Text 4New Zealand

Capital: Largest city: Official languages: Government: Head of State: Governor-General: Prime Minister: Area: HM Queen Elizabeth II

Wellington Auckland English (98%), Māori (4.2%) Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy HM Queen Elizabeth II Anand Satyanand (2008) Helen Clark (2008) Total 268,680 km² (75th)

New Zealand is situated in the southwest Pacific Ocean on two large islands: the North Island and the South Island.

Less than 1/4 of the territory of the country lies below the 100 m contour line. The South Island is significantly more mountainous than the North Island. New Zealand has a temperate, moist ocean climate without marked seasonal variations in temperature or rainfall.

The total population in 2007 was about 4.3 mln people with the average population density of about 15 persons per sq.km. About 85 % if the population is classified as Europeans. Most of them are of British descent. English is the universal language.

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. Like the United Kingdom New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy.

Officially the head of the state is the British Queen (or the King). Elizabeth II, as the Queen of New Zealand, is the Head of State and, in her absence, is represented by a non-partisan Governor-General. The Queen 'reigns but does not rule.' She has no real political influence, and her position is essentially symbolic. Political power is held by the democratically elected Parliament of New Zealand under the leadership of the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government.

The economy of New Zealand has traditionally been based on pastoral farming. The last decades have seen a large expansion in the light industries. New Zealand draws many thousands of tourists to its shores because of the beauty, diversity, and compactness of its natural attractions.

Tourismplays asignificant role in New Zealand's economy. Tourism contributes $12.8 billion (or 8.9%) to New Zealand’s total GDP and supports nearly 200,000 full-time equivalentjobs (9.9% of the total workforce in New Zealand) Tourists to New Zealand are expected to increase at a rate of 4% annually up to 2013.

Movies

Although films have been made in New Zealand since the 1920s, it was only from the 1970s that New Zealand filmsbegan to be produced in significant numbers. Films such asSleeping Dogs and Goodbye Pork Pie achieved local success and launched the careers of actors and directors including Sam Neill,Geoff MurphyandRoger Donaldson. In the early 1990s, New Zealand films such asJane Campion'sAcademy Award-winning filmThe Piano, Lee Tamahori'sOnce Were Warriors and Peter Jackson'sHeavenly Creatures began to garner international acclaim. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jackson filmed The Lord of the Rings film trilogyin New Zealand, using a mostly New Zealand crew and many New Zealand actors in minor parts.Whale Rider, originally a novel byWiti Ihimaera, was produced in 2002 and received recognition from various festivals and awards. Many non-New Zealand productions, primarily fromHollywoodbut also fromBollywood, have been made in New Zealand. Film industry insiders are divided on whether this benefits or harms the New Zealand film industry; however some New Zealand actors, such asLucy Lawless(Xena) have clearly benefitted from these overseas productions.