- Geography - located in southern Pacific Ocean; app 2,000km south east of the Australia.
- History - discovered in 1769; became a British colony in 1840.
- Population - 4.7 million; Wellington is the capital city, Auckland is the commercial centre and home to nearly half of the country’s population.
- Currency - NZ dollar (NZD).
- Derived from the laws of England.
- The governing statute is the Trustee Act 1956.
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Other relevant statutes are the Perpetuities Act 1964, which modifies the common law rules against perpetuities and accumulations, and the Charitable Trusts Act 1957, which provides for the incorporation and regulation of charitable trusts.
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The governing statute is the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009.
- NZ is a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected Parliament.
- Queen Elizabeth II is the heads of state, represented by the Governor General.
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Parliament is the governing body, consisting of a single House of Representatives with app 120 members elected under as proportional representation electoral system.
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NZ has a "common law" legal system derived from England, comprising statute law, supplemented by common law decisions of the courts.
- The New Zealand court system comprises four tiers:
1. District Court
2. High Court
3. Court of Appeal
4. Supreme Court
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Taxation revenues in New Zealand are derived substantially from income tax levied under the Income Tax Act 2007 and the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985.
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Residents of New Zealand are liable to New Zealand tax on their worldwide income. Credit is allowed for any overseas tax paid (even in the absence of a tax treaty), limited to the New Zealand tax payable on that income.
- Non- residents are taxed only on income which has its source in New Zealand.
