新西兰人

仅为4.3 million people live in a country that’s slightly bigger than the UK.  人口少, spectacular scenery and relative isolation are reflected in the people that inhabit this land. 新西兰人比较安静, 独立友好, with a keen sense of adventure and exploration.

Although most of the population can be traced back to British descent, the largest minority remains the indigenous 毛利 that represent around 14 percent of New Zealanders. 通用语言是英语, although you’ll likely to hear a few others spoken, including another official language of New Zealand, 毛利.

The indigenous 毛利 people are believed to have first arrived in their voyaging canoes over 1000 years ago from their homeland of Hawaiki. 传说库佩, “伟大的探险家”, was the first to discover New Zealand and named this new land ‘Aotearoa’, 或“长白云之国”.从那时起, the 毛利 culture and language has played a major role in all aspects of New Zealand life.

毛利文化源远流长, with traditional and contemporary arts taking a prominent position. 雕刻的艺术, 编织, 纹身, oratory and kapa haka (group performance) are practised across the land. 今天’s practitioners follow the techniques of their ancestors that have been practised for centuries, but incorporate their own modern techniques. 毛利 culture is also alive and well in New Zealand’s art, 电影, 电视, 诗歌, 剧院, 音乐场景.

在二十世纪早期, the economy relied largely on farming and the exporting of primary produce. The country’s manufacturing and tertiary industries became established after World War II, as more of the population headed to the cities.

Despite the growth of new areas in the economy, 城市里不断增长的人口, there’s still a good sized rural population with farming still a major contributor to the country’s export trade. 还有通常的奶制品出口, 肉和羊毛, a growing importance to the export market includes wine, 水果, 和生物技术. Diversification and technology has helped New Zealand to become one of the most productive and innovative agricultural nations in the world.

在70年代, a large number of immigrants from the Pacific Island arrived and settled in New Zealand.  在接下来的二十年里, an increasing number of immigrants from Europe and Asia continued to choose New Zealand as their home. 移民的涌入, combined with technological and economic developments have helped shape a new national identity. 事实上, 在过去的二十年里, New Zealanders adoption of the latest technology, has led to some of the highest mobile and internet use per head found anywhere on the planet.

The influx of immigrants from the Pacific Rim has influenced traditional fashion, 美食的味道, and lifestyles to produce a unique New Zealand identity.