100 Interesting Facts About New Zealand

New Zealand is an ideal destination for students who aim to pursue their higher education, at an affordable price. As more and more students are aspiring to spend their college life abroad, it becomes important to know about the place or country where you are aiming to go. Hence we bring to you 100 interesting facts about New Zealand. Read on!

1. There is only 5% human population in New Zealand and the rest of the inhabitants, i.e. 95% are animals.
2. New Zealand is home to the smallest dolphin species on earth.
3. Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park has the cleanest water in the world.
4. New Zealand has more Scottish pipe bands per capita than any other country in the world.
5. New Zealand is the least corrupt country in the world (on par with Denmark), based on the Corruption Perception Index.
6. Wellington is the south-most capital of the world.
7. In the scene of Star Trek: First Contact, where one sees the Earth from space, Australia and Papua New Guinea are clearly visible but New Zealand is absent.
8. No part of the country is more than 128km (79 miles) from the sea.
9. The name of the longest place in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu.  
10. The kea, a bird originally from New Zealand, is known for pulling windshield wipers from cars and eating rubber strips from windows.

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11. Auckland is one of the most affordable cities in the world where you can live.
12. In 1893, New Zealand became the first nation to grant women the right to vote.
13. New Zealand has more penguin species than any other nation.
14. People die in New Zealand each year playing lawn bowls rather than scuba diving.
15. The lowest denomination in New Zealand currency is the 10 cent piece.
16. The first man to climb Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, was from New Zealand.
17. The organized commercial of bungee jumping started in New Zealand.
18. In 2008, TripAdvisor ranked Milford Sound as the number one travel destination in the world, according to an international survey.
19. New Zealand has three official languages: English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language.
20. New Zealand is responsible for the Tokelau Island Group in the South Pacific.

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21. The driest city in New Zealand is Christchurch, and Wellington is the wettest.
22. Due to its geographical position and shape, New Zealand experiences  maritime climate.
23. New Zealand’s North Island ranks 14th in the world’s largest islands.
24. Lake Taupo, an ancient volcanic crater, is the largest natural lake in New Zealand.
25. New Zealand is among only three countries in Oceania.
26. New Zealand is 1,000 north-south miles long and 280 miles broad.
27. Gisborne is the first city on the planet to see the sunrise every single day.
28. More than 360 glaciers make up New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
29. The Tasman Glacier to the east of Cook Mountain is New Zealand’s largest glacier.

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30. The Taranaki mountain or ‘Egmont’ was a dormant volcano since the seventeenth century.
31. New Zealand stands as a  part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
32. New Zealand’s native kauri tree takes about 200 years to mature.
33. In New Zeeland, the Pohutukawa is a Kiwi Christmas tree.
34. New Zealand has also joined the Pacific Islands Forum.
35. The New Zealand administration is a constitutional monarchy.
36. General elections are conducted every three years.
37. Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K. is the official queen in New Zealand.
38. The story of New Zealand says the Māori were the first humans to set foot on the land.
39. New Zealand was once named ‘Staten Landt.‘
40. The Treaty of Waitangi is the foundation document of New Zealand.
41. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds remains a tourist destination today.
42. Added by the United Kingdom in 1840, New Zealand became the biggest country in Polynesia.
43. New Zealand only became fully independent in 1947.
44. Australia’s Constitution made New Zealand one of its states.
45. New Zealand does not have a nuclear generating station.
46. The first country to legalize suffrage in the world is New Zealand.
47. New Zealand is the first country with women in the top three positions simultaneously.
48. New Zealand is home to the first transgender Member of Parliament.
49. In New Zealand, there is an average life expectancy of 80.3.
50. New Zealand is the second-largest producer of wool in the world.

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51. New Zealand ranks 8th among the top dairy producers in the world.
52. New Zealand was the first Asia-Pacific country to make same-sex marriage legal.
53. The first referee to use a whistler to stop a match is a Kiwi.
54. The biggest one-day yachting event in the world takes place in New Zealand.
55. New Zealand is home to over 400 public and private golf courses.
56. The pharmaceutical companies in New Zealand are licensed to advertise in public.
57. New Zealand ranks ninth among the world’s longest coasts.
58. New Zealand was the first modern-day country ever to appoint an Official National Wizard.
59. In New Zealand, children start school on their 5th birthday.
60. Lorde, songwriter and singer of the award-winning song ‘Royals’, was born in New Zealand.
61. The record for the heaviest insect in the world goes to the New Zealand Wet Bug.
62. The average shelf life for New Zealand eels is 80 years.
63. New Zealand cave roofs are home to glow worms or fungus gnat larvae.
64. In New Zealand, we find 44 local reptile species.
65. Some of the accomplishments of NASA’s space program are the result of the efforts of astrophysicist Dr William Pickering, who is a Kiwi.
66. Kiwi Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performed at Prince Charles-Lady Diana’s marriage in 1981.
67. Notable New Zealand filmmakers include Jane Campion and Peter Jackson.
68. Kiwi, a flightless bird, is endemic to New Zealand.
69. Aside from the kiwi, the moa is another species of flightless bird in New Zealand.
70. New Zealand secondary schools and universities have permission to preserve a pound of uranium or thorium.
71. The famous Pavlova is a dessert that originated in New Zealand.
72. New Zealand has a customized beverage called ‘Sobering Thought.’
73. Despite popular belief, Kiwis are not local in New Zealand.
74. The Lord of the Rings movies contributed approximately $200 million to the New Zealand economy.

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51. A giant carnivorous snail lives on the southern island of New Zealand.
52. The waters of New Zealand host the smallest sea dolphin in the world.
53. Ships navigating in New Zealand waters have a famous dolphin as a guide.
54. The most common language in New Zealand is English.
55. English is spoken by 96.14% of the national population.
56. There are two national anthems for New Zealand.
57. New Zealand is the only country legally permitted to have images connected to the Hobbits on its currency.
58. The tallest freestanding formation in the Southern Hemisphere is found in New Zealand.
59. New Zealand’s largest freshwater source is the Te Waikoropupū spring.
60. The clock in Dunedin was built back in 1864.
61. In the middle of the runway at Gisborne, New Zealand Airport has railroads running through it.
62. In 2001, the predominant religion in New Zealand was ‘Jedi.’
63. The Te Toho Rock in New Zealand featured in a famous English movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
64. New Zealand’s national sport is rugby.
65. The oldest organised sport in New Zealand is cricket.

We are just 10 short of 100 interesting facts about New Zealand! Don’t forget to check out New Zealand Excellence Awards (NZEA)!

90. More people live in Auckland than all over the South Island.
91. The Royal New Zealand Air Force logo is Kiwi, a flightless bird.
92. Kiwifruit was originally known as Chinese gooseberries in New Zealand.
93. Ninety Mile Beach is actually just 90 km long.
94. The man who pioneered plastic surgery, Harold Gillies, was a Kiwi.
95. In 2008, Henry the tuatara became a father for the first time at the age of 111. (A tuatara is a reptile of New Zealand heritage.)
96. 15% of the New Zealander population are Maoris.
97. New Zealand is similar in size to the UK but has a population of around 4 million (compared to 63 million in the UK).
98. Approximately one-third of the nation is a protected national park.
99. New Zealand was named the world’s top country in 2007 and 2008 by Wanderlust magazine.
100. There are more vending machines in Japan than the entire population of New Zealand.

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So here we complete 100 interesting and gripping facts about New Zealand. That was quite a long list. Isn’t it? We hope that you all must have had fun going through these never heard of interesting facts about New Zealand. Want to study in New Zealand? Reach out to our Leverage Edu experts and they will guide you in choosing the right program and university as well as throughout the admission process to ensure that you get successfully shortlisted! Sign up for a free session today!