Missionaries to New Zealand

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; with all praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ." -- Colossians 4:2-3a
Pray for the:   CASTRO  Family
  The Castros
 Nathaniel        Penny           Ariel           Paulo          Dan

About New Zealand*   

Map of New Zealand

  • Background:

    The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

  • Location:

    Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia.

  • Natural Resources:

    natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower,
        gold, limestone

  • Natural Hazards:

    Earthquakes are common, though usually not severe;
        volcanic activity.

  • Area - comparative:

    About the size of Colorado.

  • Government Type; Capital; & Population:

    Parliamentary democracy — Wellington — 4,076,140 (July 2006 est.)

  • Independence:

    26 September 1907 (from UK).

  • Ethnic groups:

    European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)

  • Religions:

    Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)

  • Disputes - International:

    Asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency).


* Based on CIA-The World Factbook