- New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote, in 1893.
- New Zealand’s national day, February 6, is know as Waitangi Day. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown, is considered the county’s founding document.
- New Zealand has more bookstores per head of population than any other country.
- The kiwi, New Zealand’s national symbol, is the only bird in the world to have nostrils at the tip of its bill instead of at the base. It’s a flightless, nocturnal bird, and now engangered so you’re unlikely to see it in the wild. Although they look cute, kiwis can be fierce and very territorial.
- Famous New Zealanders include the leading nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford, soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest, and actor Russell Crowe.
- New Zealand has the most southerly railway station in the world, the most southerly pub and the most southerly vineyard. Wellington is the most southerly capital city.
- Rugby Union is considered a national religion in New Zealand. It’s been said that Kiwis consider being selected to play for the All Blacks is a greater honour than becoming prime minister.
|