Unit 2 Outline

I. Government
A. Governed by democratically elected parliament
B. New Zealand has no constitution but the Constitution Act of 1986 acts as one as it defines the duties of the three branches of government
C. Queen of England is symbolic head of state but Governor-General acts as the head of state
D. Single chamber parliament has 120 Members of Parliament (MPs) with six who represent Maoris
E. Elections are held every three years, 80% of people vote
F. Two main parties are the National Party (centre-right) and Labour Party (centre-left)
G. Prime Minister is the leader of the party in power, party not in power is called the Opposition
H. In 1996 New Zealand began the MMPR (mixed member proportional representation) giving each person two votes
I. Former Government Enterprises have been privatized
J. Local taxes are called “rates” which are paid by “ratepayers”
K. The three levels of local government are regional councils, territorial authorities, and Community Boards

II. Education
A. School is mandatory for children ages 6 to 16 and is also free
B. Board of trustees governs each school
C. Kohanga reo, or language nests, are schools that focus on Maori language and culture
D. Schools used to go from Junior 1-2, Standard, 1-4, and Forms 1-7 but now they use years 1-13
E. New Zealand has a distance education program for those that have special medical needs or live overseas called “the Correspondence School”
F. Students take exams in forms 3, 4, and 5 called the National Certificate of Educational Achievement
G. There are nine universities and 23 polytechnics in New Zealand

III. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
A. Agriculture plays a significant role in New Zealand economics accounting for 21% of exports; the government does not subsidize farming
B. Farmers raise deer, sheep, and cattle and grow kiwi-fruit, apple, pears, and many other fruits and vegetables; NZ also produces a large amount of dairy products
C. New Zealand has 50.2 million sheep, that means there are more than ten times as many sheep than people in New Zealand
D. Forests cover more than one fourth of New Zealand and forest products are exported to Australia and Asia
E. Fishing includes over 100 commercially significant species and accounts for 5% of exports

IV. Energy & Overseas Trade
A. Hydro-electric power produces 80% of the nation’s electricity
B. Geothermal steam and natural gas also contribute to energy sources but oil must be imported
C. New Zealand relies heavily on international trade and consequently relies on doing business free of trade barriers
D. Horticulture is important as NZ has pioneered new apple varieties and has developed the kiwifruit as well as other fruits not native to NZ
E. Manufacturing accounts for 25% of exports
F. 1.5 million international visitors come to NZ every year making tourism an important part of the economy
G. NZ’s four major markets are Australia, the EU, Japan, and the United States