Country data

Location: South Pacific Ocean

Time zone: CET + 11

Total area: 267,710 km²

Land area: 267,700 km²

Water area: 10 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 15,134 km

Capital: Wellington

Regions: 17
Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Electric current: 240 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 64 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Cook 3,754 m

Population

Population: approx. 4.4 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.8% per year

Population density (inh. Per km²): 16

Life expectancy: 79 (male), 83 (female)

Official language: English, Maori

Climate

Although the climate in New Zealand is moderate, it is cooler and subject to greater fluctuations than, for example, in Central Europe.

The seasons are also opposite to those in Central Europe.

Precipitation must be expected all year round.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Division: 1 dollar = 100 cents

ATMs: Available in major cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

There is an import ban on plants, animals and all kinds of food.

Customs forms are handed out on the plane in which all items carried must be listed.

For valuable items, customs can require a deposit to be deposited, which will be paid back on re-export.

Travel advice

There is currently no country-specific safety notice for New Zealand.

Economy

Although the manufacturing industry has developed strongly in the last few decades, agriculture is still very important.

The tourism industry has meanwhile become the largest source of foreign currency and can record annual growth.

Industries: mining, finance, wood processing, agriculture, engineering, papermaking, textiles, tourism, insurance

Natural resources: iron ore, natural gas, gold, wood, limestone, coal, hydropower

Land use:

• Usable land: 9%
• Grain cultivation: 5%
• Pasture area: 50%
• Forests: 28%
• other: 8%

Plants

Many of the plant species that grow in New Zealand are only found there. There are around 2,000 different plants in total.

In order to protect the remaining forest, national parks have been set up and state programs for reforestation have been launched.

Animals

Most of the animal species present in New Zealand did not originally come from there, but were brought with them by humans in the course of settlement. There are hares, red deer, pigs, goats and the possum, among others.

In the sea around the island there is almost everything the sea has to offer, from the smallest fish to the shark.