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| | Background The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. The People | Population | 4,115,771 (July 2007 est.) | | Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 437,547/female 417,698)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,393,057/female 1,378,358)
65 years and over: 11.9% (male 214,189/female 274,922) (2007 est.) | | Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.96 years
male: 75.97 years
female: 82.08 years (2007 est.) | Population growth rate | 0.95% (2007 est.) | | Ethnic groups | European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) | | Religions | Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) | | Population below poverty line | NA% | | People living with HIV/AIDS | 1,400 (2003 est.) | | HIV/AIDS - deaths | less than 200 (2003 est.) | | Mobile phones in use | 3.53 million (2005) | | Internet users | 3.2 million (2006) |
Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook |
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