ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Economy

New Zealand is a fairly wealthy country. Before the 1970s it relied heavily on exports to Great Britain, especially exports of agricultural products such as wool and butter. At the time they lacked a rich base of mineral resources to export to global markets. During the 1980s the country was in a serious recession. The country later transcended within its economy, from state ownership to private ownership, exercising the practice of privatization. As a result the country transformed into one of the most marketable countries in the world. The country is also apart of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Group (APEC), an organization designed to encourage economic development in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin. In 1982, New Zealand and Australia signed the Closer Economic Relations Agreement (CER), which slashed trade barriers between the two countries. Thus New Zealand benefited from the opening of larger Australian markets to New Zealand exports. Since the agreement, trade has expanded 10 percent each year. Today, more than 20 percent of New Zealand's imports and exports come from Australia. New Zealand also deals with major trade with the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, and South Korea. In 2005, World Bank praised New Zealand for being business-friendly country in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_New_Zealand

http://itcu.dost.gov.ph/index.php/the-joomla-community

http://www.heritage.org/index/pdf/2013/countries/newzealand.pdf

Social Aspect

Fortunately New Zealand has high levels of social welfare as well as provides high-quality health care. The life expectancy is 80 year and the rates of child mortality have fallen since 1960. Cancer and heart disease are leading causes of death, alcoholism is a social problem in the country. Women participation in the workforce is high. Schooling is irregular for native people and post secondary education for Maoris is at 14 percent, and remains low. The Ministry of Social Development is a New Zealand government agency which has two main functions: providing social policy advice to the government, and providing social services. The social services consist of; care and protection of vulnerable children, income support, funding to community service, and student loans. It is New Zealand’s largest government department employing people in over 200 locations around the country.

http://careers.msd.govt.nz/detail.aspx?jobId=115851&CoId=210&rq=1

GEOPOLITICAL FRAMEWORK

Basic Politcal Structure

The politics of New Zealand take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy. The basic system is closely patterned on that of the Westminister System, although a number of significant modifications have been made. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor-General and the head of government is the Prime Minister who chairs the Cabinet drawn from an elected Parliament.

Coat of Arms of New Zealand (1956-Present)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_New_Zealand.svg

New Zealand has no formal constitution; the constitutional framework consists of a mixture of various documents, inluding the Treaty of Waitangi and constitutional conventions. The Constitution Act in 1852 established the system of government and these were later consolidated in 1986. Constitutional rights are protected under common law and are strengthened by the Bill of Rights Act 1990 and Human Rights Act 1993, can be overturned by Parliament with a simple majority. The Constitution Act describes the three branches of Government in New Zealand: The Executive (the Sovereign and Cabinet), the legislature (Parliament) and the judiciary (Courts).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_New_Zealand

New Zealand's role in the Oceania and Native Rights

New Zealand is the oldest independent state, along with Australia, created in the 20th Century (1907). Today it debates on whether they want to complete teir formal political separation from Britian. It wasn't until 1947 that formal legislative links were not broken. The country is not inclined to give up their oceanic possessions, they still control substantial territories in Polynesia, including the Cook Islands, Tokelau, and the island of Niue. New Zealand has emerged to play key political roles in the South Pacific. They often involve themselves in peace setllements when politcal and ethnic conflicts arise elsewhere in the Oceania. They also enjoy their close political and strategic relations with Australia, as well as mitlitary forces.

The country's true battle today involves the native rights of the indigenous people of New Zealand, Maori. The Maori have used the politcal process to gain more control over land and resources in the past. They constitute a far larger proportion of the overall population. Events in the past have excelled to protests that included civil disobedience and demonstrations, growing Maori land claims over much of North and South islands. Another right the Maori are fighting for is the right to return the country's name to the indigenous Aotearoa, meaning "Land of the Long White Cloud".

Above is a video when New Zealand announced that it will support the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, April 19, 2010, a key date in history of the Maoris.