Unit 1 Outline

Unit 1 Outline New Zealand

I. Geography
A. 1600 Kilometers North to South
B. Native name is “Aotearoa” meaning “land of the long white cloud”
C. Cook Straight, Stewart Island
D. 2000 Kilometers away from Australia
E. Similar in size to Japan or British Isles
F. Formed by volcanoes
G. Southern Alps run along the entire South Island
H. Mt. Cook is the tallest mountain at 3754 meters high
I. Midway between equator and South Pole
J. Auckland is the largest city
K. Wellington is the capital, most southern national capital in the world

II. Climate, Land & Environment
A. Maritime Climate
B. Surrounded by sea, creates moderate temperatures
C. West coast has very high annual rain fall
D. Seasons are opposite to northern hemisphere
E. Isolation allowed for unique fauna and flora, plants and animals
F. Many native birds, plants, insects, spiders, snails, and earthworms
G. Very few mammals, natural predators for birds, many species of flightless birds evolved (including Kiwi, Moa, Kakapo)
H. The Kiwi is a national symbol so people from New Zealand are called “Kiwis”
I. Introduction of ferrets and other mammals killed many of these birds, causing some to go extinct and others to become endangered species
J. New Zealand is very conscious of environmental issues

III. The New Zealanders
A. Population in 2008 was 4.2 million
B. Lightly populated (compare Japan’s population of 127 mil and United Kingdom’s population of 61 million in about same area)
C. 85% of New Zealanders live in cities, three quarters live on the North Island
D. One quarter of population lives in Auckland, has some 200,000 Polynesians making it the largest Polynesian city in the world
E. 80% of New Zealanders claim European ancestry (Germany, Britain, Netherlands, and others) and 15% are Maori, 5% are Polynesian
F. Other ethnic groups include Chinese and Indian as well as many countries across the globe
G. Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs helps Polynesian and Maori peoples participate in education, employment, health and in the public sphere
H. Christianity is dominant religion (Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic) but other world religions also represented
I. In 1893 was first country to allow women to vote
J. Standard of living comparable to Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States

IV. Maoritanga
A. The Maoris are the native or indigenous people of New Zealand
B. Maoritanga is the name of the “Maori Culture”
C. Many have adopted western way of life but keep many Maori traditions as well including their oral traditions and history, language not written down until the 1700s
D. Ranginui, sky father, and Papatuanuku, earth mother, had son named Tane who created the bush, living creatures, and the first woman
E. Story of Maui who sailed far south, caught a monstrous fish which became the north island, and his canoe become the south island
F. Tribal lands and kinship still very important in Maori society
G. 80% of Maori live in urban areas, but some still live in tribal areas
H. The Haka is a well-known war dance that used to be performed prior to a battle to scare the enemy as well as prepare the warrior for battle, now it is performed by the All Blacks rugby team before games
I. Treaty of Waitangi helped to resolve land conflicts between Europeans and Maoris
J. Maoris moved to cities after WWII and the youth in 1970s started a Maori “protest movement” bringing the Waitangi Tribunal to settle disputes
K. Since 1970s Maori language revitalized with some schools implementing “total immersion” policies

V. History
A. Settled 1,000 years ago by Voyagers from East Polynesia
B. The Maori’s rich culture was passed down through oral tradition
C. Maori language finally written down in the 19th century
D. The Dutch were the first Europeans to arrive in 1642
E. English Captain James Cook reached NZ in 1769 but the British did not start settling much until the 1840s
F. There were several gold rushes in the 1860s

VI. Other Facts and Random Info
A. There are more sheep than people in New Zealand
B. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed in New Zealand by Peter Jackson, a Kiwi