New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - This name — given by S. Cook in 1769 to the lands already known to Tasman, discovered and christened Terra degli Stati in 1642 — designates the archipelago located to the SE of the Australian continent (between 166° and 179° E Greenwich); it consists of two major islands (North Island and South Island), the more southerly Stewart Island and a small number of minor units.

Of the two major islands, the northern one, less extensive, consists of an elevated plateau, on which active volcanic cones rise and lake surfaces (L. Taupo) also of volcanic origin open out, surmounted to the E by chains of mountains and hills. The region is famous for the abundance and impressiveness of its volcanic manifestations (geysers, fumaroles, solfataras, hot springs, etc.). The southern island, of an entirely different character, is traversed by a series of reliefs which, by their height (Mount Cook, 3764 m) and their landscape, well deserve the name of New Zealand Alps. The western coast, over which the mountains loom precipitously, is carved by fjords; the eastern one, toward which the rivers flow, is low and flat. The climate is temperate and uniform (oceanic), with abundant and well-distributed precipitation. Slightly less than half (47.4%) of the soil of N. Z. is covered with natural meadows and pastures, over a quarter (26.6%) is clad in forests, while arable land is reduced to minimal proportions (2%). The dominant occupation has long been and remains livestock raising (32.5 million head of sheep, 4.7 million of cattle; 1.7 million quintals of wool in 1947), but the recent world wars have stimulated all forms of activity, permitted by an environment that has at its disposal ample mineral resources (precious metals, but above all iron), water resources (2 million HP, of which 670,000 installed) and fishing resources; and industry has received a decisive impulse from this (though food industries remain in the lead, all industries are more or less widely represented).

The indigenous people (Maori) are by now reduced to little more than 50,000; the population (1.9 million inhabitants; 7 per sq km) is almost exclusively of British origin, foreigners not exceeding 1.5% of the total. The major inhabited centers all rise on the eastern side of the archipelago and correspond to the ports with the most intense traffic. On the North Island are the capital Wellington (200,000 inhabitants) and Auckland (300,000 inhabitants), the most populous city; on the South Island Christchurch (170) and Dunedin (90).

Since 1907 N. Z. has constituted a Dominion within the English Commonwealth, with broad autonomy and its own Parliament. In addition to a good number of annexed oceanic dependencies (Cook Islands, Union or Tokelau Islands, Kermadec, and Niue or Savage) or outlying ones (that is, situated within the boundaries of N. Z., but far from the main islands: Antipodes Islands, Auckland, Bounty, Campbell, Three Kings, Snares, Manawatavy, almost all uninhabited), the administration of Western Samoa has belonged to the New Zealand Dominion since 1920 as a trusteeship.

Giuseppe Caraci

II. EVANGELIZATION

The first Catholic of New Zealand was the Irishman Thomas Poynton, who landed at Hokianga in 1828. In 1829 the Congregation of Propaganda, accepting the plan of the priest Henri de Solages, decreed the erection of the apostolic prefecture of the Islands of the South Sea or Great Ocean, formed from the territories "between the equator and the

Antarctic Pole, and between Easter Island and New Zealand" included; on 20 May 1833 it divided this apostolic prefecture into two apostolic vicariates, namely Eastern Oceania and Western Oceania; and on 23 Dec. 1835 it entrusted the apostolic vicariate of Western Oceania to the Marists. The new bishop, Msgr. G. B. Pompallier, reached it with 4 Marist fathers and 3 lay brothers on 10 Jan. 1838. After long and dangerous reconnaissances in his territory, Pompallier fixed the seat of the apostolic vicariate in New Zealand. In 1840 the Catholics, almost all peasants come from Ireland, were already more than 500, out of a white population of about 5000 inhabitants. In 1851 they were 3472, out of 26,707 whites. The Marist Fathers, from their arrival in New Zealand, began to evangelize the Maori.

On 23 Aug. 1842 the apostolic vicariate was dismembered with the erection of the new apostolic vicariate of Central Oceania, entrusted to Msgr. Philip Joseph Viard, already coadjutor bishop of Msgr. Pompallier. As Pompallier found himself in Rome for the second time, New Zealand was divided on 20 June 1848 into two dioceses: Auckland and Port Nicholson. The first was given to Msgr. Pompallier, the other to Msgr. Viard. In 1850 the Marists all moved to Port Nicholson, while Pompallier, assisted by a few secular and regular priests, had to witness the almost total ruin of the apostolic vicariate caused by the Maori rebellion, which broke out in 1859 against the English government. In 1869, having returned once more to Rome, he resigned his diocese in order to retire to France. On 10 May 1887 the Holy See established the ordinary hierarchy, instituting the archdiocese of Wellington with its suffragans: Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin.

III. THE MISSIONS AMONG THE MAORI

From their arrival in N. Z. (1838) the Marist Fathers began to evangelize the Maori. In 1850, when they left the diocese of Auckland to take over that of Wellington, there were 5044 neophytes in that region. In 1853 about 1000 indigenous Christians were counted in the diocese of Wellington. These missions continued to flourish until 1850, when the rebellions of the natives broke out, closing their territory to all whites: the missions were almost completely ruined. Once peace returned in 1871, the Marists resumed their work among the Maori of the dioceses of Wellington and Christchurch. Among those of the diocese of Auckland, the Fathers of the Society of St. Joseph of Mill-Hill have been working since 21 June 1888, under the authority of the Ordinary. The work is difficult, because the Maori are scattered in small groups over a vast territory and because one must struggle against the competition of Protestant missionaries very well supplied with resources. The number of Maori has been decreasing (50,000, more than 12,000 Protestants). The main nucleus is still found in the district of Auckland.

Nicola Kowalsky

IV. SCHOOL SYSTEM

In the years 1855 and 1857 primary education was established and the whole country was divided into thirteen "education districts" comprising various "schools districts." The latter were divided into "schools committees," which were responsible for electing the higher Council of Education. The Education Act of 1877 established that elementary education was to be compulsory from 7 to 14 years of age, secular and free. With the Act of 1915 the number of education districts was reduced to nine. The Education Amendment Act from the year 1921 to 1922 made the registration of all private schools obligatory, and the teachers of these were required to take an oath of loyalty to the State. In the year 1946 an advisory Committee was established which drew up a report on pre-school education: noting the necessity of the State's complete assumption of pre-school services and the dissolution of all private nurseries and kindergartens, and leaving to ecclesiastical organizations only the right of religious instruction. The vocational guidance of young people belongs solely to the State, which for this purpose has created guidance centers and psychology divisions. For every pupil in the schools, record cards have been instituted that reflect the tendencies and inclinations not only of each pupil but also of the parents.

Elementary and secondary school instruction is the same as that of England. Higher education comprises the University of New Zealand, founded in 1869, the University of Otago in Dunedin founded in 1871, Canterbury College founded in 1873 in Christchurch, Auckland University College founded in 1882, Victoria College in Wellington founded in 1897, Massey Agricultural College in Palmerston North founded in 1926. The education of the Catholic clergy takes place in 2 seminaries. Catholics administer 119 primary schools and 40 secondary schools.