˙˙00˙ ˙00˙01˙03˙01New Zealand˙00 ˙ ˙ ˙03˙02HENRIK JANSSON ˙01˙01˙00˙ ˙North Island has a very irregular coastline, particularly on its northern extremity, the Auckland Peninsula. In the vicinity of the city of Auckland, the peninsula is only about 10 km (about 6 mi) wide. The principal mountain ranges of North Island extend along the eastern side. A volcanic range in the north central region has three active volcanic peaks: Mount Ruapehu (2797 m/9175 ft), the highest point on the island; Mount Ngauruhoe (2291 m/7515 ft); and Tongariro (1968 m/6458 ft). Mount Egmont (2518 m/8260 ft), a solitary, extinct volcanic cone, is situated near the western extremity of the island. North Island has numerous rivers, most of which rise in the eastern and central mountains. The Waikato River (435 km/270 mi long), the longest river of New Zealand, flows north out of Lake Taupo (606 sq km/234 sq mi), the largest lake in New Zealand, and empties into the Tasman Sea in the west. Numerous mineral hot springs are in the Lake Taupo district. South Island has a more regular coastline than that of North Island; in the southwest, however, the coast is indented by deep fjords. The chief mountain range of South Island is the Southern Alps, a massive uplift extending in a southwestern to northeastern direction for almost the entire length of the island; 17 peaks in the range exceed 3048 m (10,000 ft) in elevation. Mount Cook (3764 m/12,349 ft), the highest point in New Zealand, rises from the center of the range, which also has a number of glaciers. Most of the rivers of South Island, including the Clutha River (338 km/210 mi long), the longest river of the island, rise in the Southern Alps. The Clutha is formed by the confluence of two branches originating, respectively, in Lake Hawea (124 sq km/48 sq mi) and Lake Wanaka (194 sq km/75 sq mi) and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The largest lake is Lake Te Anau (342 sq km/132 sq mi) in the southern part of the Southern Alps. The Canterbury plains in the east and the Southland plains in the extreme south are the only extensive lowland areas of South Island. ˙˙˙02Population˙01˙ ˙00 ˙According to the 1986 census, approximately 82% of New Zealanders are of European (mainly British) descent. About 9% (some 294,000) are Maori, a Polynesian group, with some Melanesian admixture, whose ancestors migrated to New Zealand about the 14th century. The Maori have adapted themselves to the society and work in all types of industry and the professions. About 3% of the population is of Polynesian descent. ˙˙˙02Population Characteristics˙01˙ ˙00 ˙The population of New Zealand (1989 estimate) was 3,371,000, giving the country an overall population density of about 13 persons per sq km (about 32 per sq mi). Nearly three-quarters of the population (including more than 95% of the Maori) resided on North Island, however. About 85% of the people lived in urban areas, and about half of these in the four largest cities and their environs (see Principal Cities section below). ˙˙˙02Principal Cities˙01˙ ˙00 ˙Christchurch (301,500), the wheat and grain center; Dunedin (106,400), a wool and gold center, and Hamilton (104,100), a center for dairy farming. ˙˙˙02Agriculture˙01˙ ˙00 ˙Modern methods and machinery are used extensively on New Zealand farms, and the productivity of the country is consequently among the highest in the world. The land is suited for dairy farming and for raising sheep and beef cattle because winter housing for livestock is unnecessary and grass grows nearly year round. Annual output of the main crops in the late 1980s included wheat, 235,000 metric tons; corn, 190,000 tons; barley, 405,000 tons; and oats, 74,000 tons. Other important crops were kiwi fruit, apples, pears, tobacco, potatoes, and peas. The livestock population of New Zealand included about 65 million sheep, some 8.1 million head of cattle, 1.3 million goats, and approximately 428,000 pigs. New Zealand ranks second only to Australia in wool production; the annual clip in the late 1980s was 351,300 metric tons. Farm horses have been almost completely replaced by tractors. ˙˙˙02Manufacturing˙01˙ ˙00 ˙In the late 1980s about 301,000 persons were employed in manufacturing. The principal manufactures were meat and dairy products, paper and paper products, machinery, clothing, lumber, motor vehicles, electrical machinery, refined petroleum, and printed materials. Manufacturing has increased steadily, but New Zealand has insufficient workers and raw materials to support much heavy industry. Auckland is the principal manufacturing center. ˙˙˙02Transportation and Communications˙01˙ ˙00 ˙Public transport facilities are good even in remote districts. In the late 1980s New Zealand had about 93,130 km (about 57,870 mi) of roads and 4330 km (2690 mi) of railroads. About 1.4 million passenger cars were in use. Ships provide fast overnight service between North Island and South Island and along the coasts. The country's principal ports are Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga, and Lyttelton (near Christchurch). Air transport is widely used, with numerous airfields located throughout the country to serve private pilots. Air New Zealand is the leading airline. Most communications services are operated by the government. In the late 1980s about 2.3 million telephones were in use. Radios numbered 3.1 million, and New Zealanders had about 978,500 television receivers. More than 30 daily newspapers had a combined circulation exceeding 1 million. ˙˙˙02History˙01˙ ˙00 ˙New Zealand was discovered and named in 1642 by the Dutch mariner Abel Janszoon Tasman. The British explorer Captain James Cook visited the islands in 1769 and took possession of them for Great Britain, but nearly 75 years elapsed before the British government recognized his claim. ˙˙˙02Moriori and Maori˙01˙ ˙00 ˙The inhabitants of New Zealand at the time of Tasman's visit were the Maori, who about the 14th century had immigrated to North Island, probably from Tahiti, in a fleet of large canoes. Maori oral history credits the discovery of New Zealand to Kupe, a Maori navigator who came by canoe in the middle of the 10th century. At that time the islands were uninhabited, but before the Maori immigration a dark-skinned race, the Moriori, of whose origin nothing is known, settled on the eastern coast of North Island to hunt the moa, a wingless bird about 3.7 m (about 12 ft) tall, which is now extinct. Some of these people were absorbed into the Maori population; the remainder were driven out and allowed to settle in the Chatham Islands, where the last survivor is said to have died in the mid-20th century. The Maori spread out along the coast and the rivers on both the main islands, although they were more numerous on the North Island. Early in the 19th century British missionaries and whalers, despite fierce opposition from the Maori, established settlements and trading posts in New Zealand, chiefly among the Bay of Islands on North Island. Systematic immigration began in 1839-40 under the auspicies of the New Zealand Company, which had been organized in London. ˙˙˙02British Sovereignty˙01˙ ˙00 ˙By the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 by a British representative and 50 Maori chieftains, Great Britain formally proclaimed sovereignty over the islands and agreed to respect the landownership rights of the Maori, who placed themselves under the protection of the British government. At the same time New Zealand was made a dependency of New South Wales, Australia. In 1841 it was constituted a separate crown colony. Colonization continued apace during the ensuing decades. Disputes between the newcomers and the Maori over land claims led ultimately to violent Maori uprisings between 1845 and 1848 and between 1860 and 1870. After that date, however, colonial authorities pursued a conciliatory policy that resulted in the establishment of permanent peace between the European and native populations. The discovery of alluvial gold in 1865 caused a new influx of immigrants, many of whom settled down to farming when the deposits of gold were exhausted. Sheep raising and gold mining were the main sources of the country's wealth in the latter part of the 19th century. The introduction of refrigerated ships in 1882 enabled New Zealand to export fresh meat, thus stimulating settlement and more intensive farming in the country. ˙01