Big and interesting cities of New Zealand - Реферат

Big and interesting cities of New Zealand Introduction Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, the country’s second largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. It is in the Wellington region at the southern tip of the North Island, near the geographical center of the country. Like many cities, Wellingtons urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority. Greater Wellington or the Wellington Region means the entire urban area, plus the rural parts of the cities and the Kapiti Coast, and across the Rimutaka Range to the Wairarapa. Wellington was named in honor of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor at the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke’s title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset. Wellington is New Zealand’s political center, housing Parliament and the head offices of all government ministries and departments. Wellington’s compact city center supports an arts scene, cafe, culture and nightlife much larger than most cities of a similar size. It is a center of New Zealand’s film and theatre industry. Te Papa Tongarewa (the Museum of New Zealand), the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the biennial International Festival of the Arts are all sited there. Wellington has the 12th best quality of living in the world, according to a 2006 study by consulting company Mercer. Of cities with English as the primary language, Wellington ranked fourth. In 1865 Wellington became the capital of New Zealand, replacing Auckland, where William Hobson had established his capital in 1841. Parliament first sat in Wellington on 7 July 1862, but the city did not become the official capital for some time. In November 1863 the Premier Alfred Domett moved a resolution before Parliament (in Auckland) that ... it has become necessary that the seat of government... should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Strait. Apparently there was concern that the southern regions, where the gold fields were located, would form a separate colony. Commissioners from Australia pronounced the opinion that Wellington was suitable because of its harbor and central location. Parliament officially sat in Wellington for the first time on 26 July 1865. The population of Wellington was then 4,900. Wellington is the seat of New Zealand’s highest court, the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The historic former High Court building is to be refurbished for the courts use. Wellington stands at the south-western tip of the North Island on Cook Strait, the passage that separates the North and South Islands. On a clear day the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges are visible to the south across the strait. To the north stretch the golden beaches of the Kapiti Coast. On the east the Rimutaka Range divides Wellington from the broad plains of the Wairarapa, a wine region of national acclaim. Wellington Harbor has three islands: Matiu/Somes Island, Makaro/Ward Island and Mokopuna. Only Matiu/Somes Island is large enough for settlement. It has been used as a quarantine station for people and animals and as an internment camp during the First and Second World Wars. It is now a conservation island, providing refuge for endangered species, much like Kapiti Island further up the coast. There is access during daylight hours by the Dominion Post Ferry. The population of Wellington, including the outlying areas, is approaching 400,000. In the 2001 census, 18.5 percent of people were under 15, compared with 22.7 percent for New Zealand. About 8.6 percent of people were aged 65 and over, compared with 12.1 percent for New Zealand. 85.6 percent of people in Wellington city said they are of European ethnic origin. Around 4.1 percent are Maori, with the remainder being of Pacific Islander, Asian or other ethnicity. Wellington is the arts and culture capital of New Zealand, and is the center of the nations film industry. Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and a growing team of creative professionals have managed to turn the eastern suburb of Miramar into one of the worlds finest film-making infrastructures. Directors like Jane Campion and Vincent Ward have managed to reach the worlds screens with their independent spirit. Emerging Kiwi film-makers, like Taika Waititi, Charlie Bleakley, Costa Botes and Jennifer Bush-Daumec, are extending the Wellington-based lineage and cinematic scope. Wellington is home to Te Papa Tongarewa (the Museum of New Zealand), The Museum of Wellington City and Sea, The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Museum, Colonial Cottage, The New Zealand Cricket Museum, The Cable Car Museum, The Reserve Bank Museum, the national opera company, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, City Gallery, Chamber Music New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Ballet, St James Theatre, Downstage Theatre, Bats Theatre and Arts Foundation of New Zealand. As a capital city, Wellington is home to diplomatic missions with cultural officers ready to interface with these aspects of