New Zealand

New Zealand is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean that became an independent dominion of Great Britain in 1907. The population of 4.2 million is primarily of people of European descent (69.8 percent), with large minorities of Maoris (native New Zealanders; 7.9 percent), Asians (5.7 percent), and Pacific Islanders (4.4 percent). The largest religious denominations are Anglican (14.9 percent) and Roman Catholic (12.4 percent), and about a quarter of the population does not indicate a religion.

New Zealand enjoys a high standard of living comparable with many European countries, with a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $27,700 in 2009. Life expectancy is among the highest in the world, with an average of 78.43 years for men and 83.20 years for women.

Gender equality is among the highest in the world—the World Economic Forum ranked New Zealand 5th of 134 countries in 2009. On a scale in which 0 indicates inequality and 1 perfect equality, New Zealand had an overall score of 0.788, ranking behind only Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. On educational attainment, New Zealand got a score of 1.000 (best in the world), on health and survival 0.974 (72nd), in economic participation 0.784 (7th), and on political empowerment 0.393 (7th). Despite efforts to integrate the Maori population into a society that sprung from what was formerly a British colony, Maoris have poorer health and lower educational and economic attainment and are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than the national average.

Women in New Zealand constitute almost 50 percent of the labor force and hold a disproportionate share of technical positions, although they earn about 77 percent of the average wage paid to men for comparable work. Literacy is 100 percent for both men and women, and substantially more women than men are enrolled in tertiary education. About one-third of the New Zealand Parliament is female, and women hold a comparable percentage of ministerial positions. Helen Clark served as the prime minister of New Zealand for three terms (1999–2008) and is currently head of the United Nations Development Programme. Margaret Wilson has served as speaker of the House of Representatives, and several women have served as governor-general, most recently Dame [Page 1009]Sian Elias (who has also served as chief justice) and Dame Sylvia Cartwright.

New Zealand women enjoy a high standard of maternal and child care. Ninety-five percent of births are attended by skilled personnel, and infant and maternal mortality are quite low, at 5 per 1,000 live births and 4 per 100,000 live births, respectively. Abortion is available on several grounds, including fetal deformity, rape, and to preserve the mother's life or mental or physical health, and almost three quarters of married women report using contraceptives. Save the Children ranks New Zealand 5th on its Mother's Index, 6th on the Womens’ Index, and 19th on the Children's Index.