New+Zealand+Research+Information

Places of intrest:
20/5/2007 places of intrest to visit in newzealand:

=__**christchurch:**__=

south island, "new zealands festival city",festivals with themes of music, the arts, adventure, books, heritage, buskers, balloons, floral displays and local produce all provide a focus for the city's celebrations, whether planned or spontaneous. A flat city, easy transport easy to walk around, Botanic Gardens, The Arts Centre and Art Gallery. Visit Cathedral Square where you will find, Chalice, artwork by internationally renowned sculptor Neil Dawson. Known as the Garden City, Christchurch has many parks available for you to enjoy. As well as Christchurch’s cultural heritage, take a walk from the Square down Worcester Boulevard where you will find many attractions that make up the [|cultural] precinct. In the central city you will also find a series of lanes that are offer designer shops and restaurants.Enjoying the vibrant hospitality and entertainment, take comfort in the garden city’s urban living scene. Among the 'must sees' are the weekend Arts Centre market, Christchurch Cathedral, Botanic Gardens and International Antarctic Centre.

website: http://www.christchurch.org.nz/
 * * [|Air Force Museum]
 * [|Arts Centre]
 * [|Botanic Gardens]
 * [|Canterbury Museum]
 * [|Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings]
 * [|Cathedral Square Market]
 * [|Centre of Contemporary Art]
 * [|Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu]
 * [|Christchurch Casino]
 * [|Christchurch Gondola]
 * [|Christchurch Leisure Centres]
 * [|Christchurch Tramway]
 * [|The Circuit]
 * [|Clearwater Resort]
 * [|Cultural Precinct]
 * [|Ferrymead Heritage Park]
 * [|Harbour Cruises]
 * [|International Antarctic Centre] || * [|Lyttelton Harbour Cruises]
 * [|Mona Vale Gardens]
 * [|Nga Hau E Wha Marae]
 * [|Orana Wildlife Park]
 * [|Our City O-Tautahi]
 * [|Punting]
 * [|Riccarton House & Bush]
 * [|Riccarton Market]
 * [|Science Alive]
 * [|Southern Encounter Aquarium and Kiwi House]
 * [|Tranz Scenic Unique Train Journeys]
 * [|Willowbank Wildlife Reserve]
 * [|Yaldhurst Museum of Transport and Science] ||

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__**wellington:**__
(//Te Whanganui-a-Tara// or //Poneke// in [|Māori]) is the [|capital] of [|New Zealand], the country's second largest [|urban area] and the most populous national capital in [|Oceania]. It is in the [|Wellington] region at the southern tip of the [|North Island], near the geographical centre of the country. Like many cities, Wellington's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority. Greater Wellington or the [|Wellington Region] means the entire urban area, plus the rural parts of the cities and the [|Kapiti Coast], and across the [|Rimutaka Range] to [|Wairarapa]. wellintons arts and culture: Wellington is the arts and culture capital of New Zealand, and is the centre of the nation's film industry. [|Peter Jackson], [|Richard Taylor], and a growing team of creative professionals have turned the eastern suburb of [|Miramar] into one of the world's finest film-making infrastructures. Directors like [|Jane Campion] and [|Vincent Ward] have managed to reach the world's screens with their independent spirit. Emerging Kiwi film-makers, like [|Taika Waititi], Charlie Bleakley, [|Costa Botes] and [|Jennifer Bush-Daumec], are extending the Wellington-based lineage and cinematic scope. Wellington is home to [|Te Papa Tongarewa] (the Museum of New Zealand), the [|Museum of Wellington City and Sea], the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Museum, Colonial Cottage, the New Zealand Cricket Museum, the Cable Car Museum, the Reserve Bank Museum, the national opera company, [|New Zealand Symphony Orchestra], [|Nevine String Quartet], [|City Gallery], Chamber Music New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, [|St James' Theatre], [|Downstage Theatre], [|Bats Theatre] and the Arts Foundation of New Zealand. View of Wellington from the Botanic Gardens The once-prosaic capital has become home to dozens of high-profile events and cultural celebration. The city began changing dramatically in 1979 with the outdoor arts festival, Summer '79, and now hosts a biennial International Festival of the Arts, annual International Jazz Festival, and major events such as [|Cuba Street Carnival], [|New Zealand Fringe Festival], Summer City, New Zealand Affordable Art Show, numerous film festivals, and World of [|Wearable Art]. Many of the city's neighbourhoods and ethnic communities also host annual festivals. The local music scene, on the success of bands like [|The Phoenix Foundation], [|Shihad], [|Fly My Pretties], [|Fat Freddy's Drop], and [|The Black Seeds] has become a diverse and thriving pool of talent. The New Zealand School of Music was established in 2005 through a merger of the conservatory and theory programmes at Massey University and Victoria University. Poet [|Bill Manhire], director of the International Institute of Modern Letters, has turned the Creative Writing Programme at Victoria University into a forge of new literary activity. [|Te Whaea], New Zealand's university-level school of dance and drama, and tertiary institutions such as The Learning Connexion, offer training and creative development for the next generation. [|Wellington underground poets] broke new ground in creative expression in the 1980s and 1990s. The city's new arts centre, [|Toi Poneke], serves as a nexus of creative projects, collaborations, and multi-disciplinary production. Arts Programmes and Services Manager [|Eric Holowacz] and a small team based in the Abel Smith Street facility have produced ambitious new initiatives such as [|Opening Notes], [|Drive by Art], the annual [|Artsplash Festival], and new [|public art] projects. Wellington is also home to groups that perform Improvised Theatre or Improv (elsewhere in the world referred to as [|Improvisational Comedy]). These groups include the **[|Wellington Improvisation Troupe]** (WIT), **The Improvisors** and **Joe Improv** - a youth improvisation group. There is also a lot of support for Improvised Comedy in schools in the region and at [|Victoria University of Wellington]. The existence of Theatresports can be solely attributed to [|Keith Johnstone] and [|Loose Moose Theatre]. As a capital city, Wellington is home to diplomatic missions with cultural officers ready to interface with these aspects of the City's life. In the early part of the 21st century, Wellington has confirmed its place as a vibrant centre of arts, culture, and creativity in the South Pacific. website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington

__**Aukland:**__ New Zealands rich urban enviroment shines through in auklands beautiful beaches hiking trails and holiday islands. A sunny climate rich Polynesian culture outstanding food wine and shopping makes aukland and ideal holiday destination, with its international arts and sports events coming this winter with the all black vs france and the New Zealand comedy festival.there are many things to do and places to visit in this cultural hub of New Zealand. websites:http://www.aucklandnz.com/

14/5/2007 Demographics and population //Main article: [|Demographics of New Zealand]// New Zealand has a population of about 4.1 million, of which approximately 78% are of European descent.[|[6]] New Zealanders of European descent are collectively known as //[|Pākehā];// this term is used variously and some Māori use it to refer to all non-Māori New Zealanders. Most [|European New Zealanders] are of [|British] and [|Irish] ancestry with smaller percentages of [|Dutch], [|South Slav], and/or [|Italian] ancestry. [|[7]] Indigenous [|Māori] people are the largest non-European ethnic group, accounting for 14.6% of the population in the 2006 census. While people could select more than one ethnic group, slightly more than half (53%) of all Māori residents identified solely as Māori.[|[16]] People identifying with Asian ethnic groups account for 9.2% of the population, increasing from 6.6% in the 2001 census, while 6.9% of people are of [|Pacific Island] origin.[|[17]] New Zealand has relatively open [|immigration policies]; its government is committed to increasing its population by about 1% annually. Twenty three percent of the population was born overseas, one of the highest rates anywhere in the world. At present, immigrants from the [|United Kingdom] constitute the largest single group (28%) but immigrants are drawn from many nations, and increasingly from [|Northeast Asia] (mostly [|China], but with substantial numbers also from [|Korea], [|Taiwan], [|Japan], and [|Hong Kong]).[|[18]] According to the 2006 census, [|Christianity] is the predominant religion, held by 53% of the population. Around 32% identified that they were 'non-religious' and 5% were affiliated with other religions, while 13% objected to answering or did not provide usable information. The main [|Christian] denominations are [|Anglicanism], [|Roman Catholicism], [|Presbyterianism] and [|Methodism]. There are also significant numbers who identify themselves with [|Pentecostal] and [|Baptist] churches and with the [|LDS (Mormon)] church. The New Zealand-based [|Ratana] church has adherents among Māori. According to [|census figures], other significant minority religions include [|Hinduism], [|Buddhism], and [|Islam]. Religion does not play a major role in New Zealand public life. Overtly Christian-based political parties such as [|Christian Heritage] and [|Destiny] have been unsuccessful, and the religion (or lack of religion) of political leaders - while generally known - is considered by most to be a private matter. Although faith-based lobby groups exist, political parties have recently been hindered more than helped by their support.
 * demographics:**

Population 14/5/2007 39 /sq mi ||
 * ~ [|Population] ||
 * - || April 2007 estimate || 4,182,0005 ([|122nd (2005)]) ||
 * - || 2006 census || 4,143,2796 ||
 * - || [|Density] || 15 /km² ([|193rd])

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand#Demographics

Climate 14/5/2007

The [|climate] throughout the country is mild and [|temperate], mainly [|maritime (Köppen Cfb)], with temperatures rarely falling below 0°[|C] (32°[|F]) or rising above 30°C (86°F) in populated areas. Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the [|West Coast] of the [|South Island] to [|semi-arid] (Köppen BSh) in the [|Mackenzie Basin] of inland [|Canterbury] and [|subtropical] in [|Northland]. Of the main cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving only some 640 mm (25 [|in]) of rain per year. Auckland, the wettest, receives almost twice that amount. [|Auckland], [|Wellington] and [|Christchurch] all receive on average in excess of 2000 hours of sunshine per annum.


 * Zealandia**, also known as the **New Zealand continent**, is a nearly submerged [|continent] that sank after breaking away from [|Australia] 60-85 million years ago[|[2]] and from [|Antarctica] between 130 and 85 million years ago. Most of it (93%) is now submerged under the [|Pacific Ocean].