New Zealand Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

South Pacific.

Language

English is the common and everyday language, but other languages are also spoken, including Maori, which is New Zealand's second official language (spoken by the indigenous Maori people who constitute approximately 15% of the population).

Area

270,534 sq km (104,454 sq miles).

Time Zone

New Zealand: GMT + 12 (GMT + 13 from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April). Chatham Island: GMT + 12.75 (GMT + 13.75 from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April).

Electricity

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Most hotels provide 110-volt AC sockets (rated at 20 watts) for electric razors only.

Population

4.3 million (2008).

Population Density

15.8 per sq km.

Capital City

Wellington. Population: 474,000 (2008). Auckland, with a population of 1.4 million (2008), is the largest urban area in the country.

Government

Constitutional monarchy since 1907.

Head of Government

Prime Minister John Key since 2008.

Head of State

HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1952, represented locally by Governor-General Anand Satyanand since 2006.

Religion

55% Christian: Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Methodist are all represented.

Recent History

Helen Clark became New Zealand's first woman deputy prime minister in 1989 and prime minister in 1999. She was re-elected as prime minister for a third time in September 2005, and her coalition with the Progressive Party voted in a number of controversial measures. John Key won the last election in November 2008 with his National Party forming a minority government with the ACT and Maori Parties. As part of the British Commonwealth, New Zealand has tended to follow the UK and Australia with support in numerous wars over the years. It currently still has active forces in Afghanistan.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +64. Most public phones take cards purchased from bookstalls; some also accept credit cards, but very few still accept coins.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet

There are Internet cafés in cities and smaller town central business districts. Travelers can access the Internet at many hotels and youth hostels.

Media

New Zealand's media scene is very liberal and the broadcasting sector was deregulated in 1988. Television stations include the state-owned Television New Zealand (Channels One, Two, Six and Seven), the private TV3 and Prime TV, and the public Maori Television. Radio broadcasters include Radio New Zealand, the Pacific Island-focused Niu FM, and the Maori-language Ruia Mai.

Post

Airmail to Western Europe takes four to five days and to the USA three to 10 days.Mon-Fri 0900-1700 and Sat 0900-1230 in some larger towns.

Press

The English-language daily newspapers with the highest circulation include the New Zealand Herald, the The Dominion Post, Otago Daily Times and The Press.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan - 2 Jan New Year
6 Feb Waitangi Day
21 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
25 Apr ANZAC Day
6 Jun Queen’s Birthday
24 Oct Labor Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan - 2 Jan New Year
6 Feb Waitangi Day
5 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
25 Apr ANZAC Day
4 Jun Queen’s Birthday
22 Oct Labor Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
Each province also observes its particular anniversary day as a holiday.

Contact Information

New Zealand High Commission in the UK

2nd Floor, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7930 8422.
Website: www.nzembassy.com/uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700.

New Zealand Immigration Service in the UK

Mezzanine Floor, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE, UK
Tel: 0906 910 0100 (visa information and immigration service; national calls cost £1 per minute; from outside the UK call Tel: +44 1344 7161 99, charged at normal toll rate).
Website: www.immigration.govt.nz
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1545.

Tourism New Zealand in the UK

Level 7, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ, UK
Website: www.newzealand.com

New Zealand Embassy in the USA

37 Observatory Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 328 4800.
Website: www.nzemb.com

Tourism New Zealand in the USA

501 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 300, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Tel: (310) 395 7480 or 1 866 639 9325.
Website: www.newzealand.com or www.tourisminfo.govt.nz