About New Zealand
Location
New Zealand (Aotearoa) is a South Pacific country located midway between the Equator and the South Pole, and is approximately 1600 kilometres (994 miles) east of Australia.
New Zealand is made up of two main islands, the North Island and the South Island, and numerous smaller offshore islands.
The total area is 268,680 sq. km (103,740 sq. miles). It is approximately two-thirds the size of California, and is equivalent in size to Japan, Colorado or Great Britain.
The coastline is 15,135 km (9,405 miles).
People
The population of just over 4 million is predominantly of European (mainly British) and Polynesian descent. The indigenous Maori (tangata whenua) population is around 15% of the total.
Eighty-five percent of the population lives in urban areas.
New Zealand is home to a diversity of cultures including Polynesian, Maori, ethnic Asian, and black African. These coexist alongside a number of European cultures including Italian, Greek and Eastern European.
Language
English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages, although English is the common language of everyday use.
Government
New Zealand is an independent parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth. The capital city and seat of government is Wellington.
Time Zones
New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to greet the new day, because the International Date Line lies to its east. The entire country operates within a single time zone, UTC/GMT+12 hours.
Subject to daylight saving, New Zealand is:
- 20 hours ahead of Los Angeles
- 17 hours ahead of New York
- 12 hours ahead of London
- 2 hours ahead of Sydney
Daylight Saving
Daylight saving in New Zealand runs from the last Sunday in September until the first Sunday in April.
New Zealand time adjusted for daylight saving time is GMT+ 13 hours.
The time in New Zealand right now is displayed at the top right of this page.
Public Holidays
New Zealand observes 11 public (or statutory) holidays. Waitangi Day and Anzac Day are fixed dates, and the holiday entitlement attached to them never transfers to another day. Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, though their dates are fixed, transfer their holiday entitlement to the first available weekday when those days fall on a weekend.
| Statutory Holiday |
2008 Observance |
2009 Observance |
| New Year's Day 1 January |
Tuesday 1 January |
Thursday 1 January |
| Day after New Year's Day 2 January |
Wednesday 2 January |
Friday 2 January |
| Waitangi Day |
Wednesday 6 February |
Friday 6 February |
| Good Friday |
Friday 21 March |
Friday 10 April |
| Easter Monday |
Monday 24 March |
Monday 13 April |
| ANZAC Day |
Friday 25 April |
Saturday 25 April |
| Queen's Birthday |
Monday 2 June |
Monday 1 June |
| Labour Day |
Monday 27 October |
Monday 26 October |
| Christmas Day 25 December |
Thursday 25 December |
Friday 25 December |
| Boxing Day 26 December |
Friday 26 December |
Monday 28 December |
The 11th statutory holiday is the Provincial Anniversary Day of the province in which an employee works. Provincial Anniversary Days are usually observed on the Monday nearest the actual day, and are observed only within that province. For actual dates/observances for Provincial Anniversary holidays, visit the Department of Labour's website: www.ers.dol.govt.nz.
There is no legal requirement for producers and contractors to observe statutory public holidays, although it is common practice to observe Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Waitangi Day, Easter Friday, Easter Monday and Labour Day by scheduling these days off or negotiating penalty payments for work on these days.
Primary and Secondary School Holidays
The school year is divided into 4 terms (semesters) with the major school holiday break of 6 weeks during the summer months of December and January. The other three school holiday breaks are of 2 weeks each, and are scheduled around:
- mid April
- early July
- late September/early October.
For precise dates for school terms and school holidays, visit the Ministry of Education’s website: www.moe.govt.nz.
