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The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ
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Subject: The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
X-Posting-Software: NOSEpost v0.6c
Expires: 14 May 1995
Summary: general and specific information about New Zealand and living there
Keywords: faq, New Zealand, information, life, culture, kiwi
Expires: 1 May 1994 00:00:00 GMT
From: [email protected] (phil stuart-jones)
Message-ID:
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 95 02:14:14 +1200
Organization: home
Lines: 3895
Index
This is the soc.culture.new-zealand list of Frequently Asked Questions, and
some (useful?) answers.
*** 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 will probably bounce ***
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 people can't look things up for
themselves, *ask in the newsgroup*!
Like many/most people in New Zealand (or should that be `outside the US'?)
I pay for my e-mail by volume, both incoming and outgoing. E-mailing a
request to someone you don't know in NZ is often NOT appreciated. I very
seldom respond to such requests. 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 (usually
around the end of the month) and it is automagically posted on the first 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! :-)
=============================================================
soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ
last revised: 1 April 1995
- Part A: Info Sources
- Part B: Facts and Figures
- Part C: The Subjective Bits
========================================
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
B2.3 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
B3.2.0 Defence Against Silly Questions
B3.2.1 Current Status
B3.2.2 Currency
B3.2.3 Stockmarket
B3.2.4 Interest Rates
B3.2.5 Taxes
B3.2.6 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
------------------------------
B4 COMING TO NEW ZEALAND
B4.1 Travel To NZ
B4.1.1 Travel Details
B4.1.2 Agricultural Restrictions
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
------------------------------
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
B5.3.4 Train Services
B5.3.5 Coach Travel
B5.3.6 Driving
B5.3.7 Commercial Tours
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
C4.2 Traditional Food
C4.2.1 What is Vegemite/Marmite?
C4.2.2 Pavlova recipe ([email protected])
C4.2.3 The Edmonds Cook Book
C4.3 National Anthems
C4.4 The Gumboot Song ([email protected])
C4.5 Other bits which may be included.
------------------------------
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...
Back to Index
==============================================================
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: [email protected] (Graeme Williams)
Subject: CFD: soc.culture.new-zealand
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
[email protected]
----------
That's it. Any comments or contributions to this introduction would be
appreciated. Please post as usual...
Back to Index
==============================================================
PART A
Subject: A1 HOW TO FIND NZers AND INFORMATION ABOUT NZ
------------------------------
Subject: A1.1 On The Net
Follow this newsgroup! You might also want to investigate the nz.* groups
(if they are available to you) particularly nz.general. I've added a load
of sites and would *really* appreciate any corrections.
The faq is available from numerous sites, including:
ftp site: ftp.demon.co.uk
dir: /pub/ibmpc/misc
including the interent access faq and immigration eligibility software
Other info about NZ is available via WWW from:
Michael Witbrock's NZ pages at:
http://nz.com/nz/
including the /nz/index.html and /nz/NZNewsArchive/
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
Other sites from which bits are available as HTML are:
http://133.30.120.10:10080/=@=:www.ntt.jp/AP/oceania.html
http://charm.wcc.govt.nz/extern/kennett/homepage.htm
http://liber.stanford.edu/~torrie/
http://pluto.taranaki.ac.nz/pukeiti/locus.html
http://www.actrix.gen.nz/general/nz-faq.html
http://www.actrix.gen.nz/users/dgold/nzso.html
http://www.actrix.gen.nz/users/jbarton/index.html
http://www.gphs.vuw.ac.nz:80/meteorology/meteorology.html
http://www.indirect.com/www/richardk/NZgraphic.html
http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/
http://www.rsnz.govt.nz/cgi-bin/news?rsnz/news
For the ftp and WWW challenged; to get the FAQ (or any of the other WWW
files mentioned), in ASCII form, send email to:
[email protected]
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
([email protected]) and asking very nicely.
Also, try Gopher:
gopher://gopher.wcc.govt.nz/ (The Wellington City Council)
A quick check of gopherspace should tell you all you never needed to know
about someone. This applies pretty well to all NZ universities, so if you
need to reach someone, try "gopher gopher..ac.nz". Some
universities don't have a database of email addresses available.
------------------------------
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:
Suite 1260 IBM tower,
701 West Georgia ST BC V7Y1B6
Ph (604) 684 2117
--------------------
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 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
Back to Index
------------------------------
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
U.K. 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 Washington D. C.:
37 Observatory Circle, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20008
Telephone: (202) 328-4800
TRADENZ
NZ Consulate General
NZ Tourist Board
780 Third Avenue, Suite 780
New York, NY 10017-2024
(212) 832-4038
(212) 832-7602 (fax)
They opened a couple of months ago. The Tourist 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 traveling Kiwis". TRADENZ is
also at the same address. Peter MacDonald heads the office.
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
Tishman Building
10960 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1530
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Telephone: (310) 207-1605
FAX: (310) 473-5621 ?
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.
There are consul offices listed for the District of Columbia, Guam,
Tennessee, 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. The good
Mr Brian Harmer is currently posting a weekly summary of New Zealand news
to one of those groups.
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 and you can subscribe to it
airmail (24 issues total, each sent fortnightly for NZ$67). The address
is:
Peak Communications Ltd
PO Box 54046
Mana
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone/Fax 64/4/2399123
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.
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
------------------------------
Subject: A2.3 Expatriate Organisations?
Does anyone have any info on the existence of any organisations catering to
the needs of expatriates? If so, please post accordingly.
Back to Index
------------------------------
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.netstatus, nz.comp, nz.general, s.c.n-z)
archive-name: internet-access/new-zealand
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/nz.comp/Internet_access_in_New_Zealand_FAQ
and also;
http://actrix.gen.nz/general/internet.faq
Back to Index
==============================================================
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 to the Stewart Island @ ~
editor, please do not repost.
New Zealand = Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud, also `Godzone'
North Island = Te Ika a Maui (The Fish of Maui)
South Island = Te Waka a Maui (The Canoe of Maui), Te Wai Pounamu
Stewart Island = Rakioura?? (The Land of Glowing Skies?)
"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
South Island 150,718
Stewart Island 1,746
The Rest ?
TOTAL 268,704 103,730
COASTLINE: 15,134 km
MARITIME CLAIMS:
Continental shelf; edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone; 200 nm
Territorial sea; 12 nm
--------------------
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.
Tokelau is talking about some form of autonomy or independence right now.
Previous dependencies; Cook Islands, Niue.
--------------------
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
New Zealand is believed to be a fragment of the ancient Southern continent
of Gondwanaland which became detached over 100 million years ago allowing
many ancient plants and animals to survive and evolve in isolation. As a
result, most of the NZ flora and fauna is indigenous/endemic.
We have the worlds largest flightless parrot (kakapo), the only truly
alpine parrot (kea), the oldest reptile (tuatara), the biggest earthworms,
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?). It lives on
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.
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.
--------------------
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?)
Back to Index
------------------------------
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.
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 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.
-----
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.
Lachy Paterson
-----
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.
Brian Harmer
-----
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".
Lyndon Watson
------------------------------
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.)
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: B3 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND
------------------------------
Subject: B3.1 The Political Scene
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.
--------------------
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
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
Thanks to Paul Gillingwater.
--------------------
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.
--------------------
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.
--------------------
B3.2.0 Defence Against Silly Questions
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."
Lyndon Watson
-----
The following was contributed Robert Ashcroft.
The short answer is that NZ suffered terribly initially, but is now
enjoying exceptional economic growth coupled with exceptionally low
inflation.
NZ really had very little choice in the matter---they were at the end of
their rope. It had the world's lowest average economic growth among all
industrial nations from the end of WWII up until 1984. The economy was
stagnant, rule bound, highly protected.
When the controls were taken off, they were taken off in the wrong order.
That is, first the financial controls were lifted, then company protection
was lifted, and lastly the labor market was deregulated. This led to a
financial bubble that popped in about 1987 or so, increasing the amount of
subsequent misery.
Various analyses have since concluded that the opposite order would have
meant a softer landing.
Things have really only come right in the last five years or so. Right now
NZ has 6% real growth with inflation of only 2%. It's in its 3rd or 4th
year of consecutive growth. Unemployment, which had been very high (up to
10% in a country that historically had very low (3-4%) unemployment) is now
down to 7.5% (January, 1995).
However, there is no denying that income equality has been lessened. Then
again, NZ always had exceptionally even income distribution, so you may
well argue that it could stand a bit more inequality, especially if this
accurately reflects differing amounts of achievement.
Note that Canada is not even close to the dire straits that NZ was in.
Canada, especially after NAFTA, is far more exposed to world competition,
which keeps it from being as uncompetitive as NZ was. NZ had 40 years of
accumulated dead wood to shift when it hit the wall.
And NZ went hell for leather. They competely eliminated all agricultural
subsidies, for instance. This is an excellent thing, but I doubt Canada
could ever manage the same thing politically. It's difficult, however, to
appreciate how comprehensive change has been in NZ. There is not a single
part of government policy that has not been radically changed in the past
decade. You can make these U turns far more easily in a small country.
There is a vocal minority that bitterly resents what happened in the past
10 years, regarding it as a betrayal of all NZ stood for (NZ was one of the
first countries to introduce a welfare state---almost all govt actions in
the past decade have been aimed at reducing the role of welfare in NZ).
These voices have been muted, but not stilled, lately, as NZ enjoys
unprecendented growth. However, the terms of the debate have been
radically changed. The govt was recently criticized because inflation is
in danger of breaking the 2% level (the NZ Reserve Bank is now statutorily
bound to keep inflation below 2%). Back in the early 80s, inflation was
routinely over 10%!
You might read Roger Douglas's book, _Unfinished_Business. It's a
political manifesto, not unbiased by any stretch of the imagination, but it
is still worth reading. Douglas was the chief architect of the radical
change that was initiated in 1984. It sets forth his rationale for why
radical change was necessary, and I think he's persuasive that radical
change _was necessary, although you might disagree with _what sort of
radical change.
RNA
-----
Quite a few references on the changes (Paul Walker). Anyone prepared to
store these separately for ftp and such?
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
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
--------------------
B3.2.1 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%
---------
The following info has been swiped from one of Brian Harmer's WYSIWYG news
posts to give a few ideas on the current state of NZ's economy (1/4/95).
Thanks, Brian.
* A net 49% of firms in a recent survey said they expect unemployment to
continue to fall over the next 12 months; 21% net expect to hire more staff
over the year ahead.
* The ANZ Bank forecasts unemployment to end up at 7.1% this year, to fall
to 6.4% next year, and then again down to 5.8% by 1996/97.
* The latest ANZ Economic Focus comments: "New Zealand's economic recovery
continues to be broadly based, with still high levels of investment
occurring, which is supported by the more open and competitive nature of
producers. These features should ensure sustained growth over 1995..."
* Agriculture is still the "key driver" in the economy, according to
National Bank economists. In the year to December 1994, agriculture's
share of total dollar value exports came in at 55% or $10.8 billion.
* Since 1990, there has been a 58% increase in the number of women
participating in tertiary education.
* A World Bank economist has said NZ's economic reforms are considered the
most progressive and successful in the world. Twenty South American
government officials have been brought to NZ by the World Bank in the hope
it can persuade them to adopt our economic reforms.
* Investment in plant and machinery still remains healthy with a net 26% of
firms expecting to increase spending on equipment investment over the next
year.
* NZ's pipfruit industry performed strongly in the 1994 season following
weak returns in 1993. It accounted for 45% of the $750 million of fresh
fruit exported in the year to September 1994.
* 137,800 overseas visitors came to NZ in January, up 11% on January 1994.
For the January 1995 year, the total reached 1.336 million, 14% increase.
* Student Job Search has found a record number of jobs this summer -
students have taken 33,700 jobs, 2524 more than last summer.
* The total number of people registered unemployed has fallen by 17.1% in
the year to February. The very-long term unemployed, those registered for
two years or more, fell by almost 24%; numbers unemployed for more than six
months have fallen by 22%.
* The number of job ads in the main national papers hit a five year high in
February, reaching 24,242 - 32% higher than a year ago.
* The latest Reserve Bank forecast paints a three-year picture of falling
inflation and interest rates together with continued economic growth.
* NZ fisheries management has been praised by an international expert.
Professor Hilborn of Washington University, Seattle said that NZ was way
ahead of most countries in terms of allocating fishing resources. And that
on economic performance NZ fisheries and the fishing industry was in the
top 5% of the world.
* There will be a net increase of over 800 primary and secondary school
teachers next year, and around $140 million extra will be spent on schools
over the next three years.
* Foreign direct investment in NZ in the '90s is averaging more than $3
billion annually, up from a $400 million average throughout the 1980s.
This reflects strong international confidence in the NZ economy.
* Since the changes to immigration policy in 1991, immigrants have invested
$1.06 billion in NZ.
* A three-fold increase in industry project funding over the last three
years has led to the Wool Research Organisation's decision to spend $4
million to increase lab space by 50% and refurbish other facilities.
--------------------
B3.2.2 Currency
Decimal system based on New Zealand dollar, with cent denominations.
Coins are 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, 1 and 2 dollars
Notes are 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars
Major credit cards are accepted widely.
--------------------
B3.2.3 Stockmarket
Same structure as overseas. Ours tends to fluctuate depending on the state
of the world markets.
--------------------
B3.2.4 Exchange/Interest Rates
Information on exchange rates is available from many daily papers, or you
can get the information through www on:
http://www.ora.com/cgi-bin/ora/currency?New_Zealand
It's updated weekly, so it's usually a little out of date, but it's a good
guide mostly. Current figures for main currencies (1/4/95):
NZ$
Aust$ 89.03c
US$ 64.84c
Yen 57.90
Pounds 40.38p
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 9.35
% July 1998 Govt Stock 8.21
--------------------
B3.2.5 Taxes
New Zealand operates a Goods and Services Tax of 12.5 per cent 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 24% on first $30,874/year, 33% for every $ above this.
There are various rebates for things like low incomes, children, donations,
Housekeeper, Home/Farm/Vessel Ownbership, and others.
Government Revenue Source(1990) How it was expected to be spent(1990)
Income Tax $16,950 Education $3,912.5
Gost 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
--------------------
B3.2.6 Miscellaneous Prices
litre of petrol $0.90 - 0.96
loaf of bread $1.60 - 1.90
1kg (2lb) apples $0.60 - 1.20 depending on season
midsize Japanese car $25,000
auto insurance for that car $250/annum (depending on policy, age of owner)
housing rental see under `cost of living'
------------------------------
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 advertisedprices 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).
-----
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).
John Davis
-----
Murder Statistics for 1991
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.
Brian Dooley
--------------------
B3.3.5 Finding A Job
The NZ Employment Service appears to be a final resort. It is far better
to have a job lined up before you arrive (from overseas) or before you're
out of school...
Labour force: 1,603,500 (June 1991)
services 67.4%
manufacturing 19.8%
primary production 9.3% (1987)
--------------------
B3.3.6 Schools And Education
Compulsory from age 7 to 15, but almost all children start kindergarten at
age 4 and then school at 5.
Primary schools: J or Primer (pron. `primmer') 1 and 2: approx age 5-6
Standards 1-4: approx age 7-11
Intermediate schools: Form 1-2: approx age 11-13
(these are sometimes included in primary schools
or in secondary schools)
Secondary schools: Form 3-7: approx age 13-18
NZ schools have a high international reputation, especially for their
reading and remedial reading programmes. A growing number of schools have
special programmes for children whose first language is not English.
National exams/qualifications:
Form 5: School Certificate
Form 6: Sixth Form Certificate
Form 7: Bursary (entrance to university is mostly based on this)
--------------------
B3.3.7 Universities
Otago is the oldest, Waikato is the newest, Auckland is the largest, and
Lincoln is the smallest. Apart from Lincoln which is essentially a
technical university offering a very limited range of courses (but is
expanding fast), all are full-scale universities.
----------
B3.3.7.1 Teaching Focus
Univerity of Auckland (Auckland)
fine art, architecture, engineering, law?
University of Waikato (Hamilton)
provide internet into NZ, Maori, Computing, Psychology
Massey University (Palmerston North)
agriculture, economics, extension studies
Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington)
arts, law, computing, commerce/economics, geology, meteorology
Canterbury University (Christchurch)
fine art, all sciences, computing, engineering, commerce, law, forestry,
music
Lincoln University (Christchurch)
agriculture, economics, landscape architecture, cultural studies
Otago University (Dunedin)
medicine, law, phys. ed., computing, consumer sciences, surveying,
dentistry, commerce
----------
B3.3.7.2 Addresses
Auckland (Auckland) aukuni.ac.nz or auckland.ac.nz
Hamilton (Waikato) waikato.ac.nz
Palmerston North (Massey) massey.ac.nz
Wellington (Victoria) vuw.ac.nz
Christchurch (Canterbury) canterbury.ac.nz
(Lincoln) lincoln.ac.nz
Dunedin (Otago) otago.ac.nz
Email to [email protected] for someone who can help.
----------
B3.3.7.3 The University Hierarchy
Basically, it goes something like this:
Professor(s)
Associate Professors/Readers (depends on department)
Senior Lecturers
Lecturers
There are also Head of Departments, Deans, etc., which may or may not be
professors, although they are usually pretty senior.
In NZ universities, a Professorship is a *very* prestigious title. There
may be a rough equivalence between a US associate professor and a NZ
lecturer, and a US professor and NZ senior lecturer. There is likely to be
some overlap.
Per department there is about 1 professor per approx 10 `lower' positions.
For example, in Electrical Engineering at Canterbury there are currently 2
professors, 3 associate professors, 9 senior lecturers, and 5 lecturers
(from the 1994 calendar).
----------
B3.3.7.4 Postgrad Study
???
I'd appreciate some information on ease of obtaining positions in
post-grad study, what positions are increasing/decreasing, etc. Please.
--------------------
B3.3.8 Health
NZ operates a no-fault accident compensation scheme which covers residents
and visitors. Personal injury through accident entitles the injured party
to compensation for reasonable expenses related to the accident. Due to
abuse, this has been reworked recently and compensation is far harder to
obtain.
Life Expectancy (M) 71.0 years
Life Expectancy (F) 77.0 years
Crude Birth Rate 16.3 /1000
Crude Death Rate 8.3 /1000
Infant Mortality 10.8 /1000
Total fertility rate 2.1 children born/woman (1992)
No. of Hospitals 318
No. of Hospital Beds 23,052
No. of Physicians 5,210
No. of Dentists 1,160
No. of Pharmacists 2,300
Nursing Personnel 22,000
----------
B3.3.8.1 Water Supply
nZ cities and towns have good public water. Water is safe to drink out of
the tap. The water in Christchurch *is* totally untreated and is supposed
to be the purist domestic water supply in the world...
In bush walking areas giardia has been found so its advisable to check
before drinking from rivers or streams. Boiling water for five minutes or
more is advised where advice is not available.
--------------------
B3.3.9 Communications
Telephone Country Code 64
National Directory 018
International Directory 0172
National Tolls 010
International Tolls 0170
Telex Access Code 791
Ham Radio Prefix ZL
--------------------
B3.3.10 Misc
Air Craft Registration PreFix ZK
Yatch Registration PreFix KZ
X.25 Country Code 05301
------------------------------
Subject: B3.4 Holidays
B3.4.1 National
* Jan 01 New Years Day (first Monday/Tuesday if 1st is Sat/Sun)
* Jan 02 Day After New Years day
* Feb 06 Waitangi day (not moved if on a weekend)
1994 Apr 01 Easter Monday (second weekend after the equinox or something?)
1994 Apr 04 Easter Friday
* Apr 25 ANZAC Day (not moved if on a weekend, shops closed morning only)
* Jun (first Monday) Queens Birthday
* Oct (fourth Monday) Labour Day
* Dec 25 Christmas Day (first Monday/Tuesday if 25th is Sat/Sun)
* Dec 26 Boxing Day
--------------------
B3.4.2 Regional
Note these are subject to variations typically to accommodate local show
days. As a general rule (apart from holidays which are observed on show
days) if the Anniversary Day falls on Friday to Sunday (inclusive) it is
observed the following Monday, if it falls on Tuesday to Thursday it is
observed the preceding Monday.
Observed Date Region
1994 Jan 17 Southland Anniversary
1994 Jan 24 Wellington Anniversary
1994 Jan 31 Auckland and Northland Anniversary
1994 Jan 31 Nelson Anniversary
1994 Mar 14 Taranaki Anniversary
1994 Mar 21 Otago Anniversary
1994 Sep 26 South Canterbury Anniversary
1994 Oct 31 Hawkes Bay Anniversary
1994 Oct 31 Marlborough Anniversary
1994 Nov 11 North and Central Canterbury Anniversary (3rd Friday after
Labour Day) called `Show Day' and on the third day of the
annual Chch A&P Show.
1994 Nov 28 Chatham Islands Anniversary
1994 Nov 28 Westland Anniversary
------------------------------
Subject: B3.5 Technical Stuff
B3.5.1 Electricity
The normal electricity supply is 230 volts 50 hertz alternating current
(AC).
3 pin appliance socket from a viewpoint looking at the wall or a plug seen
from the inside as one would while wiring it up.
phase ----- > / \ < ---- neutral
(or live)
| < --------- earth
If the wires you have are brown, blue, and green [yellow or white striped],
then; brown = phase, blue = neutral, green = earth. The old code is red,
black, green respectively.
If you have ANY doubts, please consult a qualified electrician.
Most hotels will have shaver plugs suitable for all international appliance
of low power rating, and which will supply 110 and 230 volts. These plugs
may be for shavers only. If in doubt, ask.
--------------------
B3.5.2 TV Info
NZ runs on PAL G on UHF. This gives the same picture and sound spacing
(5.5MHz), but the channel spacing is slightly wider - the same as that used
for 6MHz intercarrier spacing. Standard 50 hertz field rate, 25 hertz
frame rate.
We also use NICAM for stereo tv, rather than one of the various analogue
systems.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the locally-vertical component of the field is
in the opposite direction to where it would be an equivalent distance north
of the equator.
This affects the colour convergence of video monitors. It's not a *huge*
difference, and it took computer companies until the late 1980s' to wake up
to the difference and ship different monitor versions to New Zealand, South
America, and Australia. Northern hemisphere monitors *work* but the
colours won't be as crisp as you'd expect.
--------------------
B3.5.3 Video Conversion
NTSC/PAL tv's are available but expensive. Commercial conversion
facilities are available.
--------------------
B3.5.4 Bringing Computers In
Only problems are power supply suitability. Large monitors may experience
problems changing hemisphere (or Sun would have us believe!). See notes on
tv info and video conversion above as applicable.
--------------------
B3.5.5 Telephone
Similar to British Telecom style. Uses BT 600 plug (not RJ-11) Phone line
is pins 2 and 5 of the BT 600 plug (RJ-11 is pins 3 & 4). Hotels will have
difficulty in converting plugs styles but conversion cables are available
from retailers.
Most NZ telephone systems can handle DTMF tone dialling.
BEWARE: NZ pulse dialing is the reverse of most countries. The digit are
reversed and so produce different numbers of pulses. The conversion is:
digit | # of Pulses
--------+------------
0 | 10
1 | 9
2 | 8
[.....]
8 | 2
9 | 1
The best solution is to use tone dialing.
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: B4 COMING TO NEW ZEALAND
------------------------------
Subject: B4.1 Travel To NZ
Fly, sail, or swim. See a travel agent near you...
--------------------
B4.1.1 Travel Details
Visitors to NZ must have a valid passport. The only exceptions are
children under 16 who are included on the passport of an accompanying
adult. Passports must be valid 3 months beyond date of departure. Visas
may be required depending on nationality, purpose of visit, and intended
length of stay. Visas are not required of US citizens in possession of a
return or onward ticket staying up to 90 days.
Australians don't need a passport to get in here, but NZers need a passport
to get into Australia. We now need a visa too... :-(
A departure tax of $NZ20 per person (over 5 years old) is charged of people
leaving New Zealand who have been in the country more than 24 hours.
A person in New Zealand cannot renew their visitor's permit if they have
applied for residence whilst in the country. If the Immigration Office
cannot process the application within the validity of the V.P., the
applicant has to leave New Zealand. The application is forwarded to the
overseas post which deals with the country to which they have returned. It
is better to apply before going to New Zealand, especially when you take
into account the customs concessions available to first time migrants.
Residency gives you the right to live and work here, but it can lapse if
you're out of NZ for too long (a couple of years I think). A first permit
is valid for a period of four years from date of issue. To prevent
individuals from receiving residency and never actually living in the
country, future renewals to a returning residents permit may be issued for
shorter terms, depending on how long the person has actually been resident
in NZ, work status etc. Citizenship is separate from residency and can
only be applied for once a person has NZ residency and has lived in the
country for a certain number of years (3?).
NZ allows dual citizenship, but the US may not. If they don't, you'd have
to give up your American citizenship to get Kiwi citizenship. US will
insist that you renounce all other citizenships when you swear allegiance
(whether the other countries recognise this will depend on their own
regulations). For someone who already holds US citizenship, there should
be no problem.
Health: Facilities good. No special precautions necessary. No vaccination
certificates are required to enter New Zealand, but if illness occurs
within three weeks of entering the country, consult a doctor.
Customs are generally more formal than in neighbouring Australia.
For more information see the section on Overseas Offices of the NZ Tourism
Board.
--------------------
B4.1.2 Agricultural Restrictions
NZ's isolation has kept its free of many animal and plant diseases. To
maintain this, restrictions are imposed on the importation of certain
animal and plant material. Before arrival you will be asked to complete a
declaration stating whether you have food, plant or animal material with
you or in your baggage. Aircraft cabins are often sprayed before
disembarkation to ensure there are no foreign insects imported
accidentally. You may ask to be removed if you have respiratory problems.
--------------------
B4.1.3 Overseas Embassies In NZ
AUSTRALIA:
Union House
32/38 Quay St.
Auckland
ph 0 9 303 2429
72 Hobson St
Thorndon
Wellington
ph 0 4 473 6411
GERMANY
52 Symond St
Auckland
ph 0 9 377 3460
90 Hobson St
Thorndon
Wellington
ph 0 4 473 6063
GREAT BRITAIN
151 Queen St
Auckland
ph 0 9 303 2971
2 The Terrace
Wellington
ph 0 4 472 6049
JAPAN
37 Shortland St
Auckland
ph 0 9 303 4106
Cnr Victoria and Hunter Sts
Wellington
ph 0 4 473 1540
USA
Cnr Shortland and O'Connell Sts
Auckland
ph 0 9 303 2724
29 Fitzherbert Tce
Thorndon
Wellington
ph 0 4 472 2068
------------------------------
Subject: B4.2 Immigration Stuff, Points System
The following is from a New Zealand Immigration Service pamphlet entitled
"Applying for Residence in NZ; Self-assessment Guide". It should be noted
that people in NZ unlawfully are ineligible to apply for for residence
(except under certain circumstances).
If one has less than the current requirements of 29 points it's very
difficult to get a job/grant money.
Migrants can apply for residence under FOUR categories, and need only meet
the requirements of ONE category to `qualify' for residence. The four
categories are:
1. General Category (the points system; awards points against a number of
quality criteria).
2. Business Investment (applicants are assessed on basis of skills, work
or business experience, and their ability to transfer >NZD 100,000 to NZ.
3. Family (prospective migrants must have a `genuine' relationship to NZ
citizen/ resident).
4. Humanitarian (people with "exceptionally" difficult circumstances,
resolvable only by moving to NZ, providing there's a close family
connection).
The New Zealand Qualification Authority is online - their address is
@nzqa.govt.nz
--------------------
B4.2.1 Assessment For The General Category
To succeed here, score more than 20 points. This category is based on
employability, age and "settlement factors". Applicants must be proficient
in English. (20 pts is actually the `fail' mark; the govt sets a higher
pass mark, but applications which fall between the pass and fail marks are
placed into a pool. The highest scoring applications in this pool are
periodically drawn out...bingo, they're in!).
--------------------
B4.2.2 Employability
Postgraduate degree in any area of study, OR a bachelor's
degree in any science, technical or engineering area. 15 pts
Bachelors degree in any area of study not mentioned above,
or trade certificate or advanced trade qualification.
(min completion time = 3 years). 12 pts
Diploma or certificate (2 to 3 yrs full time study). 8 pts
Diploma or certificate (1 to 2 yrs full time study). 4 pts
12 years schooling successfully completed. 2 pts
(points obtainable for only ONE qualification; qualifications must be of
comparable standards to NZ ones).
--------------------
B4.2.3 Work Experience
1 pt for every TWO years of work experience, up to a max of 10 pts. Work
must be relevant to either your qualification or in an approved occupation.
Work that is not directly related to a qualification can't be counted.
Work experience must have been obtained after completing a qualification in
order to be counted.
--------------------
B4.2.4 Age
People over 55 yrs of age cannot be considered under the general category.
18-24 yrs 8 pts. 25-29 yrs 10 pts.
30-34 yrs 8 pts. 35-39 yrs 6 pts.
40-44 yrs 4 pts. 45-49 yrs 2 pts.
--------------------
B4.2.5 Settlement Factors
Gain a MAX of 5 pts from any combination of the following;
-Settlement funds of NZD 100,000 (or equivalent) 2 pts
-investment funds; 1 pt for every NZD 100,000 max 3 pts
(investment funds must be additional to any claimed settlement funds).
-sponsorship by an immediate family member 2 pts
OR sponsorship by an approved community organisation 3 pts
-offer of skilled employment in an approved occupation 3 pts
Maximum obtainable points under general category = 40.
--------------------
B4.2.6 Business Investment Category
Must score min of 7 pts in `employability' section (Qualifications + work
experience) in general category. Business experience? (ie. owned and
operated a business?) 1 pt for every 2 yrs (add this score to
qualifications section to get `employability' score).
Business investment funds must be the direct result of your
business/professional skills over a period of at least three years.
There are 3 types of investment which count:
1. invest > NZD 750,000 into a passive investment; ie bank a/c, trust funds,
or stocks.
2. invest > NZD 650,000 in a commercial venture in either Auckland or
Wellington urban areas.
3. invest > NZD 500,000 elsewhere in NZ.
At least ONE member of the family (over 17 yrs old) must be proficient in
English, in order to enter under this category. Funds must be invested in
NZ for a period of not less than 2 yrs, and they must provide a commercial
return.
The last two categories are apparently pretty self explanatory. The above
info is just a rough guide. The pamphlets seem to be freely available, the
copy used above was from the Wellington Community Law Centre.
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: B5 TRAVEL WITHIN NZ
Be warned that transport services are likely to be VERY well patronised
around the beginning and end of any school or university holiday period.
These change yearly (and the overall pattern may be about to change) so
anything more specific would be pointless. Watch out for the:
Last week of January/first week of February
Last week of February/first week of March
First and third/fourth weeks of May
First two weeks of July
Last week of August/second week of September
First two weeks of November
Third week of December
------------------------------
Subject: B5.1 Info Sources
B5.1.1 Tourism Board
There is one. There is also the Visitor Information Network which has
conspicuous black, green, and white signs including a large italic `i' at
the left hand end, throughout NZ cities/towns.
--------------------
B5.1.2 Maps
See the nearest branch of the Department of Survey and Land Information, or
Department of Conservation. Bookshops are likely to have maps too.
It pays to carry a light tent and be prepared to camp if travelling in the
more popular places during the summer. Watch out for Giardia. Boil
drinking water in areas known to be infected (ask at a DoC office) and
FOLLOW the rules for waste disposal; we don't want it to spread...
------------------------------
Subject: B5.2 Accommodation
As a rule it pays to book accommodation (and transport) well in advance if
you plan on being here during the tourist season (November to March).
Booking is less important with Backpacker style accommodation.
Besides the specific facilities outlined below, there are numerous motels
and hotels of varying quality and price. Motels provide facilities but no
food: you are expected to provide for yourselves. They consequently tend
to be cheaper than hotels. Cabins in motorcamps are usually the next step
`down' from motels.
A couple of hotel prices (these are likely to be out of date!):
Quality Hotel $100+/room/night
Flag Hotels $100+/room/night
`non-chain' motels/hotels $45-80/room/night
Department of Conservation huts in National Parks have variable facilities,
with charges reflecting this; a few simple shelters are free, the more
comfortable huts (gas stoves, mattresses) are $15/night.
You can always bring a tent...
--------------------
B5.2.1 Youth Hostel Association
There are about 50 YHA hostels spread throughout NZ. YHA are a few dollars
more per night than Backpackers.
--------------------
B5.2.2 Backpackers
There are six different booklets on backpackers accommodation to NZ. It is
advised to get the backpackers you are at to `forward book' you to the next
place. Most of them are happy to do it without payment for the service.
The number of groups catering for backpackers is expanding rapidly with
nice new accommodation being built (at least in Christchurch!). In
Auckland there are also a couple of backpackers advisory centres.
Prices are normally $8-20/night for a room.
Backpacker accommodation in Chch:
Dreamland 03-3663519 21/23 Packe St
Foley Towers 03-3669720 208 Kilmore St
Stonehurst Hotel 03-3794620 241 Gloucester St
Pavlova Backpackers 03-3665158 50 Cathedral Square
Charlie Browns 03-3798429 268 Madras St
Backpacker accommodation in Auckland:
Parkside Backpackers Inn 09-3098999 189 Park Road, Grafton
Aotea Backpackers Hostel 09-3033350 295 Queen Street, Central
Kiwi Hilton Backpackers 09-3583999 430 Queen Street, Central
Auckland Central Backpackers 09-3584877, fax 09-3584872
cnr Fort Street & Jean Batten Place, Central
Central City Backpackers 09-3585685, fax 09-3584716
26 Lorne Street, Central
Here are the details of who published guides:
NZ's VIP Hostel Network
admin: Backpackers Resorts of NZ Ltd
Box 991, Taupo, NZ
Phone/fax: (07) 377 1157
Budget Backpackers Hostels NZ Ltd
Mark Dumble: 99 Titiraupenga St, Taupo, NZ
Phone/fax: (07) 377 1568
Eric Foley: 208 Kilmore St, Christchurch, NZ
Phone/fax: (03) 379 3014
YHA (Youth Hostel Association) NZ
PO Box 436, Christchurch, NZ
Phone: (03) 379 9970
Fax: (03) 365-4476
* you can get the info from your nearest youth hostel.
NZ Backpacker Hostels Association Ltd
PO BOX 5475, Auckland, NZ
Backpackers Accommodation Down-Under
PO Box 4446, Auckland, NZ
Phone: (09) 303 4482
Fax: (09) 443 8004
ATA (Accommodation Travel Activities)
PO Box 8, Kaikoura, NZ
Phone or fax:(03) 319 5916
(03) 319 5359 (business hours only)
There is an internet resource called The Internet Guide to Hostelling
which, among other things, contains a list of hostels in New Zealand. It
available via WWW, Gopher, FTP, and Email. The WWW URL is:
http://hostels.com/rec-travel/hostels/
For information on how to access the guide in other ways send email to:
[email protected].
------------------------------
Subject: B5.3 Transport
Trains are good but have limited distribution. Buses tend to be more
flexible and there are a variety of regional bus passes available.
Information should be available from the relevant booking offices. The
`Travelpass' offers unlimited travel on New Zealand Rail trains and
InterCity buses for, for example, fifteen days travel in five weeks. A
further option (to be taken at time of purchase) is to add one trip by air
with Ansett New Zealand at extra cost. (Unofficial details at:
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/nz/rail/travelpass.html.)
`The Kiwi Experience' and similar budget travel systems are worth
investigating if you want less structured transport arrangements. Due to
an increase in theft and vandalism, leaving vehicles on the main roads has
become unwise. Always remove valuables and lock it when leaving the
vehicle.
--------------------
B5.3.1 Cycling/Sea Kayaking
Excellent cycling in NZ but it pays to like hills... Bringing a bike in
from overseas is often a good idea and resale here is possible although it
may take several weeks at some times of the year. ALWAYS lock your bike
solidly to something immobile when you aren't actually on it. For cycle
tourists, there are two books available - Cycle Touring in the South Island
and Cycle Touring in the North Island. There is also one that covers both
islands, but apparently there are many mistakes in it.
Lin Nah kindly generated this contribution.
For the Auckland area, go to the Auckland visitor's centre and ask for
advice. For further afield, look into one of the packages like Wild Cycles
offered by Kiwi experience [phone (64 9) 366 1665; fax (64 9) 357 0524]
there are probably other companies that offer similar packages.
Here's a list of places to rent bicycles from (typed late 1993).
Auckland
Name Phone Fax Address
Bicycle Tour Services 276 5218 276 5218 PO Box 11296
Cycle Xpress 379 0779 11 Beach Road
Kiwi Experience 366 1665 357 0524 PO Box 1553
Mountain Bike Hire 358 9893 575 5105 5/28, Armadale Rd, Remuera
NZ Pedaltours 302 0968 302 0967 PO Box 37575, Parnell
Pedal Packers 302 0880 25 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell
Pedal Pushers 360 0512 Ring when arrive in Auckland
Penny Farthings 379 2524 309 1559 PO Box 8829, Symond St
Ross Adventures 357 0550 357 0502 PO Box 33686, Takapuna
If you are interested in the Kiwi Experience, they have something called
Wild Cycles. This combines their bus trips and cycling. KE runs a cheap
bus network in both the North and South Island. So the deal in Wild Cycles
(as I understand it) is that you can send you luggage ahead by the bus. So
you carry the minimal necessities with you while you are cycling. If you
are tired of cycling (tired, fed up, too hot, too cold and whatever excuses
you want to discontinue) just stop on the road side along one of their
routes and flag the next KE bus that comes along. It is also good for
those who only have time to cycle one way and have to take the bus back.
Unfortunately no one seems to have email 8-(
The ones below I have not called. They are either not within the Auckland
calling area or are within the Auckland area but no one replied whan I
called.
Name Phone Address
Adventure South 03 332 1222 Box 33153 Christchurch
Classic Cycle Tours 06 358 9893 Box 4499, Palmerston North
Desert Coast Bikes 09 411 8612 47 Waitea Rd, Muriwai
Rock Hard Mountain Bike 07 892 2938 National Park
Sounds Cycling 03 578 0442 2 Selwyn St, Blenheim
Lin Nah
-----
Sea kayaking is a great way (the best way?) to see parts of NZ, and guided
tours are becoming more popular and available. For information on cycle
touring or sea kayaking, email [email protected]
--------------------
B5.3.2 Hitchhiking
Hitching is *relatively* safe in NZ, but generally speaking, busing is
advised in the more obscure corners on NZ; it's likely to be quicker and
safer.
--------------------
B5.3.3 Renting A Car
Several main companies; Hertz, Avis, Budget, Maui, etc. Some agencies have
mini-buses as well as cars. There are usually cheaper local alternatives
to the big chains. Taking a vehicle from one island to the other is
expensive and it is normal(?) to drop a rental vehicle off on one side of
Cook Strait and pick up another on the other side, but may not be possible.
If you leave a car at the end of a road asnd fly out (eg. Milford Sound)
you may be charged the cost of retrieving it.
The general impression is that renting a car in NZ is are not cheap
compared with US and European rates.
From an advert in a New Zealand Tourist Board info packet, Ed Guy
([email protected]) contacted Pegasus Rentals in Christchurch. The
result was a car at about $35/day.
--------------------
B5.3.4 Train Services
Good, if they go where you are going.
In the North Island, there is the main line from Auckland to Wellington
which runs west of the central volcanoes. There are other branch lines.
In the South Island, there is the main trunk line north-south down the east
coast between Picton and Invercargill, and the midland line east-west
between Christchurch and Greymouth via Arthurs Pass.
The trains frequently used by tourists are (prices in NZ$ Feb. 92):
Overlander; (Daylight) Auckland to Wellington, 685km/10 hours, both ways,
Sun-Fri $108 (Route includes cities, rural towns, lakes, volcanic plateau,
gorges, bush, rolling farmland).
Northerner (Overnight) Auckland - Wellington, 685km/10 hours 40mins, both
ways, Mon-Sat $87
Kaimai Express Auckland - Tauranga, evening, 3 hours 18mins daily $52
Tauranga - Auckland, morning, 3 hours 11mins daily $52
Geyserland Express Auckland - Rotorua - Auckland, 4 hours 9 mins each way,
daily $60 (Route includes rolling farmland, towns, city, bush, volcanic
plateau, thermal areas)
Bay Express (Daylight) Wellington - Napier 334km/5 hours 30 min, both ways
daily - $52 (Route includes city, farmland, bush, river gorge, hill ranges,
wine making country)
Southerner Express (day only) Christchurch - Invercargill, 594km/8 hours 40
mins, both ways, Mon-Fri $79 (Route is east coast of South Island to the
southern-most town, farmland, hill ranges, coastal)
Coastal Pacific (connects with Interisland ferry) Christchurch - Picton,
350km/5 hours 20 mins, both ways, daily $56 (Route is northern half of east
coast of the South island, hills, seaward mountain ranges, fishing towns,
whale watching area, Marlborough Sounds)
Tranz-Alpine Express (Daylight) Christchurch - Greymouth. Round trip (Chch
to Chch) is 9 hours 30 mins, daily, $116 (Route is spectacular crossing of
Southern Alps from east to west coasts; Pacific Ocean to the Tasman sea)
Interisland ferry - connects North and South Islands from Wellington to
Picton - $35 foot passenger (one way). Vehicle cost depends on size weight
and when you go. Possible to drop rental car at one terminal, travel as
foot passenger and pick up another rental car on the other side. (Takes 3
hours 15 min, spectacular scenery of mountains and sounds) Usually departs
Wellington and Picton 4 times a day. Another `high-speed' ferry service is
currently being set up and should be in operation by the end of 1994.
At long last all New Zealand Rail services (except suburban), together with
a reasonable sample of current fares and the details of the various
discounts on offer, can be found at:
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/nz/rail/timetable.html
Everything that's there is accurate on 14 Feb 1995. Be warned that NZ
Rail's fares are not as systematic as those in some countries.
--------------------
B5.3.5 Coach Travel
Buses go pretty much everywhere there are main roads. There are many
different options with several companies including the Backpacker buses for
which you buy a ticket to travel the whole country and get on and off when
you wish (prices for Backpacker buses fluctuate wildly due to a price war).
Here is some miscellaneous information (prices quoted are in $NZ).
Most(?) coach lines run strictly point to point. If you want to stop in
the intermediate sections, you will need to pay more.
eg.
Intercity coachlines:
Greymouth - Queenstown $125
or
Greymouth - Franz Josef $42
Franz Josef - Fox Glacier $10
Fox Glacier - Queenstown $87
totalling $139
Mount Cook Land Line:
Nelson to Queenstown $144
Wanaka to Queenstown $25
Then there are the backpackers bus routes. These stop at interesting
places as you go. You can hop off at any stop and rejoin them at the same
time the next day or any day they pass through.
Kiwi Experience (KE) have a package called the `Back Paddock' which runs
from Christchurch through Arthur's Pass to Greymouth then down the West
Coast and back to Chch via Wanaka, Queenstown, and Mount Cook. For $204,
you need a minimum of 6 days and can take up to 3 months to finish this
route. They take you to a few places on the way. You pay for your own
accommodation and any entrance fee to any sights. KE run daily so there is
no problem with stopping as long as you like.
Magic Travellers' `Tranzalpine' is very similar to the `Back Paddock' but
swaps Mount Cook for Dunedin. For $229, your route needs a minimum of 7
days and should be valid for 3-6 months. The network only runs every other
day so if you want to stay longer than one night, you may end up staying 3
nights.
Intercity coach lines has a route from Auckland to Rotorua via Waitomo
Caves for $100.50 including admission to the caves.
KE has a trip called Geyserland. Minimum of 3 days of travel and valid up
to 3 months. The route is: Auckland -> Thames -> Waitomo -> Rotorua ->
Auckland. Your night stops are at Waitomo and Rotorua. Cost is $75 but
this doesn't include accommodation or the $12 entry to the glow-worm caves.
They can arrange blackwater rafting, hangi, stay at a marae in Rotorua,
abseiling, etc.
Magic Travellers network had a route called `Top of the Town' for $120:
Auckland -> Hamilton -> Waitomo -> Rotorua -> Taupo -> Turangi -> Rotorua
-> Thames -> Auckland.
Discounts are available on some lines if you have a backpackers card and/or
book [well] in advance. Numerous other tour operators and routes exist.
Shop around!
Contact numbers:
Tourist Information Centres may handle all the bookings for you (see
A1.2.2) or, for Auckland:
Intercity:
Phone 357 8400
Mt Cook:
Phone 309 5395
Kiwi Experience:
Phone 366 1665
Fax 357 0524
Magic Network:
Phone 358 5600
Fax 358 3471
--------------------
B5.3.6 Driving
Visitors should get, and READ, a copy of the Road Code. The most important
thing to remember is that driving is on the left hand side.
Bruce Hoult:
I've hired cars the three times I've been in the US, and I don't think it
took any longer than 30 seconds or a minute to get comfortable driving on
the "wrong" side of the road each time. Your US license [presumably this
also applies to licenses from other countries] and passport are all you'll
need. The international license is an unnecessary ripoff.
Lyndon Watson:
Most people seem to have little trouble adapting. Remember that right-hand
turns cut across the traffic, and that you give way to the right. Watch
the speed limits and remember that they are in km/hr, not mph.
--------------------
B5.3.7 Commercial Tours
Are available in most main and holiday centres. Prices will vary and it
may be worth shopping around. See B5.3.5.
------------------------------
Subject: B5.4 Misc Info
B5.4.1 Film Developing
I recommend Monochrome in Durham Street Christchurch for b/w developing.
Lyndon Watson:
I recommend Kiwi Photolab on Gloucester Street for 35mm, and New Zealand
Photocorp on Welles Street for roll and sheet film.
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: B6. Map Of New Zealand
Maps are copyright to the North Cape _,
editor. Do not repost. \\
\\__
\ \_
\ \ Bay of Islands
\ 1(
\ > o
\O \ _
1 Whangarei \2(_ \\
2 Auckland \O2\| | Bay of Plenty
3 Hamilton \ \_ __
4 Tauranga | \_ _/ >
5 Rotorua | 3 4 \____,' |
6 Taupo | 5 7/
7 Gisborne __/ _6 |
8 New Plymouth ,'8 >_) ,--,
9 Napier/Hastings ( Lake ( Hawkes
10 Wanganui `- _ Taupo 9 | Bay
11 Palmerston North \_10 /
12 Masterton \ _/
13 Wellington ___ | 11 /
/ (_ , | 12 _/
| | ///, / _/
/ (_////// (13___/
_/ 14 ( Cook
| 15 16\ Strait
TASMAN SEA / /
/ / PACIFIC OCEAN
/17 _/
_/ _/ 14 Nelson
__/18 / 15 Westport
__/ , 19(_ 16 Blenheim
__/ 20| _<>_n) 17 Greymouth
__/ \ | __/ Banks 18 Hokitika
_/ // __/ Peninsula 19 Christchurch
_/21 |22 23/ 20 Mount Cook
_/ |_24 | 21 Milford Sound
_/ _-| | 25/ 22 Wanaka
/ -|26 / 23 Timaru
/ - | 24 Queenstown
| _- 27> Otago 25 Oamaru
\_,-__ _/ Peninsula 26 Te Anau
Foveaux \28_ _/ 27 Dunedin
Strait ,_ `-.___/ 28 Invercargill
\ c_
/_ / Stewart
/- Island
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: B7 Contributors
Alan Brown [email protected]
Andy Bond [email protected]
Anne Riddick [email protected]
Brian Dooley [email protected]
Brian Harmer [email protected]
Brian McInturff [email protected]
Bruce Cowin [email protected]
Bruce Hoult [email protected]
C. N. Robertson [email protected]
Chris Rennie [email protected]
Christopher Hutton [email protected]
Dale Gold [email protected]
Darren Overby [email protected]
Dave Walker [email protected]
Dennis Gray Jr. [email protected]
Don Stokes [email protected]
Donald Neal [email protected]
Gavin Bell [email protected]
Geoff McCaughan [email protected]
Gina Willingale [email protected]
Guillermo Gamero [email protected]
Howard Edwards [email protected]
James Yetman [email protected]
Jaqui Lynch [email protected]
Jennifer Mary George [email protected]
Jim Lovell-Smith [email protected]
John Davis [email protected]
John Taber [email protected]
Karen Fursdon [email protected]
Ken Moselen [email protected]
Ken Wilson (?) [email protected]
Lachy Paterson [email protected]
Liam Greenwood [email protected]
Lin Nah [email protected]
Lyndon Watson [email protected]
M W Woodhams [email protected]
Mark Borrie [email protected]
Mark Cresswell [email protected]
Mark Wightman [email protected]
Martin D. Hunt [email protected]
Mike Gill [email protected]
Mike Wright [email protected]
Murray Shadbolt [email protected]
Neville C. Dempsey [email protected]
Nick Mein [email protected]
Noeline McCaughan [email protected]
Oliver Bohnenberger [email protected]
Paul Campbell [email protected]
Paul Gillingwater [email protected]
Paul Walker [email protected]
Pete Moore [email protected]
Phil Abercrombie [email protected]
Philip Greenspun [email protected]
R. Bowen [email protected]
Richard Keightley [email protected]
Richard Miller [email protected]
Richard Naylor [email protected]
Rob Hay [email protected]
Robert Ashcroft [email protected]
Roberta Gorman [email protected]
Rod Bicknell [email protected]
Ross Finlayson [email protected]
Roy T. Fielding [email protected]
Sharon [email protected]
Simon Lyall [email protected]
Stuart Yeates [email protected]
Thomas Wilson [email protected]
Tuan Nguyen [email protected]
Van [email protected]
Vaughan Clarkson [email protected]
Thanks, people!
Back to Index
===========================================================================
PART C
------------------------------
Subject: C1 Definition Of `Kiwi'
For a `definitive' definition of what a `kiwi' is (and isn't), here is
pete@bignode's contribution. Americans take particular note... :-)
"The kiwi is a rare flightless (& very much protected) bird native to New
Zealand, and is a symbol of NZ in much the same way that the bald eagle is
a symbol of the US. "Kiwi" is also a (generally affectionate) informal
term for a New Zealander. The pulpy green fruit with the brown skin that
Americans call "kiwi" is known everywhere else in the world as "kiwifruit",
and not all NZers realise that Americans don't know the correct name for
it.
"If you tell a New Zealander that you ate a *kiwi*, you are unlikely to be
accused of cannibalism, but if the NZer doesn't realise that you mean a
*kiwifruit*, you will probably shock & offend them (what would your
reaction be if I told you that I ate a bald eagle?). If they *do* realise
that you mean a *kiwifruit*, they will probably just be annoyed. If you
can't understand why they should be annoyed, think of something that
America introduced to the world & imagine your reaction if we insisted on
ignoring the name that you gave it, & called it "bald eagle" or "stars and
stripes" instead."
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: C2 Cities Of New Zealand
WHANGAREI. It's the gateway to the Bay of Islands, Whangarei Falls is
beautiful, it has excellent diving (Poor Knights), excellent fishing, a
fairly interesting Kauri museum near by (can't remember the name of it),
that clock museum (yawn).... Golfing all year round.
AUCKLAND. It's the biggest, it's hilly, it's got a motorway or two, no
water except what gets caught in rain barrels, Rob Hay's brother and his
family and a couple of his friends live there, it has more winebars and
cafe's than Chch - but not within walking distance of each other....
HAMILTON is smaller, messier, and wet. Fast growing, vibrant, strong
University influence. "It's a hole".
ROTORUA stinks! It's quite nice but it still stinks. :-)
GISBORNE fits in here somewhere...
NEW PLYMOUTH is sitting on the side of an `extinct' volcano.
NAPIER/HASTINGS is where kiwifruit grow and the earth moved...
WANGANUI has a nice river, but no-one knows who owns it.
PALMERSTON NORTH is small, wet, and boring. There's a university there
(Massey) but it's pretty second rate... :-)
WELLINGTON is a tectonic nightmare. Go there if you like politicians, wind
(oops, redundancy :-) and dangerous airports. It's the capital of NZ.
NELSON is sunny and warm and a nice place to retire to (if you can afford
the house prices).
BLENHEIM is sunnier, warmer, and a great place to grow grapes (ask Montana).
WESTPORT is on the We[s]t Coast and is therefore wet.
GREYMOUTH is also on the We[s]t Coast and, being backed by higher hills is
wetter still.
HOKITIKA is a little drier because it's away from the hills. No other
redeeming feature.
CHRISTCHURCH was founded in about 1845. The older part of the city is laid
out on a grid system bounded by four avenues. Other roads take you out to
the suburbs which started as separate villages and have now grown together.
Chch is the largest city in the South Island with a population of about
350,000 people. It has a nearby port and an international airport.
Industry is a mixture of high tech (software, electronics design and
assembly) and agricultural oriented service and processing. Tourism is
expanding and is important.
There are two universities, Canterbury (near town), and Lincoln (30 km out
of town) and lots of opportunity for recreation. There are many parks in
the city and the CBD is experiencing an increase in nightlife. Access to
the rest of the SI, and indeed the NI is excellent.
If you like golf, there are 42 courses available in Canterbury...
TIMARU is 160kms down the coast from Chch. It's the other main port in
Canterbury. My sysadmin is from there so I thought I'd better include it!
WANAKA is by Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps and is a predominately
tourist and holiday centre. Treble Cone and Cardrona skifields are near
by.
QUEENSTOWN is by Lake Wakatipu and is the main tourist trap of the NZ `Lake
District'. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables skifields are the main winter
attractions, bungying takes place all year round.
OAMARU is a really nice little rural centre of about 15K people. Source of
the famous white limestone used in buildings. It's in here mainly because
I was born there...
DUNEDIN is the second largest city in the SI but despite this, is a fairly
small city and the University is an important part of the place. There is
a very strong Scots tradition. During holidays, the place is pretty dead,
but during term time it is (in Richard Bowen's humble opinion :-) the most
sociable campus in the country.
The university is right next to the centre of town, and to the student
suburbs (or slums :-) so there is always a pub within staggering distance.
The vast majority of students are from out of town (most from the North
Island (?)), so they are there just as much to have an enjoyable time as to
learn. Atmosphere is more casual than anywhere else, doesn't have the
snobbishness of Auckland, or the executive orientation of Victoria
(Wellington).
As for the university itself, most universities in nz are pretty similar,
unlike overseas. The Otago Med school is better than the Auckland one
though. I don't know of any weaknesses.
Note that good flats are hard to come by in Dunedin, you might have to
start paying from the end of the previous year.
Lousy weather much of the time.
INVERCARGILL is at the bottom end of the SI and is cold even in the middle
of summer, except on hot days... It rains lots and the Comalco aluminium
smelter is just down the road at Bluff (where the oysters used to come in).
Any other cities which *should* be included? If so, post them *with* a
description. Help filling out the cities above would be appreciated too!
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: C3 Holidaying In NZ
------------------------------
Subject: C3.1 Places
C3.1.1 Parks And Tracks
Over 20% of New Zealand is Forest or National parks. New Zealand's
national parks and protected areas are treasures of irreplaceable value.
There are 13 National Parks which preserve NZ's most spectacular scenery,
rare and endangered flora and fauna and archaeological sites. Besides the
National Parks system, there are two World Heritage sites within NZ;
Tongariro (the boundary coincides with the National Park of the same name)
and the South West New Zealand World Heritage area (incorporating Westland,
Mount Cook, Mount Aspiring, and Fiordland National Parks, and well as
extensive state land making a total of 2.6mill hectares). Tongariro
National Park was the second(?) place in the world designated as such,
beaten by Yellowstone by only a year or so.
Additionally there are three maritime parks and a host of forest parks,
reserves and conservation areas throughout the country.
Public access is possible in all New Zealand Parks and many have
magnificent walking tracks within their boundaries. The Department of
Conservation administers the parks on behalf of the New Zealand people.
DoC provide and maintain facilities such as huts, lodges, camping grounds
and tracks.
Most parks have a visitor centre and many run visitor programmes including
guided walks. There is usually no charge for entry into the parks although
charges are often made for overnight stays and hut use.
The Department of Conservation has several pamphlets available. Try
writing to their head office at PO Box 10420, Wellington, phone 04-4710726.
While not a park, Kapiti Island (west of southern NI) is worth a visit if
it can be arranged.
"I went to Kapiti Island, the nature reserve off the West coast of the
Southern part of the North Island. Never have I seen so much bird life so
close up. The Kaka (native forest parrot)were so tame they would fly up to
the visitors and perch on their shoulders, and deftly swipe the filling out
of sandwiches. I have the nature trail running down my back to prove it!
There were wekas galore, kereru, saddleback, stitchback and takahe, robins
and kakariki. The bush is glorious, but my calf muscles will ache for a
week after trudging for two hours to the summit for views to the South
Island, and Eastward towards New Zealand :-)
Landing on the island is allowed by permit only. The focus is on
preservation of nature rather than provision of tourist attraction."
Brian Harmer
--------------------
C3.1.2 Beaches, etc.
There are lots of these. As a result of the `Queens Chain' law, all
coastline and river banks (within 20m+/-) are available for public use.
All coastline is also public land. However, access to such areas may be
restricted by having to cross private land.
--------------------
C3.1.3 Distinctive Features
There are hundreds of distinguishing landmarks around NZ and any attempt to
catalogue them would far exceed the limits of my resources! Everything
from coastal caves and arches, to some of the oldest trees in the world,
bird sanctuaries, castles, geothermal areas and underground power stations.
--------------------
C3.1.4 Archaeology/Historical/Heritage Sites
Definitely worth investigating if one is (or might be) interested.
--------------------
C3.1.5 Places To Go To
As many as there are holiday enthusiasts. I'm sure a list will evolve
slowly. Start by including all the national parks and main beaches...
Any of the National or Maritime Parks
Any of the South Island high-country lakes
Anywhere in the mountains
Most of the coastline
The NI Central Plateau/Desert Road
Cape Reinga
Ninety Mile Beach
Bay of Islands
Rotorua/Whakarewarewa
Lake Taupo
Mount Egmont
Hawkes Bay (vineyards)
Farewell Spit
Golden Bay
Heaphy/Wangapeka Tracks
Karamea
Marlborough Sounds
Blenheim (vineyards)
Kaikoura coast (whale watching)
Mount Cook
MacKenzie Basin
Central Otago/Clutha Valley
Fiordland
The Catlins
Stewart Island
Bruce Hoult:
Queenstown is the only real tourist trap, but is so stunning that you'll
love it anyway and you'd be silly to not go there.
Hugh Grierson:
Queenstown [is a tourist trap]. Wanaka is nicer.
--------------------
C3.1.6 Places To Avoid
As above, only in the negative! Start with Bulls, Dannevirke, Dargaville,
Wellington...
--------------------
C3.1.7 Temporary Attractions
January 1995 (so you've missed it!)
Bruce Hoult:
"You may want to plan to stop off at the small town of Omarama [between
Christchurch and Wanaka/Queenstown] where we're running the Gliding World
Championships during January. There'll be practise from Jan 1st to the
6th. Jan 7th see's the opening ceremony and an airshow featuring the
RNZAF, Tim Wallis's famous collection of warbirds (Spitfire, Mustang,
Kittyhawk etc) from nearby Wanaka, and glider aerobatics from the French
and US teams. The 8th sees the beginning of two weeks of competition
flying.
"The interesting times to be there during competition are at around 11 or
12 in the morning, when we'll be using 15 towplanes at once to launch the
100 competing gliders for the day, and 4 to 6 in the evening when finishers
will be coming home, often crossing the finish line at 250 to 300 Km/h at
50 ft altitude, dumping water ballast as they go."
------------------------------
Subject: C3.2 Activities
C3.2.1 Tramping
There is extensive tramping in NZ with a range of experience to suit any
enthusiast. See the tramping faq by [email protected] available via ftp
from: ftp.otago.ac.nz
or: gopher.otago.ac.nz
as: pub/misc/tramping.faq
Also available is: tramping.zip
a collection of misc other pictures and text that doesnt quite fit the FAQ
(it wants to be an html documnet when it grows up). Thanks, KLox.
The Department of Conservation has several pamphlets available. Try
writing to their head office at PO Box 10420, Wellington, phone 04-4710726.
--------------------
C3.2.2 Skiing
There are something like 28 ski fields in NZ, only 5 of which are in the
North Island. Snow-making equipment is keeping the main fields open for
longer now. Ski season is May/July? to August/October? depending on the
weather that year.
--------------------
C3.2.3 Climbing/Mountaineering
There is extensive mountaineering and rock climbing available. The highest
mountains are in the South Island, but the volcanoes of the north possess
their own challenge. Snow and ice climbing is available on faces up to
2300 metres high. Multi-pitch alpine rock routes are also available,
sometimes on excellent rock. Crags abound on both islands, but are
probably more extensive in the south. There is a wide variety of rock
types available.
--------------------
C3.2.4 Watersports
New Zealanders are renowned for their love of activites in, on, or near the
water. We have produced some of the worlds top sailors and boat designers.
Sea kayaking is getting popular. There is a guide book for Tasman Bay and
the Marlborough Sounds. For more information on seakayaking, email
[email protected]
--------------------
C3.2.5 Whale/Dolphin Watching
This is becoming very popular around the Kaikoura area (north-eastern South
Island) particularly now that the area's part of the new world whale
sanctuary. Highly recommended.
--------------------
C3.2.6 Pubs To Go To/Nightlife
Can't give you much on this, I spend too much time editing this damned faq!
For a comprehensive FAQ on NZ beer, contact: [email protected]
--------------------
C3.2.7 Anything Else????
I've mentioned the trip to Kapiti Island elsewhere.
Anything else you people want to include???
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: C4 General Culture
------------------------------
Subject: C4.1 Sport
We are basically mad about sports in NZ. Many weekend activities are based
around some form of organised sport. NZ has generated some of the finest
sports people in the world.
------------------------------
Subject: C4.2 Traditional Food
Pavlova, pikelets, Sally Lunn, cream buns, Lammingtons, Afghans, Golden
Syrup, Gingernuts, Milky bars, Moro Bars, weetbix, marmite/vegemite, lemon
and paeroa, crayfish, whitebait, oysters, venison, lamb burgers, roast
lamb, fish and chips, Hokey Pokey icecream, kiwifruit, food cooked in a
hangi...
Pavlova info available from this URL:
http://nz.com/nz/Food/OriginOfPav.html
Whitebait can be purchased fresh from the water in and around the river
mouths of Westland from Aug. 15th to Oct. 31st. Be prepared to pay plenty
for it. However it will still be cheaper than the $50.00 per kg often
charged in cities...
"I found some very acceptable "Light Golden Syrup" imported from the UK in
Costco (do they have them in North Carolina)? Basically I would just check
around in those kind of warehouse/importer places until you find something.
Or of course a shop specialising in British foods or the like." (JMG)
--------------------
C4.2.1 What Is Vegemite/Marmite?
Vegemite, Marmite and Promite are all yeast extracts.
Vegemite is very salty, marmite slightly less so. Promite is considerably
less salty.
They all use caramel for the dark colouring, and it's probably this part
which contributes to the war. Marmite is considerably sweeter (and darker)
than Vegemite, while Promite is sweeter still.
Vegemite eaters will generally tolerate Marmite and Marmite eaters will
tolerate Promite. Vegemite eaters find Promite sickly sweet.
Marmite eaters will not (usually) eat vegemite. It's too strongly
flavoured for them as a general rule.
Promite is Australian (Masterfoods), but is gaining in popularity here.
There are very few exclusive Promite eaters, so conclusions can't be drawn,
but I'd expect that Promite eaters would react to Marmite the same way that
Marmite eaters react to Vegemite. I have yet to see an advert for Promite
in any medium.
Marmite is made by Sanitarium Health Food company, which is wholly owned by
the Seventh Day Adventist church. Our 7DA's don't run around with guns,
unlike a certain Texas sect. There was (still is?) a TV ad campaign for
Marmite last year which had many viewers reaching for the off switch ("The
Marmities").
Vegemite is made by multinational food company Kraft, who have acquired
several "NZ" labels over the last 25 years. It isn't advertised much,
though Kraft have been pushing it and their jam + cheese labels recently in
a series of adverts starring Billy Connolly and Pamela Stevenson (Why Billy
- a Scot - is pushing vegemite is beyond me, as most non-antipodeans can't
stand any of the yeast extracts...)
There is a product called "Marmite" made by the Marmite company in Britain.
This is not the same as the Marmite found in New Zealand - the UK version
has all sorts of things added such as vegetable bits and according to those
who've tried it tastes considerably different.
I don't know about the vegetable bits, but I found British Marmite to have
(a) a lighter brown colour, (b) a runnier texture and (c) a stronger but
otherwise similar flavour. (Lyndon Watson)
None of these spreads should be spread thickly. That's the second mistake
most foreigners make. The first is trying the stuff at the insistence of
NZ hosts, most of whom are gleefully anticipating the response. Best
results are obtained by spreading _very_ thinly. Discolouration of the
underlying bread/toast is all that's necessary.
Do not get any of these spreads on your fingers if there are domestic
animals around, especially cats. They all love the stuff and will try to
lick you clean. Enthusiastic felines will sometimes try to remove your
digits too...
There are no meat products in any of the three spreads.
--------------------
C4.2.2 Pavlova Recipe
Ask Jenny George ([email protected]) or Noeline McCaughan
([email protected]).
For a few notes on the history of meringues and the pavlova, try;
http://nz.com/nz/Culture/Food/OriginOfPav.html
--------------------
C4.2.3 The Edmonds Cook Book
This book is the biggest selling book in NZ of all time. I guess you could
expect NZer's to be fat... :-)
Jenny George ([email protected]) has a file of recipes available
including pavlova, hokey pokey, afghans, Noeline's latest bread stuff,
ginger beer, etc.
------------------------------
Subject: C4.3 National Anthem(s)
God Save The Queen and God Defend NZ are on equal status... Words
available via email request from [email protected].
------------------------------
Subject: C4.4 The Gumboot Song
See Fred Dagg. Words available via ftp from [email protected].
------------------------------
Subject: C4.5 Other Things Which May Be Incorporated...
WHERE TO EAT: list of recommended restaurants
RECIPES: more classic dishes
SONGS: other songs considered worth including
US/NZ TRANSLATIONS: they really are that different....
MAORI DEFINITIONS: check a library.
FISHING: favourite fishing holes? All about whitebait (thanks NMcC :-)
ALTERNATIVE FAQ'S: available via ftp from [email protected].
DOCU ABOUT NZ ECONOMY: not sure about this.
Back to Index
------------------------------
Subject: C5 Famous New Zealanders
------------------------------
Subject: C5.1 Cinema
C5.1.1 Films
An Angel at My Table
Bad Blood? (British/NZ co-production)
Bad Taste
Battletruck
Brain Dead (US title; Dead Alive (god knows why they change it!))
Came a Hot Friday
Carry Me Back
End of the Golden Weather
Footrot Flats (aka A Dog's Tail/Tale?)
Goodbye Pork Pie
Heavenly Creatures
Hinemoa
Illustrious Energy
Map of the Human Heart (NZ director, Vincent Ward)
Maui
Meet the Feebles
Ngati
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
Sleeping Dogs
Smash Palace
The Navigator
The Piano
The Quiet Earth
Utu
Vigil
--------------------
C5.1.2 People
Jane Campion
Peter Jackson
Bruno Lawrence
Geoff Murphy
Sam Neill
Ian Mune
Anna Pacquin
Graeme Revell - has done several major movie sound tracks (Until The End Of
The World, Body Of Evidence, Hand That Rocks The Cradle).
Vincent Ward
------------------------------
Subject: C5.2 Music
C5.2.1 Pop/Rock Bands
Abel Tasmans
Ardijah
Blam Blam Blam
Crowded House
Dance Exponents
DD Smash
Dragon
Father Time
Hello Sailor
Herbs
Jean Paul Satre Experience
Mi Sex
Netherworld Dancing Toys
Ragnarok
Screaming Mee Mees
Sheerlux
Shona Laing
Space Waltz
Split Enz
Suburban Reptiles
Tall Dwarfs
The Bats
The Body Electric
The Chills
The Dudes
The Enemy
The Exponents
The Front Lawn
The Johnnies
The Mockers
The Muttonbirds
The Narcs
The Residents
The Swingers
The Verlaines
Thin Red Line
Toy Love
etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
--------------------
C5.2.2 Blues
Midge Marsden
--------------------
C5.2.3 Country
The Warratahs
--------------------
C5.2.4 Classical
Michael Houston
Dame Kiri te Kanawa
Lili Kraus
Douglas Lilburn
Noel Mangin
Dame Malvina Major
Donald McIntyre
Oscar Natzke (sp?)
A WWW page of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is now available:
http://actrix.gen.nz/users/dgold/nzso.html
------------------------------
Subject: C5.3 Literature
James K. Baxter
Ian Cross
Barry Crump
Alan Duff
Stevan Eldred-Grigg
A.R.D. (Rex) Fairbairn
Janet Frame
Maurice Gee
Denis Glover
Patricia Grace
Keri Hulme
Sam Hunt
Robin Hyde
Witi Ihimaera
John A. Lee
Margaret Mahy
Katherine Mansfield
Gordon McLaughlan
Dame Ngaio Marsh
Frank Sargeson
Maurice Shadbolt
C. K. Stead
Hone Tuwhare
------------------------------
Subject: C5.4 Fine Art
Rita Angus
Neil Dawson
Francis Hodgson
Robyn Kahukiwa
Colin McCahon
Lew Summers
Bill Sutton
------------------------------
Subject: C5.5 Humour
John Clarke (Fred Dagg)
Barry Crump
Sam Hunt
Billy T James
Gordon McLauchlan
Pamela Stevenson
Rima te Wiata
------------------------------
Subject: C5.6 Other...
Rewi Alley (helped rebuild China after the revolution)
Chris Amon (motor racing)
Sir Roger Douglas (accounting?)
Sir Harold Gillies (pioneering plastic surgeon, 1)
Sir Edmund Hillary (mountaineering, aid work, ambassador)
Fred Hollows (eye surgeon, honorary Australian?)
Dennis Hulme (motor racing)
Vaughan Jones (mathematics, Fields Medal winner (theory of knots))
Sir Archibald McIndoe (pioneering plastic surgeon, 1)
Bruce McLaren (motor racing)
Richard Pearse (first powered flight (probably))
Lord [Ernest] Rutherford, Baron of Nelson (Nobel Prize, Chemistry, 2)
Mark Todd (equestrian)
Captain Charles Upham (farmer, veteran soldier, VC and bar, 3)
-----
1
New Zealand surgeons practically invented the process of reconstructive
surgery. Well, that's not quite true - there were many instances of
reattaching noses and ears and such in Italy and India and a few other
places. But the first world war resulted in plenty of cases to work on and
by the time the second world war rolled around, a phenomenon called
Airman's Burn where pilots who disobeyed orders and removed their goggles
and gloves due to the heat in their cockpits suffered extensive burns to
their faces and hands when shot down meant that skin grafting really took
off.
In the time between the two World Wars there were 4 full time
reconstructive surgeons - three were New Zealanders (working in Britain of
course). Sir Harold Gillies was the first one and pioneered many of the
techniques. Rainsford Mowlem was another but the most famous was Sir
Archibald McIndoe who started the Guinea Pig club of his patients which
some of you may have heard aboout. By the time of the WWII more pilots
were surviving crashes due to better constructed planes and penicillan
ensured a greater survival rate so there were more men for him to work on.
Gillies tended to work of the canon fodder of the front in WWI. The Guinea
Pig club still meets every year. MacIndoe was not only at the forefront of
"holistic" medicine in that he treated his patients' minds and their trauma
as well as their bodies - he wouldn't let them go back into service until
he was sure their minds had recovered also, but he was the one to make the
connection between the recovery rate of burns victims who had fallen into
the sea and the concept of saline baths for burns victims. Prior to that
an oil solution was used on their burns.
MJ Pickering (more details may be available from her)
-----
2
Rutherford took up a physics professorship at McGill in 1898, worked with
Soddy and in 1902-3 identified radioactive half-life, moved to Manchester
in 1907 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1908 for his work
on radioactivity. He worked with Geiger in 1908 and in 1909 used alpha
particle bombardment of thin foils to lead to his 1911 description of
atomic structure.
He was knighted in 1914, then succeeded Thomson at the Cavendish Laboratory
in 1919. He was elevated to the peerage in 1931. His other awards
included an Order of Merit in 1921, the Copley Medal of the Royal Society
in 1922, and he was President of the Royal Society from 1925 until 1930.
-----
3
Captain Charles Upham (retired), New Zealand's most decorated soldier and
veteran of World War Two, died last Tuesday and was buried with full
military honours after a service in Christchurch cathedral on Friday.
Upham was awarded two Victoria crosses for exceptional bravery during WWII.
A modest hero. Upham never saw himself as anything other than a New
Zealander doing his duty. He refused to accept any land offered to
returning servicemen after the war, and also turned down a knighthood. He
spent the remainder of his years on his North Canterbury farm and avoided
the spotlight of fame which the media oocasionally tried to shine upon him.
Howard Edwards
-----
I took my father, who served with Charlie Upham in the 20th, to the funeral
on Friday, and I found the subject too close to many emotions to write
about for all the world to read.
Upham's battalion, the 20th, was, in my biased opinion, the most
distinguished of all New Zealand regiments in the Second World War.
Together with the other battalions that comprised the 4th Brigade (the 18th
Auckland, 19th Wellington and 20th South Island battalions), it was made up
of the first and keenest men who volunteered in 1939, and it bore the brunt
of the actions in Crete (where Upham won his first V.C. for attacking and
destroying machine-gun posts in face of their fire), at Belhamed, and at
Ruweisat Ridge which was, like Stalingrad in the same year, one of the
crucial battles of the war (and where Upham won his second V.C. for running
in the open at advancing tanks and attacking them with hand-grenades). At
each of those battles the 20th was nearly destroyed, and it was rebuilt
each time around the survivors who somehow kept its extraordinary spirit
alive. Its third Victoria Cross was won by Sergeant Jack Hinton, who is
still going strong at 84.
When Upham returned from the war, the people of Canterbury raised
10,000 pounds by public donation to buy him a farm. That was enough to
buy a very good farm, but Upham declined and had the money put into an
educational trust. He eventually bought a houseless block with a rehab.
loan and turned it into a farm with his own hard work.
Lyndon Watson
-----
Charles Upham died in November 1994.
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