New Zealand is a parliamentary state located in the Southwest pacific 2011km east of Australia. The capital is Wellington, and there is a population of around 3.4 million.
The first European to sight New Zealand was the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1642. The islands were explored by British navigator Captain James Cook who surveyed it in 1769 and annexed the land to Great Britian. The British government disavowed the annexation and for the next 70 years the only white settlers to arrive were adventurers attracted by the prospects of lumbering, sealing and whaling. Great Britian annexed the land in 1840 by treaty with the native maori cheifs and made it a dependency of New South Wales. The colony was granted self-government in 1852, and gained full dominion status in 1907. New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth nations. The Queen of England is Head of State as the Queen of New Zealand.
Prior to 1933 English coins were the official legal tender but Australian coins were accepted in small transactons. Currency fluctuations caused a distinctive New Zealand coinage to be introduced in 1933. Decimal currency was introduced in 1967. |
