Portal:New Zealand/Selected article

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The hei-tiki /haɪˈtiːkiː/ is an ornamental neck pendant of the Māori. Hei-tiki are usually made of greenstone and worn around the neck. They are often referred to as tiki, a term that actually refers to large human figures carved in wood, and, also, the small wooden carvings used to mark sacred places. Tourist versions - either from real jade or sometimes from cheap plastic - are also commonly found throughout New Zealand.

The name "hei-tiki" suggests a connection with Tiki, the first man in Māori legend. Hei-tiki may signify memorials to ancestors, or represent the goddess of childbirth, Hineteiwaiwa. The rationale behind the first idea is that they were often buried when their kaitiaki (guardian) died and would be later retrieved and placed somewhere special to be brought out in times of tangihanga (mourning and associated activities). Because of the connection with Hineteiwaiwa, hei-tiki were often given to a woman by her husband's family if she was having trouble conceiving.

The most valuable hei-tiki are carved from New Zealand greenstone, also called pounamu. Pounamu consists of either nephrite or bowenite (Māori: tangiwai). Pounamu is esteemed highly by Māori for its beauty, toughness and great hardness; it is used not only for ornaments such as hei-tiki and ear pendants, but also for carving tools, adzes, and weapons. (Full article...)

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Captain William Hobson RN (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was the first Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.

In his Royal Navy career, he served in the Napoleonic Wars and was involved in the suppression of piracy in the Caribbean. In 1836 he sailed HMS Rattlesnake to Australia where he spent several months surveying Port Phillip District (later Melbourne).

In 1837 he sailed to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, in response to a request for help from James Busby, the British Resident, who felt threatened by wars between Māori tribes. He arrived on 26 May 1837 and helped to reduce the tensions. At the time, the British government recognised the sovereignty of the Māori people, as represented in the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand of October 1835, which had been organised by Busby. Hobson returned to England and was appointed Lieutenant Governor and British consul to New Zealand (confirmed on 13 August 1839). He was instructed to purchase land "by fair and equal contracts."

Hobson arrived back in the Bay of Islands on 29 January 1840 (which is celebrated today as Auckland Anniversary Day) with a small group of officials and almost immediately drafted the Treaty of Waitangi, together with his secretary James Freeman and Busby. After obtaining signatures at the Bay of Islands, he travelled to Waitemata Harbour to obtain more signatures and survey a suitable location for a new capital. In November 1840 the Queen signed a royal charter for New Zealand to become a Crown colony separate from New South Wales. Hobson was sworn in as Governor and Commander in Chief on 3 May 1841. (Full article...)

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The University of Auckland (Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau) is New Zealand's largest university. Established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand, the university is now made up of eight faculties over six campuses, and has more than 39,000 students at April 2006. Over 1300 doctoral candidates were enrolled at the University of Auckland in 2004.

It offers a wide range of programmes including Arts, Business, Education, Music, Teacher Training and Special Education, Architecture, Planning, Nursing, Creative and Performing Arts, Theology, Science, Information Management, Engineering, Medicine, Optometry, Food and Wine Science, Property, Law, Fine and Visual Arts and Pharmacy.

It also provides the most conjoint combinations across the entire nation, with over 35 combinations available. Conjoint programs allow students to achieve multiple degrees in a shortened period of time.

The University of Auckland was the only New Zealand institution ranked in the top 50 of the THES - QS World University Rankings, ranked at number 46. (Full article...)

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New Zealand wine is produced in several mostly maritime, cool climate winegrowing regions of New Zealand, an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. Like many other New World wines, it is usually produced and labelled as single varietal wines, or if blended the varietal components are listed on the label. New Zealand is famous for its Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and more recently its dense, concentrated Pinot Noir from Marlborough, Martinborough and Central Otago.

The first vines are thought to have been introduced by missionary Samuel Marsden, and official British Resident James Busby is credited with producing wine at Kerikeri in 1833. The modern wine industry in New Zealand began in the mid-20th century and expanded rapidly in the early 21st century, averaging 17% per annum in the first two decades. In 2017, New Zealand produced 285 million litres from 37,129 hectares (91,750 acres) of vineyard area, about three-quarters of which is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc. Nearly 90% of total production is exported, chiefly to the United States, Britain and Australia, reaching a record NZ$1.66 billion in export revenue in 2017. In each of the previous 10 years, New Zealanders consumed a fairly constant 20 litres of wine per adult, about a third of which was imported from other countries, mainly Australia. (Full article...)

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Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand, and 37th most prominent peak in the world, reaching a height of 3,754 metres (12,316 ft). It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki / Mount Cook consists of three summits lying slightly south and east of the main divide, the Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the west.

Aoraki means "Cloud Piercer" in the Ngāi Tahu dialect of the Māori language. Historically, the Māori name has been spelt Aorangi in the "canonical" Māori form. While the mountain was known to Māori centuries before, the first European known to see Aoraki / Mount Cook was Abel Tasman, on December 13, 1642 during his first Pacific voyage. The English name of Mount Cook was given to the mountain in 1851 by Captain John Lort Stokes to honour Captain James Cook who first surveyed and circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand in 1770. Captain Cook did not sight the mountain during his exploration. Following the settlement between Ngāi Tahu and the Crown in 1998, the name of the mountain was officially changed from Mount Cook to Aoraki / Mount Cook to incorporate its historic Māori name, Aoraki. Under the settlement the Crown agreed to return title to Aoraki / Mount Cook to Ngāi Tahu, who then formally gifted it back to the nation.

The first ascent was on 25 December 1894, when New Zealanders Tom Fyfe, James (Jack) Clarke and George Graham successfully reached the summit via the Hooker Valley and the north ridge. Ed Hillary made his first ascent in January 1947. In February 1948 with Ruth Adams, Harry Ayres and Mick Sullivan, Hillary made the first ascent of the South Ridge to the Low Peak. (Full article...)

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The Huntly power station is the largest thermal power station in New Zealand and is located in the town of Huntly in the Waikato. It is operated by Genesis Power, a state-owned enterprise, and supplies around 17% of the country's power.

Each of the four main coal-fired units, installed in stages between 1973 and 1985, is capable of generating 250 MW (Megawatts) of electricity, giving the station a total generating capacity of 1000 MW, plus 50MW from a gas turbine commissioned in 2004. Its chimneys are 150 metres high and each chimney has two flues that are 7 metres in diameter.

The operator has recently (2004-2007) constructed a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant next to the existing station. This plant increased the total generating capacity of Huntly by 385 MW (250 MW gas turbine + 135 MW steam turbine). The new turbine is a NZ$ 520 million investment.

Huntly runs at a load factor of 85%, about twice what the best wind farms could achieve in New Zealand, and is currently used to provide a large amount of the baseline energy needs of the northern North Island - in other words, it is rarely running substantially below peak capacity. (Full article...)

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The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty signed on February 6, 1840 by representatives of the British Crown, and Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand. Prepared hastily and without legal assistance, it was first signed on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand by a representative of the British Crown, and Māori chiefs from the upper North Island. Over the following months, copies were signed by other chiefs around the country. From the British point of view, the Treaty justified making New Zealand a British colony; it also gave Māori the rights of British citizens and the right to ownership of their lands and other properties. However significant differences between the Māori and English language versions of the Treaty mean that there is no consensus as to what rights the Treaty gives to which groups. (Full article...)

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The Pink and White Terraces in New Zealand, or Otukapuarangi ("fountain of the clouded sky") and Te Tarata (Māori) were a natural wonder until they were destroyed by a violent volcanic eruption in 1886.

Similar to Pamukkale in Turkey, hot water containing large amounts of calcium bicarbonate precipitated calcium carbonate, leaving thick white layers of limestone and travertine cascading down the mountain slope, forming pools of water and terraces. The White terraces were the larger and more beautiful formation while the Pink terraces were where people went to bathe.

The terraces located on the edges of Lake Rotomahana near Rotorua were considered to be the eighth wonder of the natural world and were New Zealand's most famous tourist attraction ( they were attracting tourists from Europe in the early 1880s when New Zealand was still relatively inaccessible) until they were destroyed when Mount Tarawera, five kilometres to the north, erupted at 03:00 on June 10, 1886.

The volcano belched out hot mud, red hot boulders and immense clouds of black ash. The eruption caused approximately 153 deaths and buried the village of Te Wairoa. The lake, and several others nearby, were substantially altered in shape and area by the eruption. (Full article...)

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The koru is the Māori name given to the new unfurling fern frond and symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace. It is an integral symbol in Māori carving and tattoos.

Koru can also refer to bone carvings. Those generally take the shape of the uncurling fern plant. When bone is worn on the skin, it changes colour as oil is absorbed. The Māori took this to symbolise that the spirit of the person was inhabiting the pendant. When someone gives a pendant to someone else, it is the custom that they wear it for a time so that part of their spirit is given as well. (Full article...)

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Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On 29 May 1953 he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. Hillary also led the third team to reach the South Pole over land. He devoted much energy to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through his Himalayan Trust, building many schools and hospitals for instance.

Hillary was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 16 July 1953; a member of the Order of New Zealand (ONZ) in 1987; and a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) on 23 April 1995. He has been the only New Zealander to appear on a banknote during their lifetime. Various streets, schools, and organisations around New Zealand and abroad are named after him.

To mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest, the Nepalese Government conferred honorary citizenship upon Hillary at a special Golden Jubilee celebration in Kathmandu. He was the first foreign national to receive such an honour from the Nepalese. (Full article...)

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The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. It runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It then drains Taupo at the lake's north-eastern edge, creates the Huka Falls, then flows northwest, through the Waikato Plains. It empties into the Tasman Sea south of Auckland at Port Waikato. It gives its name to the Waikato region that surrounds the Waikato Plains.

The name "Waikato" comes from Māori and translates as "flowing water". (Full article...)

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Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM PC FRS (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937), widely referred to as Lord Rutherford, was a nuclear physicist who became known as the "father" of nuclear physics. He pioneered the orbital theory of the atom through his discovery of Rutherford scattering off the nucleus with his gold foil experiment.

Rutherford was born at Spring Grove (now Brightwater), near Nelson, New Zealand. His name was mistakenly spelt Earnest Rutherford when his birth was registered. He studied at Havelock and then Nelson College and won a scholarship to study at Canterbury College, University of New Zealand where he was president of the debating society among other things. In 1895, after gaining his BA, MA and BSc, and doing two years of research at the forefront of electrical technology, Rutherford travelled to England for postgraduate study at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge (1895–1898), and he briefly held the world record for the distance over which electromagnetic waves could be detected. During the investigation of radioactivity he coined the terms alpha and beta to describe the two distinct types of radiation emitted by thorium and uranium. (Full article...)

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The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane, box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining Saint Marys Bay in Auckland City with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. It has a total length of 1,020 m (3,348 feet), with a main span of 243.8 m, rising 43.27 m above high water allowing ships access to the deepwater port at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery up harbour (nowadays one of the few remaining wharves needing such access west of the bridge). It is part of the Auckland Northern Motorway running from the Central Motorway Junction in downtown Auckland to Orewa. (Full article...)

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The New Zealand bellbird (Anthoris melanura) is a passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It has greenish coloration and is the only living member of the genus Anthornis. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song that was much noted by early European settlers. It has a bell-like song which is sometimes confused with that of the tūī. The species is common across much of New Zealand an its offshore islands as well as the Auckland Islands. The Māori language name is korimako.

The bellbird is found throughout both the main islands of New Zealand apart from the north of the North Island. Its population and distribution had been seriously affected by the introduction of European-style farming, which has led to the removal of native forests (the natural habitat of the bellbird). Another important factor is the introduction of predatory species such as cats, weasels, stoats, ferrets, rats and food-robbing species like wasps. Predators either eat the birds or consume eggs, while food robbers compete with the bellbird for its natural food sources of nectar, honeydew and insects. The decline occurred around the same time as many other New Zealand species, but for unknown reasons was reversed and the species is still common across much of New Zealand (Bartle & Sagar 1987). (Full article...)

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Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries.

In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, under a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies and capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stale-mate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity of both countries. (Full article...)

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David Russell Lange CH, ONZ (who pronounced his name "long-ee", /ˈlɒŋi/) (4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005), served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. He headed New Zealand's fourth Labour Government, one of the most reforming administrations in his country's history, but one which did not always conform to traditional expectations of a social-democrat party. He had a reputation for cutting wit and eloquence. His government implemented far-reaching free market reforms, some of which he later came to oppose and regret. New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation, perhaps his most lasting legacy, symbolised for many a pacifist identity for New Zealand. (Full article...)

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Split Enz were a successful New Zealand band during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was founded in 1973 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd, and had a variety of other members during its existence. Their musical style was eclectic and original, incorporating influences from art rock, vaudeville, swing, punk, rock, new wave and pop. Split Enz had ten albums (including seven studio albums) reach the top ten of the Official New Zealand Music Chart. From 1980 to 1982, the band had four number-one albums in New Zealand and three in Australia. The only number-one single for Split Enz was "I Got You" (1980), which topped the charts in both New Zealand and Australia. (Full article...)

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Hector's Dolphin or White-headed Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus. At about 1.4 m in length and weighing 50kg, it is one of the smallest cetaceans. They have a rounded dorsal (upper) fin and have white undersides and grey sides. Hector's dolphins take short (90 second) dives to feed on small fish and crustaceans on the ocean floor.

Hector's dolphins are endemic to the coastal regions of New Zealand. There are two known main populations, one on each side of the South Island. The two populations are believed to be largely cut off from one another by deep water at Cook Strait and at the south-west tip of the South Island.

According to the WWF, thirty years ago there were over 26,000 Hector's dolphins (and a subspecies, Maui's dolphin). Today, due to human activity, there is a struggling population of around 7,270 Hector's dolphins - and Maui's are the rarest marine dolphins in the world with around 110 left. (Full article...)

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Flight of the Conchords is a Grammy Award-winning folk, pop, and comedy band composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Billing themselves as "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" (having been bumped by a tribute band of themselves, Like of the Conchords), the group uses a combination of witty observation, characterization,acoustic guitars, and microphones to work the audience. The duo's comedy and music became first the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007, also called Flight of the Conchords. Named Best Alternative Comedy Act at the 2005 US Comedy Arts Festival, Best Newcomer at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and receiving a nomination for the Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2003, the duo's live performances have gained them a worldwide cult following. (Full article...)

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Bach (pronounced batch, with the alternative of crib used in the southern part of New Zealand) is the name given in New Zealand to structures akin to small, often very modest holiday homes or beach houses. They are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture, especially in the middle of the 20th century, where they symbolized the beach holiday lifestyle that was becoming more accessible to the middle class (Full article...)

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The biodiversity of New Zealand is one of the most unusual on Earth, due to its long geological isolation from other continental landmasses. Its genetic affinities are derived from Gondwana, from which it separated 82 million years (Ma) ago, along with Australia, New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island, part of the same tectonic plate.

New Zealand's pre-human biodiversity exhibited high levels of endemism in its flora and fauna. The range of ancient fauna is not well-known but at least one species of non-flying terrestrial mammal existed in New Zealand around 19 Ma ago. Prior to 65 Ma ago, the fauna included dinosaurs, pterosaurs and marine reptiles.

For at least several Ma before the arrival of humans and their commensal species, the islands had no terrestrial mammals except for bats, the main component of the terrestrial fauna being insects and birds. Its flora is dominated by Gondwanan plants, comprising historically of forests, most famously the giant kauri, Agathis australis.

New Zealand has developed a national Biodiversity Action Plan to address conservation of considerable numbers of threatened flora and fauna within New Zealand. (Full article...)

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Dave Gallaher (1873–1917) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer, best known as the captain of "The Originals", the first New Zealand national rugby union team to be known as the All Blacks.

Gallaher played 26 representative matches for Auckland, including the first ever Ranfurly Shield defense, and 36 for the All Blacks, including 6 tests. Gallaher's All Black career spanned from 1903 to 1906, the highlight being the captaincy of the "Originals" tour in which he played 26 matches including 4 tests. Gallaher proved to be an outstanding leader and one of the deepest thinkers of the game in his era.

Gallaher fought in the Boer War serving as a corporal in the 6th and 10th New Zealand Contingents of Mounted Rifles. Although exempt from conscription due to his age, Gallaher also volunteered to fight in World War I, and apparently altered his date of birth to 31/10/76 or 31 October 1876 (see link to NZEF form below). He saw action at Ypres, and was killed during the Passchendaele offensive on 4 October 1917. He is buried at Nine Elms Cemetery, Poperinge, where his gravestone bears the silver fern. (Full article...)

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The kākāpō is a species of nocturnal parrot, endemic to New Zealand. It is notable for being the world's only flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, and the only parrot to have a lek breeding system. It is also the only flightless lek bird and is possibly one of the world's longest-living birds. It is the only species in the genus Strigops and subfamily Strigopinae. Kākāpō are critically endangered, with only 244 living individuals known as of 2024. Prehistorically, the ancestral kākāpō migrated to the islands of New Zealand and, in the absence of mammalian predators, it lost the ability to fly. With Polynesian and European colonisation and the introduction of predators such as cats, rats, and stoats, almost all the kākāpō were wiped out. Conservation efforts began in the 1890s, but they were not very successful until the implementation of the Kākāpō Recovery Plan in the 1980s. All surviving kākāpō are kept on two predator-free islands, Chalky Island in south-west Fiordland and Codfish Island / Whenua Hou near Stewart Island / Rakiura, where they are closely monitored. (Full article...)

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The Warehouse, (NZX: WHS) founded by Stephen Tindall in 1982, is the largest department store retailer operating in New Zealand. The Warehouse is largely a discount store similar to Wal-Mart in the United States, however The Warehouse sells far more generic brand merchandise than other discount or department stores. The company also formerly had operations in Australia, which were sold to Australian Discount Retail. For the fiscal year ending October 2005, The Warehouse reported a net income of NZ$71.9 million on NZ$2.224 billion of sales revenue (3.6% profit margin).

As of 2005, the company had 253 stores throughout New Zealand and Australia along with more than 6 distribution centres in total. On November 24, 2005, The Warehouse announced that was selling its Australian operation for AU$98 million (NZ$99 million).

Colloquial names for the company's stores include "The Big Red Shed", "WareWhare" (pronounced wah-ray fah-reh, whare is Maori word for house), Warehu and "The Wuds". (Full article...)

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In Māori culture, Matariki is the name of the Pleiades star cluster, which was important for agriculture in establishing the correct time to plant crops. There are two explanations of the name Matariki: firstly, mata-riki (small eyes) or mata-ariki (Eyes of God). The constellation is also believed to have been used by navigators.

Matariki has three hundred stars in total but you can see only seven in the night sky with the naked eye.

The first rising of the Pleiades and of Rigel (Puanga in Māori) occurs just prior to sunrise in late May or early June, and this indicates that the old year has ended and the new year has begun. The actual time for celebrating Matariki varies, depending on the iwi (tribe or clan). Some iwi celebrate it immediately. Others wait until the rising of the next full moon, or alternatively the dawn of the next new moon. It has become common practice for various private and public institutions to celebrate Matariki over the period of a week or month anywhere from early June to late July. Other iwi used the rising of Rigel in a similar way.

In traditional times, Matariki was a season to celebrate and to prepare the ground for the coming year. Offerings of the produce of the land were made to the gods, including Rongo, god of cultivated food. This time of the year was also a good time to instruct young people in the lore of the land and the forest. In addition, certain birds and fish were especially easy to harvest at this time. (Full article...)

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Phillipa "Pip" Brown (born in July 1979) better known by her stage name Ladyhawke, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was formerly a part of the Wellington-based band Two Lane Blacktop, named for the 1971 road movie of the same name. Before assuming the name Ladyhawke, she formed the band Teenager with Nick Littlemore of Pnau and Empire of the Sun. Ladyhawke named herself after the 1985 Richard Donner film Ladyhawke. Ladyhawke is best known for her hit singles "Paris Is Burning" and "My Delirium". Her self-titled debut album was released on Modular Recordingsin September 2008. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2009, Ladyhawke won for Best Breakthrough single and album.

The Observer grouped Ladyhawke in with other singers gaining notice with their distinct fashion, 1980s references, and androgyny, including Lady Gaga, Little Boots, Lissy Trullie, and Elly Jackson's synth duo La Roux. (Full article...)

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The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is perhaps the most prestigious trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies. The holding union must defend the Shield in challenge matches, and if a challenger defeats them, they become the new holder of the Shield.

The Shield is currently held by Wellington, who won it from Auckland in Round 8 of the Round Robin in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup.

Although the professional era of rugby has seen competitions such as the National Provincial Championship and its successor, the Air New Zealand Cup, and Super Rugby detracting from the pre-eminence of the Ranfurly Shield, many still regard it as the greatest prize in New Zealand rugby, thanks to its long history, the fact that every challenge is a sudden-death defence of the Shield, and that any team, no matter how lowly, has a chance to win. (Full article...)

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The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest ecological restoration project in New Zealand, located near Cambridge in the Waikato region in the central North Island of New Zealand.

The project is engineered to remove all non-native pest mammals and predators and restore endangered native flora and fauna to Maungatautari. There is no intention to restrict all introduced birds, but efforts will be made to control non-native wasps.

It includes private land and a government-owned scenic reserve administered by Waipa District Council. It is a community project under the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust. (Full article...)

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The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique, was an operation by the "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), carried out on July 10, 1985. It aimed to sink the flagship of the Greenpeace fleet, the Rainbow Warrior in the port of Auckland, New Zealand, to prevent her from interfering in a nuclear test in Moruroa.

Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned on the sinking ship. Two French agents were arrested by the New Zealand Police on passport fraud and immigration charges. They were charged with arson, conspiracy to commit arson, willful damage, and murder. As part of a plea bargain, they pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to ten years, of which they served just over two.

The scandal resulted in the resignation of the French Defence Minister Charles Hernu, and the subject remained controversial. It was twenty years afterwards that the personal responsibility of French President François Mitterrand was admitted. (Full article...)

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Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ (11 February 1904 - 8 December 1983) was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party prime minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7 February 1972. He was appointed as governor-general in 1977 and served until 1980. Before becoming National Party leader, Holyoake served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, under Sidney Holland.

Holyoake was the third longest-serving New Zealand prime minister (just under 12 years), surpassed only by Richard Seddon's 13 years and William Massey's close to 13 years; he was also the first to be born in the 20th century. He was known for his diplomatic style and "plummy" voice. He was also fondly (or mockingly) known as Kiwi Keith, a name given to him in childhood to distinguish him from an Australian child with the same name. (Full article...)

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In the Māori mythology of some tribes, Kupe was involved in the Polynesian discovery of New Zealand.

According to one tradition (Craig 1989:127), Kupe was a great chief of Hawaiki who arrived in New Zealand in 925 AD. He left his cousin Hoturapa to drown during a fishing expedition and kidnapped his wife, Kuramārōtini, with whom he fled in her great canoe Matahourua. During their subsequent journeys, they overcame numerous monsters and sea demons, including the great octopus named as Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, and discovered New Zealand. Returning to Hawaiki, Kupe told of his adventures and convinced others to migrate with him. Traditions about Kupe appear among the peoples of the following areas: Northland, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui, Whanganui-Taranaki, Rangitāne, and the South Island.

A.H. Reed wrote that "When Kupe, the first discoverer of New Zealand, first came in sight of the land, his wife cried,'He ao! He ao!" (a cloud! a cloud!). Great Barrier Island was therefore named Aotea (white cloud), and the long mainland Aotearoa (long white cloud). When Kupe finally returned to his homeland his people asked him why he did not call the newly discovered country after his fatherland. He replied, 'I preferred the warm breast to the cold one, the new land to the old land long forsaken'." (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/34

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the Māori name for a hill, 305 metres (1,001 ft) high, close to Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. The name is often shortened to Taumata by the locals for ease of conversation.

It is featured in a Mountain Dew jingle and it is also in the 1979 single "Lone Ranger" by British band Quantum Jump. It is the subject of a 1960 song by the New Zealand balladeer Peter Cape^[1], as well as Hardcore DJ's Darkraver and DJ Vince in the song 'Thunderground'.

The name of this hill translates roughly as

“

The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one.

”

At 85 letters, it has been listed in the Guinness World Records as one of the longest place names in the world. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/35

The kea (Nestor notabilis) is a species of parrot (family Nestoridae) found in forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. The kea is one of the few alpine parrots in the world, and includes carrion in an omnivorous diet consisting mainly of roots, leaves, berries, nectar and insects. Now uncommon, the kea was once killed for bounty as it preyed on livestock, especially sheep. It only received full protection in 1986.

Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective.

Most people only encounter wild kea in the South Island's skifield areas. Kea are attracted by the prospect of food scraps. Often described as "cheeky", keas' curiosity leads them to peck and carry away unguarded items of clothing, or to pry apart rubber parts of cars - to the entertainment and annoyance of human observers. In 2009, a Scottish tourist reported that a kea stole his passport while he was visiting the Fiordland National Park. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/36

Sir John Walker, KNZM, CBE, (born January 12, 1952 in Papakura) is a former middle distance runner from New Zealand.

Walker is best known for being the first human being to run the mile in under 3:50 minutes, posting a time of 3:49.4, breaking the existing world record by over 1.5 seconds. This was a full 10 seconds faster than Roger Bannister's historic sub-Four-Minute Mile of 3:59.4 that was run twenty-one years previous. He was named Athlete of the Year by Track and Field News the same year.

The following year, 1976, Walker won the Olympic Games 1500 metres in Montreal, with a time of 3:39.17. Walker also broke the world record for the 2000 metres, running 4:51.4 minutes in Oslo, Norway, on 30 June 1976. He smashed the existing ten-year-old record held by Michel Jazy by nearly five seconds, Walker regarded this run as the best he ever ran. Steve Cram would not better Walker's record by running 4:51.4 at Budapest, Hungary until 4 August 1985. Indoors, Walker broke the 1500 metre world record with a time of 3:37.4 in 1979. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/37

Te Whanganui-A-Hei (Cathedral Cove) was the first marine reserve established on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand, in the Department of Conservation's Waikato Conservancy. It was established in 1992 to preserve the marine habitats found between and around Motukorure, Moturoa, Motueka and Mahurangi Islands.

The Māori name Te Whanganui-A-Hei (the Great Bay of Hei) refers to Hei, a tohunga from the Te Arawa waka. According to tradition, Hei chose the area around Mercury Bay as home for his tribe, proclaiming ownership by calling Motueka Island "Te Kuraetanga-o-taku-Ihu" (the outward curve of my nose.)

Cathedral Cove is named after the cave located there linking Mare's Leg Cove to Cathedral Cove. Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay are also located within the reserve. The area is very popular with tourists, and receives around 150,000 visitors a year. The cave and beach was used as the tunnel through which the Pevensie children first re-enter Narnia in the movie version of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/38

The pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand.

The tree grows up to 20 metres (66 ft) in height, with a dome-like spreading form. Its natural range is the coastal regions of the North Island of New Zealand, north of a line stretching from New Plymouth (39° S) to Gisborne (38° S). It also grows on the shores of lakes in the Rotorua area. A giant pōhutukawa at Te Araroa on the East Coast is reputed to be the largest in the country, with a height of 20 metres and a spread of 38 metres (125 ft). The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain a hold in precarious, near-vertical situations. Some specimens have matted, fibrous aerial roots. Like its Hawaiian relative the ʻōhiʻa lehua (M. polymorpha), the pōhutukawa has shown itself to be efficient in the colonisation of lava plains – notably on Rangitoto, a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf.

The pōhutukawa flowers from November to January with a peak in mid to late December (the Southern Hemisphere summer), with brilliant crimson flowers covering the tree, hence the nickname New Zealand Christmas Tree. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/39

The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions. It includes the South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point.

The Catlins, a rugged, sparsely populated area, features a scenic coastal landscape and dense temperate rainforest, both of which harbour many endangered species of birds. Its exposed location leads to its frequently wild weather and heavy ocean swells, which are an attraction to big-wave surfers.

Ecotourism has become of growing importance in the Catlins economy, which otherwise relies heavily on dairy farming and fishing. The region's early whaling and forestry industries have long since died away, along with the coastal shipping that led to several tragic shipwrecks. Only some 1,200 people now live in the area, many of them in the settlement of Owaka. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/40

In Māori mythology, Māui is a culture hero famous for his exploits and his trickery. Cast into the sea by his mother Taranga, Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga (or Māui of the topknot of Taranga) was rescued by ocean spirits and raised by his divine ancestor, Tama-nui-ki-te-rangi (Rangi).

Māui emerged from the sea and found his four brothers, Māui-taha, Māui-roto, Māui-pae, and Māui-waho. Māui's brothers at first are wary of the new-comer but, after he performs several feats such as transforming himself into different kinds of birds, they acknowledge his power and admire him.

With the help of his brothers, Māui netted the Sun and beat him severely with a jaw-bone club until the Sun promised to go slower in future, because the days were getting too short for people to get their work done.

Later, Māui took his brothers fishing, this time using the jaw-bone as a fish-hook. Māui, using blood from his nose for bait, hauled a great fish up from the depths, which became the North Island of New Zealand, or Te Ika-a-Māui (The Fish of Māui).

When the people need to recover the lost secret of fire, it is up to Māui to face Mahuika the Fire-goddess. He succeeds through trickery, infuriating the goddess, and he barely escapes with his life. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/41

Katherine Wilson Sheppard (10 March 1847 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of New Zealand's women's suffrage movement, and is the country's most famous suffragette. Because New Zealand was the first country to introduce universal suffrage, Sheppard's work had a considerable impact on women's suffrage movements in other countries.

Sheppard's interest in women's suffrage went beyond practical considerations regarding temperance: her views were made well known, summarised up with her statement:

“

All that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome

”

Sheppard was a powerful speaker and a skilled organiser, and quickly built support for her cause. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/42

The Milford Track is New Zealand's most famous tramping route. It is located in stunning scenery amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island.

Traditionally, Māori used the Milford Track for gathering and transporting valuable greenstone. Sutherland and Mackay were the first European explorers to see Mackay Falls and Sutherland Falls, in 1880.

With Milford Sound never exploited by industrial or agricultural interests, most visitors and investors from early on decided that tourism was to be the main draw to the sound, and the Milford Track was established to a large degree to provide a tourism function for guided treks.

The track spans a distance of 53.5 km (33.2 mi) starting at the head of Lake Te Anau and finishing at Milford Sound at Sandfly Point. It traverses rainforests, wetlands, and dramatic alpine passes.

As a popular route, it is well maintained by the Department of Conservation and is one of the nine Great Walks. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/43

Team New Zealand (yachting:TNZ) is an America's Cup sailing team which is based in Auckland. The team officially represents the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, and they have become a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup in 1995 and 2000.

In 1987, the nation was captivated by KZ7 "Plastic Fantastic", racing well in Fremantle, but finally beaten by the American Dennis Conner. The following year, Michael Fay built and raced a gigantic monohull called KZ1 (or the Big Boat) but was outclassed by Conner's catamaran.

In 1995 TNZ stunned the world, beating Team Dennis Conner 5-0 off the coast of San Diego, after winning the Louis Vuitton Cup. The 1995 yacht NZL 32 was nicknamed Black Magic, ably skippered by Russell Coutts, and the legendary Sir Peter Blake. Coining the famous phrase by sailing commentator Peter Montgomery, "The America's Cup is now New Zealand's cup!".

The 2000 challenge was held on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf. On crossing the finish line in the final race, TNZ (NZL 60) beat Italy's Prada Challenge (Luna Rossa) 5-0. Team New Zealand's eight-year reign ended after they were defeated 5-0 by Swiss-based challenger Alinghi in 2003. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/44

The Mount Erebus disaster was a major aircraft accident involving Air New Zealand Flight 901 in 1979. The flight was a non-scheduled passenger transport service from Auckland International Airport in New Zealand to Antarctica and return. The service was operated with McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aircraft and began in February 1977.

The flight was specifically designed and marketed as a unique sight-seeing experience, carrying an experienced Antarctic guide who would point out scenic features and landmarks using the aircraft public address system.

On November 28, 1979, at 12:49pm NZDT, flight TE901 collided with Mount Erebus, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew members. The flight that day was being operated by the DC-10 registered ZK-NZP, which was just under 5 years old. The aircraft altitude at the time of the collision was just 1465 feet (445 metres). (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/45

Think Big was an interventionist state economic strategy in the early 1980s, sponsored by Robert Muldoon (Prime Minister: 1975 - 1984) and his New Zealand National Party government. The 'Think Big' schemes saw the government borrow heavily overseas, running up a large external deficit, and using the funds for large-scale industrial projects. Petrochemical and energy related projects figured prominently, designed to utilize New Zealand's abundant natural gas to produce ammonia, urea fertilizer, methanol and petrol.

The core 'Think Big' projects included the construction of the Mobil synthetic-petrol plant at Motunui, the complementary expansion of the oil-refinery at Marsden Point near Whangarei, and the building of a stand-alone plant at Waitara to produce methanol for export. Motunui converted natural gas from the off-shore Maui field to methanol, which it then converted to petrol on-site. Declining oil prices rendered this process uneconomic and New Zealand abandoned the manufacture of synthetic petrol. The construction of the Clyde Dam on the Clutha River formed part of a scheme to generate electricity for smelting aluminium.

The New Zealand economy probably benefited from economic activity during the construction period, but the basic justification for the projects, a permanently higher oil-price, did not happen. Oil prices subsequently dropped in real terms. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/46

Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was New Zealand's fifth-longest-serving prime minister, and the second woman to hold that office. Clark led the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand for three consecutive terms.

Before taking leadership of the Labour Party, Clark had held portfolios in Health, Housing, Conservation, Labour, and served as Deputy Prime Minister. She also had ministerial responsibility for the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and for Ministerial Services. Her particular interests included social policy and international affairs.

Before resigning from Parliament in April 2009, Clark was Labour's foreign affairs spokeswoman and MP for the Mount Albert electorate which she had held since 1981. Forbes magazine ranked her the 20th most powerful woman in the world in 2006. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/47

Herbert James 'Burt' Munro (25 March 1899 – 6 January 1978) was a New Zealand motorcycle racer, famous for setting an under-1000cc world record, at Bonneville, 26 August 1967. This record still stands today. Burt Munro was 68 and was riding a 47-year old machine when he set his last record.

Working from his home in Invercargill, he worked for 20 years to highly modify the 1920 Indian motorcycle which he had bought in 1920. Munro set his first New Zealand speed record in 1938 and later set seven more. He travelled to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats, attempting to set world speed records. During his ten visits to the salt flats, he set three speed records, one of which still stands today. His efforts, and success, are the basis of the motion picture The World's Fastest Indian (2005), starring Anthony Hopkins, and an earlier 1971 short documentary film Burt Munro: Offerings to the God of Speed (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/48

Possibly the best-known building in the southern half of New Zealand's South Island, Dunedin Railway Station is a jewel in the country's architectural crown.

Designed by George Troup, the station is the fourth building to have served as Dunedin's railway station. It earned its architect the nickname of "Gingerbread George".

In Flemish style, it is constructed from local dark basalt rock capped with lighter Oamaru stone, giving it the distinctive light and dark pattern common to many of the more stately buildings of Dunedin and Christchurch. The booking hall features a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain. Its main platform is the country's longest, being one kilometre in length. It was opened in 1906 by Prime Minister Joseph Ward. A thorough refurbishment of the exterior took place in the late 1990s, accompanied by the landscaping of the gardens outside the entrance, in Anzac Square.

With the decrease in passenger rail traffic, the station now serves more functions that the one for which it was originally designed. It is still the city's railway station, catering for the Otago Excursion Train Trust's Taieri Gorge Railway tourist train. Much of its ground floor is now used as a restaurant, and the upper floor is home to both the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame and the Otago Art Society. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/49

Pavlova is a meringue dessert named after the ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. It is crispy on the outside but light and fluffy inside.

Some sources say the recipe originated in New Zealand, while others claim it was invented in Australia. However, like the Anzac biscuit, the earliest known books containing the recipe were published in New Zealand.

Professor Helen Leach, a culinary anthropologist at Otago University in New Zealand found a pavlova recipe in a 1933 Rangiora Mothers' Union cookery book. Professor Leach also has an even earlier copy of the pavlova recipe from a 1929 rural New Zealand magazine.

Keith Money, a biographer of Anna Pavlova, wrote that a chef at a hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, created the dish when Pavlova visited there in 1926 on her world tour.

The claim that it was an Australian invention states that the pavlova is based on a cake baked by Bert Sachse at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth on 3 October 1935. Sachse's descendants believe he may have come up with the recipe earlier than that, since Anna Pavlova visited Australia in 1926 and 1929 and died in 1931. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/50

Leptospermum scoparium is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. It is a prolific scrub-type tree and is often one of the first species to regenerate on cleared land. It is typically a shrub growing to 2–5 m (7–16 ft) tall, but can grow into a moderately sized tree, up to 15 m (49 ft) or so in height. The species is found throughout New Zealand but is particularly common on the drier east coasts of the North Island and the South Island, and in Australia in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.

Manuka (from Māori mānuka) is the name used in New Zealand. It is also commonly called the tea tree. This name arose because Captain Cook used the leaves to make a tea drink. (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/51

The tuatara is an amniote of the family Sphenodontidae, endemic to New Zealand. The two species of tuatara are the only surviving members of the Sphenodontians who flourished around 200 million years ago, and are in the genus Sphenodon. Tuatara resemble lizards, but are equally related to lizards and snakes, both of which are classified as Squamata, the closest living relatives of tuatara. For this reason, tuatara are of great interest in the study of the evolution of lizards and snakes, and for the reconstruction of the appearance and habits of the earliest diapsids (the group that additionally includes birds and crocodiles). (Full article...)

Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/52

Scott Base is a research facility located in Antarctica and operated by New Zealand. It was named after Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Royal Navy, leader of two British expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica. Located on Ross Island near Mount Erebus in the Ross Dependency, it is New Zealand's only base in Antarctica. It was set up as support for field research and the centre for research into earth sciences, but now conducts research in many fields.

Scott Base participates in ANDRILL, investigating Antarctica's impact on global ocean currents and climate over the past 65 million years, by retrieving ice and rock samples representing ancient geologic time. Scott Base is administered by Antarctica New Zealand, as part of their efforts to "support scientific research, conserve the intrinsic values of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and raise public awareness of the international significance of the continent."

New Zealand also co-operates with the US Operation Deep Freeze which uses Christchurch International Airport as a staging point for McMurdo Station. (Full article...)

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