New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island), and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands.
The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud.
The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).
New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation, situated about 2000 km (1250 miles) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga.
During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, a number of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they introduced.

The population is mostly of European descent, with the indigenous Māori being the largest minority. Asians and non-Māori Polynesians are also significant minorities, especially in the urban areas.

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.

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.
New Zealand's open economy is known for being one of the world's most free market capitalist economies.

AGRICULTURE

New Zealand's major source of income comes from agriculture. It has developed advanced techniques to use the country's rugged land, including specially designed aircraft to replace land machinery.
Many areas are highly mechanized.
About 50% of total export income comes from meat, dairy products, and wool; the land supports some 68 million sheep and 4.8 million beef cattle.
New Zealand is one of the world's largest exporters of lamb and mutton, has a growing beef industry (about 75% of which is produced in the North Island), and supplies about 90 countries with meat (the major markets are the U.K., Iran, Russia, Japan, U.S., and Canada). New Zealand is also one of the largest and most efficient exporters of dairy products. The combination of a good growing climate, stable rainfall, and lush grass year-round has produced an average herd of about 120 cows; most of the 3.3 million dairy cows in the country are Jerseys or Friesians (that's one cow per person!).
Butter (mostly to the U.K.) and cheddar cheese (mostly to Japan and the U.K.) are the major dairy exports, but casein (mainly to the U.S.) and skim-milk powder (to a wide variety of countries, mainly in Asia) are also in demand. New Zealand's rich and creamy dairy products are among the best in the world--one taste and you'll be convinced!

Sheep...

Sheep are a predominant part of the landscape throughout the whole of New Zealand. New Zealand is the second-largest producer of sheep (after Australia) and largest supplier of medium to coarse crossbred wool (for carpets, upholstery, and clothing) in the world, with an average flock of about 1,800 sheep. In North Island hill country, sheep are farmed for their wool; the fertile lowland farms (up to 25 sheep per hectare) specialize in lamb production (mainly for the U.K. and Iran) and mutton production (mainly for Russia and Japan).
Teams of sheepshearers travel around the country from woolshed to woolshed, many shearing more than 200 sheep each a day (don't miss any opportunity to watch shearers in action--their speed and dexterity are really something). Most of the medium-to-coarse crossbred wool used for carpetmaking and knitting yarn comes from romney sheep; the fine wool used for soft fabrics and high-quality yarn comes from merino sheep. High-quality sheepskins are a popular tourist purchase.

Crops...

Most of the crops - wheat, barley, maize, oats, vegetables, berry fruit, and tobacco--are grown for the local market. However, malting barley, herbage seeds, some herbs, and oilseed rape have become export crops. Grass and clover seed markets have developed in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia. The citrus export industry has grown dramatically as kiwifruit, tamarillos, feijoas, and passionfruit have increased in popularity worldwide; apples and pears are also important exports.

Orchards in the North produce apples, apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, berryfruit, cherries, lemons, and oranges, mostly for local consumption, but increasingly for export.
Hops and tobacco leaf (plus orchard fruit) are grown for the local market in the warm, sunny Nelson area of the South Island.

Most known motionpictures that have been filmed in New Zealand are:

Film	Year	Locations
THE PIANO	1993	Karekare and Piha
THE LORD OF THE RINGS	2001-2003	Matamata, near Hamilton (a couple of hours drive south of Auckland) and in Queenstown, the site of heavy battle scenes.
THE LAST SAMURAI	2003	Henderson Valley Studios, Hickory Avenue, Henderson Mount Taranaki, Taranaki, New Plymouth, Taranaki Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, Taranaki Uruti Valley, Uruti, Taranaki
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA	2005	Woodhill Forest An hour north-west of Auckland The Great Battle - Flock Hill Flock Hill is high in the Southern Alps of the South Island Aslan's Camp - Elephant Rocks The ancient Elephant Rocks that sprout from the rolling hills near Duntroon in the Waitaki