New Zealand is a small country, similar in size to
Great Britain or Japan. With a population of only four million people it’s also
gloriously uncrowded. New Zealand people
New Zealand's friendly and down-to-earth people will be one of the things you
treasure most about your visit.
With a patchwork history of Māori, European, Pacific Island
and Asian cultures, New Zealand has become a melting-pot population - but one
with some uniting features that make it unique in the world.
Today, of the 4.4 million New Zealanders (informally known
as Kiwis), approximately 69% are of European descent, 14.6% are indigenous
Māori, 9.2% Asian and 6.9% non-Māori Pacific Islanders.
Geographically, over three-quarters of the population live
in the North Island, with one-third of the total population living in Auckland.
The other main cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton are where the
majority of the remaining Kiwis dwell.
Early Voyagers
Over four hundred years before Christopher Columbus and the
rest of Europe worried about falling off the edge of the world; Maori people
voyaged thousands of miles across the vast unknown Pacific Ocean in small
ocean-going canoes and became the first inhabitants of Aotearoa New Zealand. To
this day, Maori culture is a core part of New Zealand’s national identity.
Rugged Pioneers
New Zealand’s European pioneers were also brave, rugged and
independent. Before establishing farms and settlements, they had to first clear
the land - a painstaking and sometimes dangerous activity. Their isolation and
exposure to the elements forced these early New Zealanders to become hardy and
multi-skilled.
