Is this heaven on earth??

SmileyC · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 5:38 pm Post subject: Is this heaven on earth??

Decide for yourselfs. New Zealand is a great place to live. In case you don't know, New Zealand is a little country near Australia. I live there and I'm sure you know some poeple in the Forum that live in New Zealand.

New Zealand is located south-west of Australia. It has 2 large islands, the North and South Islands, and many small islands.

::HiSTORY OF SETTLEMENT::

New Zealand is one of the most recently settled major land masses. Polynesian settlers arrived in their waka(canoe) some time between the 13th century and the 15th century to establish the indigenous Māori culture. New Zealand's Māori name, Aotearoa, is usually translated as Land of the long white cloud, because of the cloud the explorers saw on the horizon as they approached. Settlement of the Chatham Islands to the east of the mainland produced the Moriori people, but it is disputed whether they moved there from New Zealand or elsewhere in Polynesia. Most of New Zealand was divided into tribal territories called rohe, resources within which were controlled by an iwi ('nation'). Māori adapted to eating the local marine resources, flora and fauna for food, hunting the giant flightless moa (which soon became extinct), and ate the Polynesian Rat and kumara (sweet potato), which they introduced to the country.

Here are some pictures :

Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Tallest mountain in New Zealand, Aoraki/Mt. Cook.

Auckland in the nightime, with the Sky Tower glowing. It glows like this everynight.

I'll post about people in New Zealand next.
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Click the pic to go to my blog XD

Jean Grey · Guest Good Posts: +1 0.00 Cash

that's cool facts! Icon_emotions16

i like tha pics!I wish i could go there for aholiday!!i love staying at hotels and i wonder if it would be the best hotel i have ever stayed in! Icon_favorites49

James · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 7:07 am Post subject:

I dont like our Prime Minister, i wanted National to win!!!!!!! :O you live in Auckland? Im in Christchurch "The Garden City" Icon_favorites49

only us Kiwis get that joke Icon_favorites49

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You just wasted a minute of your life readig this!

Ashley · Guest Good Posts: +1 0.00 Cash

That is soooo cool! Well, that mountain is soooo high in the picture! lol.. and through our house in seattle i can see Mount Rainier..

Steffi · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:35 am Post subject:

cool new zealand!!!!
i love to live there someday...
maybe in australia too!

SmileyC · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject:

No James, I live in Hastings, much warmer up here!! Icon_favorites49

The Lord of the Rings was filmed in...Queenstown.. I think?? James!!
New Zealand is a great place to live!! Move here!! LoL

I didn't know WHO I wanted to win!! I wanted National, then Labour... but I don't really like that Don Brash...

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Between 1996 and June 2001 population growth in New Zealand averaged around 3.3%, while growth in the eight largest cities averaged 5.3%. One of the main contributors to population growth in the largest cities is inward migration of people looking for employment and other economic opportunities. This is especially the case in the Auckland region where cities are growing at a greater rate than the rest of New Zealand.

Manukau experienced the highest population growth rate (11.4%) of the eight cities between 1996 and 2001, due to a combination of higher rates of natural increase than other cities and inward migration.

James has probably explained.. there's the Maori people and other people in New Zealand that are originated from Europe(I think) are called 'Pakeha'

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How many New Zealanders are there?
The population of New Zealand reached four million in April 2003, having doubled since 1952. It reached three million in 1973. It is continuing to grow from both natural increase and immigration. In the year to June 2004, 57,890 live births were registered.

In 2002 the gain from immigration was 38,198. However, these gains vary from year to year; in the two years 1999–2000 the country lost more than 20,000 people because emigration exceeded immigration.

Age and gender
The population is ageing. This is the result of a surge in the birth rate after the Second World War (the baby boomer generation) and the influx of immigrants who arrived at that time and started families. In 1971 children under 15 formed 32% of the population; by 2001 this had dropped to 23%.

The Māori population is younger than the New Zealand population as a whole. Only 3% of Māori are aged 65 and over, compared to 12% overall. The Pacific Island population is also younger than the general population.

There are slightly more women than men. The excess of women is marked above the age of 65, partly because women live longer. The only region where there are more males is the sparsely populated West Coast of the South Island.

Māori
About one in seven New Zealanders (a total of 526,281 in 2001) identify themselves ethnically as Māori. The proportion of those who have some Māori blood is expected to increase because Māori women are having more babies than European or Asian women.

Greater ethnic diversity
New Zealand’s population is close to three-quarters European in origin, largely because until the mid-1970s immigrants came overwhelmingly from Europe. More recent immigrants have come also from the Pacific Islands and Asia. By 2001 both these communities were about a quarter of a million strong.

The number of children of mixed ethnic parentage is increasing. In 2001, 18% of all children under 15 belonged to more than one ethnic group. More than half of the children of mixed ethnicity are European–Māori.

New Zealand is becoming less European, because European birth rates are lower than those of other ethnic groups.

The place of Māori
As the country’s original inhabitants, Māori are tangata whenua (the people of the land). Māori culture is a key element of the New Zealand identity. Māori differences from Pākehā are evident in social customs such as tangi (funerals).

Māori are disadvantaged compared to most other groups. They have lower life expectancy, living and housing standards, poorer health, and lower educational attainments. They share these characteristics, which have their roots in history, with Pacific Islanders.

Race relations
Until the mid-20th century the Māori population was largely rural. Between 1951 and 1971 the proportion of Māori living in cities rose from 20% to 58%. By 2001 Māori were as likely to be living in cities and larger towns as the rest of the population. When Māori and Pākehā began living in closer proximity, the belief that the country had ‘the best race relations in the world’ was tested. A race relations conciliator was first appointed in 1971 to help combat racial discrimination.

Pacific Islanders
In 2001 about half the 231,800 Pacific Islanders in New Zealand were Samoan. The next largest groups were Cook Island Māori (52,600) and Tongan (40,700). Many more Cook Island Māori, Niueans and Tokelauans live in New Zealand than on their home islands.

More than half the Pacific Islanders who live in New Zealand were born there. The population is young and concentrated in the Auckland region.

Asians
Between 1991 and 2001, the proportion of Asians in New Zealand almost doubled. By 2001, Asians made up 6.6% of the population. The Chinese form the largest group, followed by Indians. Within these two communities there are families that have been in the country for several generations.

Two-thirds of New Zealand’s Asians live in the Auckland region. They have sometimes borne the brunt of anti-immigrant sentiment, exploited by some politicians. However, New Zealand society has generally welcomed the newcomers.

Languages
Most New Zealanders speak only English. But a revival of the Māori language, combined with increasing numbers of immigrants, meant that by 2001 more than half a million New Zealanders spoke at least one other language.

Māori is spoken by more than 160,000 people. One in four Māori speak the language, and conscious efforts have been made to keep it alive.

The most common language after English and Māori is Samoan, spoken by more than 80,000 people. This is followed by Tongan, and the Chinese dialects of Cantonese and Mandarin.

All Blacks(YAY) doing the Haka(the Warrior Dance), if you watch any sport with New Zealand in it, they always do the Haka before the game.

Person playing the Poi.

James, you know what?? Other than the Hurricanes I also support The Crusaiders, do you support them?? But Hurricanes comes first!! Only 1 of my friends support Crusaiders!! LoL
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Click the pic to go to my blog XD

Ashley · Guest Good Posts: +1 0.00 Cash

My GOD! New Zealand is a nice place!

Jean Grey · Guest Good Posts: +1 0.00 Cash

it sure is!

[pinchmee]kat[: · Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:32 pm Post subject:

wow!ill ask dad to go to NZ...!!
MayBeee!! Icon_emotions16

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love hurts the eyes. :D
commentbabyy:D

xMELODiCiOUSx · Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:15 am Post subject:

Wow!
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[pinchmee]kat[: · Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject:

James · Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject:

You cant tell me you dont like Don Brash!!! Im not listening to you!!!!!! *crys* LOL Icon_favorites49

Go The Crusaders!!!! We Rule!!!! lol. Were the best team in NZ!!! Cool ay! Then after the crusaders i support the huracanes because my granddad lives in Hastings!!!
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You just wasted a minute of your life readig this!

YZ · Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:21 pm Post subject:

Wow!!

Let me repeat that in case you didn't hear me

Wow!!

I really mean it. It's very nice.
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&&it has been a wonderful journey with all of you;;

IcE.mAn · Guest Good Posts: +1 0.00 Cash

yeah..i agree with YZ!!

S! · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:41 pm Post subject:

LOL cool place to live in x)
my friend just went there a few days ago.further study.period. x)""
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you made up your mind to leave it all behind