General facts 3 land and recources 4

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

GDP (1989): $40.1 billion; $10,588 per capita

Labor distribution (1990): commerce and service – 37%; manufacturing – 17%; agriculture and fishing – 11%; construction – 6%; government and public authorities – 28%

Foreign trade (1990 est.): imports – $9.4 billion; export – $9.1 billion; principal trade partners – Australia, Japan, United States, United Kingdom

Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar = 100 cents

New Zealand is an advanced industrial state with an economy dependent on trade. Commodities were traditionally exported to Great Britain. These exports decreased once Great Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1971, causing great economic upheaval in New Zealand. A second jolt forcing New Zealand to reexamine its traditional economic ties was the oil crisis of the early 1970s, which increased the nation’s oil bill by 123%. Today New Zealand is attempting to build new markets, particularly in the Pacific region, to increase economic self-reliance, and to restructure the economy to make it more responsive to world market forces.

Agriculture

Although fewer than 1% of New Zealand’s people are farmers, agricultural productions has generated most of the nation’s wealth. New Zealand is the world’s third largest producer and second exporter of wool and produces approximately 50% of the world’s lamb and mutton exports. Sheep in New Zealand outnumber people by nearly 20 to 1. There are also more than 8 million cattle, and the country is the world’s largest and most efficient exporter of dairy products. New Zealand is also a major exporter of fresh fruit, beef, and fish. The government is funding research to make farming more efficient and adaptable to world market trends. The strategy is to grow, make, and market anything the climate will support and a world market will buy. Thus, the emphasis is on marketing food for specialized markets rather than on bulk exporting.