Southern Cross constellation (four, five-pointed stars), kiwi (bird), silver fern; national colors: black, white, red (ochre).
Title | "God Defend New Zealand" |
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Lyric/music | Thomas BRACKEN [English], Thomas Henry SMITH [Maori]/John Joseph WOODS |
Date of Independence | 26 September 1907 (from the UK) |
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National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); Anzac Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915) |
Legal system | common law system, based on English model, with special legislation and land courts for the Maori |
International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | New Zealand has no single constitution document; the Constitution Act 1986, effective 1 January 1987, includes only part of the uncodified constitution; others include a collection of statutes or "acts of Parliament," the Treaty of Waitangi, Orders in Council, letters patent, court decisions, and unwritten conventions |
Amendments | Proposed as bill by Parliament or by referendum called either by the government or by citizens; passage of a bill as an act normally requires two separate readings with committee reviews in between to make changes and corrections, a third reading approved by the House of Representatives membership or by the majority of votes in a referendum, and assent of the governor-general; passage of amendments to reserved constitutional provisions affecting the term of Parliament, electoral districts, and voting restrictions requires approval by 75% of the House membership or the majority of votes in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2020 |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | no |
Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of New Zealand |
Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 3 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General Dame Cindy KIRO (since 21 October 2021) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Christopher LUXON (since 27 November 2023) |
Cabinet | Executive Council appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister |
Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary; governor-general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor-general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor-general |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (121 seats for 2023-26 term); 72 members directly elected in 65 single-seat constituencies and 7 Maori constituencies by simple majority vote and 49 directly elected by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 3-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 14 October 2023 (next scheduled for October 2026) |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - National Party 38.1%, Labor Party 26.9%, Green Party 11.6%, ACT Party 8.6%, New Zealand First 6.1%; Maori Party 3.1%; seats by party - National Party 48, Labor Party 34, Green Party 15, ACT Party 11, New Zealand First 8, Maori Party 6; composition - 67 men, 56 women; percentage of women 45.5% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of 5 justices, including the chief justice); note - the Supreme Court in 2004 replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final appeals court |
Judge selection and term of office | Justices appointed by the governor-general upon the recommendation of the attorney- general; justices appointed until compulsory retirement at age 70 |
Subordinate courts | Court of Appeal; High Court; tribunals and authorities; district courts; specialized courts for issues related to employment, environment, family, Maori lands, youth, military; tribunals |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Rosemary BANKS (since 17 June 2024) |
Chancery | 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 328-4800 |
FAX | [1] (202) 667-5277 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/americas/united-states-of-america/ |
Consulate(s) general | Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Thomas Stewart UDALL (since 1 December 2021) note - also accredited to Samoa |
Embassy | 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington 6011 |
Mailing address | 4370 Auckland Place, Washington DC 20521-4370 |
Telephone | [64] (4) 462-6000 |
FAX | [64] (4) 499-0490 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://nz.usembassy.gov/ |
Consulate(s) general | Auckland |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 3 (2 natural, 1 mixed) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand (n); Tongariro National Park (m); New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands (n) |
Want to know more about New Zealand? Check all different factbooks for New Zealand below.