policy and major efforts to reduce the government budget deficit brought the inflation rate down from an annual rate of more than 18% in 1987.

Economic growth, which had slowed in 1997 and 1998 due to the negative effects of the Asian financial crisis and two successive years of drought, rebounded in 1999. A low New Zealand dollar, favorable weather, and high commodity prices have boosted exports, and the economy is estimated to have grown by 2.5% in 2000. Growth is likely to slow in 2001 given the economic slowdown in important export markets. 

New Zealand's economy has been helped by strong economic relations with Australia. Australia and New Zealand are partners in "Closer Economic Relations" (CER), which allows for free trade in goods and most services. Australia is now the destination of 19% of New Zealand's exports.

New Zealand welcomes and encourages foreign investment without discrimination. Restrictions and approval requirements also apply to certain investments in land and in the commercial fishing industry. 

A number of U.S. companies have subsidiary branches in New Zealand. Many operate through local agents, and some are in association in joint ventures. The American Chamber of Commerce is active in New Zealand, with its main office in Auckland and a branch committee in Wellington.

Society

70% of people adhere to a religion; 59% of people are Christians; others include Ratana (Maori) 1.4%, Buddhists 1.2% and Hindus 1.1%. English and Maori are the official languages and many information documents are also translated into Polynesian.

The largest dailies are The New Zealand Herald (Auckland, the main national newspaper), The Dominion Post (Wellington), The Press (Christchurch) and Otago Daily Times (Dunedin). Around 30 daily papers – mostly evening editions – are published locally and regionally. The principal Sunday papers are Sunday Star Times and Sunday News.

State-owned Television New Zealand (TVNZ) operates TV1 and TV2, and the public Maori Television is aimed at promoting the Maori language and culture. TV3 and Prime TV are private networks, and Sky TV runs pay-to-view channels.

State-run Radio New Zealand operates three stations: National Radio, Concert FM and The AM Network. Riua Mai is a government-funded Maori-owned radio station and Tourist Information FM provides visitors with useful travel information 24 hours a day.

There are numerous colleges of education (Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin), and the University of Waikato has its own School of Education. There are also 8 government-funded universities (Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Waikato, Massey, Victoria at Wellington, Canterbury, Lincoln and Otago) and 25 polytechnics. There is virtually no illiteracy among people aged 15–24.

Most public phones take cards purchased from bookstalls; some also accept credit cards, but very few still accept coins. Mobile phone coverage is good and there are roaming agreements with most international providers. Internet cafes are widely available and can be found in cities and smaller towns. Travelers may access the internet at many hotels and youth hostels.

Public holidays:

New Year (two days), Waitangi Day (anniversary of the 1840 treaty, 6 February), ANZAC Day (25 April), Queen’s Official Birthday (first Monday in June), Labour Day (fourth Monday in October), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The anniversaries of the former provinces of New Zealand are observed locally as holidays. Religious and other festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Geography and climate

New Zealand lies in the south west Pacific Ocean, nearly 2 000 kms from Australia, to the east, and 19 017 kms, or 11 790 miles from Paris, France. New Zealand is over 1.600 kilometres long, and its widest part is 450 kilometres. The total land area is around 270 550 square kilometres, with approximately 10 000 kilometres of coastline.  

The capital city is Wellington, near the southern tip of the North Island, with a population of approximately 360 000.  Auckland is the largest city with a population having just reached one million. Over 200 000 inhabitants of Auckland are from the Pacific islands, which makes Auckland the largest Polynesian city in the world.  

The total population of New Zealand is 3.9 million, and is predicted to reach 4.6 million within the next 44 years. Māori make up about 15% of the population, and are the indigenous people of New Zealand.  

New Zealand is an island nation. The three main islands which make up New Zealand are the North Island, the South Island, and Stewart Island, but a number of smaller offshore islands are also included :     

• The Chatham Islands     
• The Kermadec Islands    
• Campbell Island     
• The Antipodes Islands     
• The Bounty Islands     
• The Auckland Islands  

Approximately 23% of the country is forested, as compared with 80% originally. Most of the remaining forested areas are protected.  New Zealand is a very mountainous country. It lies on a fault line which forms part of the Pacific "Rim of Fire", although there have been only two major volcanic eruptions in the relatively recent past.  The North Island is mainly made up of coastal plains and small mountain ranges. Mount Cook (or Aoraki, in Māori), in the South Island, is the highest mountain in New Zealand (3 754 metres). The largest lake is Lake Taupo, and the river with the greatest flow is the Clutha. The longest river in the North Island is the Waikato.  

New Zealand has a maritime climate, affected by latitude and the proximity of the ocean. The country's mountain ranges, and in particular those of the South Island, create different climactic conditions between the North and the South Islands. New Zealand's weather is inclined to be very changeable.  In general the country experiences high rainfall, particularly in Winter.

A little introduction about New Zealand...

New Zealand is the youngest country on earth - the last major landmass to be discovered. It has a rich and fascinating history, reflecting both our Maori and European heritage. Amazing Maori historic sites and taonga (treasures), some dating back almost a thousand years, are a contrast to many beautiful colonial buildings. A walk around any New Zealand city today shows what a culturally diverse and fascinating country it have become.

New Zealand today is an independent nation within the British Commonwealth. The British Monarch, although constitutional head of state, plays no active role in the administration of New Zealand's government.

The capital city is Wellington, although the largest city is Auckland, both situated in the North Island.