Largest Islands of New Zealand

Geography

New Zealand is near the centre of the water hemisphere and comprises two main islands and more than 700 smaller islands. The two main islands (the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu) are separated by Cook Strait, 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point. Besides the North and South Islands, the five largest inhabited islands are Stewart Island (across the Foveaux Strait), Chatham Island, Great Barrier Island (in the Hauraki Gulf), D'Urville Island (in the Marlborough Sounds) and Waiheke Island (about 22 km (14 mi) from central Auckland).

History

The first people to reach New Zealand were Polynesians in oceangoing waka, who are believed to have arrived in several waves between about 1280 and 1350. According to most Māori oral traditions, the islands were first discovered by the semi-legendary explorer Kupe while in pursuit of a giant octopus. These traditions hold that Kupe was followed by a great fleet of settlers, who set out from Hawaiki in eastern Polynesia around 1350. The existence of a single great fleet that settled New Zealand has since been superseded by the belief that the majority of settlement was a planned and deliberate event that occurred over several decades.

The exact date of this settlement is unclear, with recent sources favouring settlement in the 14th century.

Demographics

The 2023 New Zealand census enumerated a resident population of 4,993,923, an increase of 6.3% over the 2018 census figure. As of October 2026, the total population has risen to an estimated 5,358,440. New Zealand's population increased at a rate of 1.9% per year in the seven years ended June 2020. In September 2020 Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people in September 2019, according to population estimates based on the 2018 census.

New Zealand's population today is concentrated to the north of the country, with around 76.4% of the population living in the North Island and 23.6% in the South Island as of June 2025. During the 20th century, New Zealand's population drifted north.

Economy

New Zealand has an advanced market economy, ranked 16th in the 2022 Human Development Index, and fourth in the 2022 Index of Economic Freedom. It is a high-income economy with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (in United States dollar equivalents) of $48,071 as of 2023.The currency is the New Zealand dollar, informally known as the "Kiwi dollar"; it also circulates in the Cook Islands (see Cook Islands dollar), Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands.

Historically, extractive industries have contributed strongly to New Zealand's economy, focusing at different times on sealing, whaling, flax, gold, kauri gum, and native timber.

Geography

The chain forms a roughly inverted triangular shape, stretching from Penrhyn in the northeast to Pukapuka in the northwest and to Suwarrow in the south. The Northern Cook Islands are separated from the Southern Cook Islands by a wide stretch of the Pacific Ocean, with the nearest part of the Southern chain being Palmerston Island, 500 kilometres (310 mi) due south of Suwarrow.

With an area of just 21 sq. km. and a population of 1,041 (according to the 2016 census), the islands only account for some 6% of the Cooks' population and 9% of the land area. Almost all of this population is on the three islands of Pukapuka, Manihiki, and Penrhyn.

History

The islands were settled by Polynesians for several centuries before the first European visitors, Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña, navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, and their crew reached and named the island of San Bernardo in 1595, now widely believed to have been Pukapuka. De Queirós returned to the region in 1606 in charge of his own vessel, making landfall at Rakahanga.

The population of the chain was decimated by blackbirding during the 19th century, with the island of Tongareva (now more widely known as Penrhyn) being almost completely depopulated. At the end of the century, the chain became part of the Cook Islands Protectorate before the entire protectorate was annexed to New Zealand in 1900.

Economy

In general terms, the northern group is the less well economically developed of the two chains, having far less connection with the rest of the world than the southern chain. A compounding factor is the limited economic resources of the islands; though fishing is important to the group, the coral soil is of poor fertility and fresh water is generally in poor supply. The population is in decline, having reduced from over 2000 in the early 1960s.

The higher susceptibility of the chain to tropical cyclones (and the propensity for greater damage due to its low-lying nature) has also caused considerable hardship, with severe damage being recorded after Cyclone Percy in 2005.

Climate

The climate is tropical, moderated by trade winds, with a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March. The islands are in the path of tropical cyclones from December to March, the most notable of which were cyclones Martin (1997) and Percy (2005).

Geography

The South Island, with an area of 150,437 km2 (58,084 sq mi), is the largest landmass of New Zealand; it contains about one-quarter of the New Zealand population and is the world's 12th-largest island. It is divided along its length by the Southern Alps, the highest peak of which is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft), with the high Kaikōura Ranges to the northeast. There are eighteen peaks of more than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in the South Island. The east side of the island is home to the Canterbury Plains while the western side is renowned for its rough coastlines in Fiordland and along the West Coast, a very high proportion of native bush, and Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

History

Archaeological investigations of the Wairau Bar in the north east of the South Island suggest that the site was part of the first era of colonisation of New Zealand, around 1288–1300 CE. Wairau Bar is a rare example in New Zealand of an early East Polynesian settlement clustered around a central point, and is described as "the type-site of the earliest phase of New Zealand's prehistory".

Rock art painted in red ochre and charcoal can be found on limestone rock shelters in over 550 different locations across the South Island. Stretching from Kaikōura to North Otago, the drawings are estimated to be between 500 and 800 years old and portray animals, people and fantastic creatures, possibly stylised reptiles. Some of the birds pictured are long extinct, including moa and Haast's eagles.

Demographics

Compared to the more populated and multi-ethnic North Island, the South Island has a smaller, more homogeneous resident population of 1,256,700 (June 2025).

In the early years of European settlement in New Zealand, the South Island's percentage of the New Zealand population was far higher than it is today, equalling or even exceeding the population of the North Island. This was exacerbated by the New Zealand Wars and the Otago gold rush of the 1860s. Since that time, the South Island's population as a percentage of the country's total population has steadily decreased, with the population of the South Island now being less than that of the North Island's largest city, Auckland.

Economy

The South Island economy is strongly focused on tourism and primary industries like agriculture. The other main industry groups are manufacturing, mining, construction, energy supply, education, health and community services.

The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the South Island was estimated at NZ$78.94 billion in the year to March 2022, 21.9% of New Zealand's national GDP. The subnational GDP per capita was estimated at $65,875 in the same period.

The South Island is a major centre for electricity generation, especially in the southern half of the island, and especially from hydroelectricity.

Geography

During the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, the North and South islands were connected by a vast coastal plain which formed at the South Taranaki Bight. During this period, most of the North Island was covered in thorn scrubland and forest, while the modern-day Northland Peninsula was a subtropical rainforest. Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating the islands and linking the Cook Strait to the Tasman Sea.

Demographics

The North Island has an estimated population of 4,067,400 as of June 2025.

The North Island had a population of 3,808,005 at the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 213,453 people (5.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 570,957 people (17.6%) since the 2013 census. Of the total population, 733,893 people (19.3%) were aged under 15 years, 743,154 (19.5%) were 15 to 29, 1,721,427 (45.2%) were 30 to 64, and 609,534 (16.0%) were 65 or older.

Ever since the conclusion of the Otago gold rush in the 1860s, New Zealand's European population growth has experienced a steady 'Northern drift' as population centres in the North Island have grown faster than those of New Zealand's South Island. This population trend has continued into the twenty-first century, but at a much slower rate.

Geography

Tokelau includes three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean between longitudes 171° W and 173° W and between latitudes 8° S and 10° S, about midway between Hawaii and New Zealand. From Atafu in the north to Fakaofo in the south, Tokelau extends for less than 200 kilometres (120 mi). The atolls lie about 500 kilometres (310 mi) north of Samoa. The atolls are Atafu and Nukunonu, both in an island group once called the Duke of Clarence Group, and Fakaofo, once Bowditch Island. Their combined land area is 10.8 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi). The atolls each have a number of coral islands, where the villages are situated. The highest point of Tokelau is just 5 metres (16 ft) above sea level.

History

Archaeological evidence indicates that the atolls of Tokelau – Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo – were settled about 1,000 years ago from Samoa and may have been a gateway into Eastern Polynesia. The inhabitants embrace Polynesian mythology and the local god, Tui Tokelau. Over time, they developed distinctive musical and art forms. The three atolls have historically functioned separately politically, while maintaining social and linguistic cohesion. Tokelauan society has been governed by chiefly clans, and there have been occasional skirmishes and wars between the atolls, as well as inter-marriage. Fakaofo, the "chiefly island", held some dominion over Atafu and Nukunonu after the dispersal of Atafu.

Demographics

According to the 2016 Tokelau Census, Tokelau has a de jure usually resident population of 1,499 people. The census shows a 6.2% increase in the de jure usually resident population between 2011 and 2016.

The nationals of Tokelau are called Tokelauans, and the major ethnic group is Polynesian; it has no recorded minority groups. About 84% of inhabitants are of wholly or partly Tokelauan ethnicity; people of Samoan ethnicity make up 6.7% of the population, and Tuvaluans 2.8%. The main language – spoken by over 90% of inhabitants – is Tokelauan, but almost 60% also speak English.

The less than 1,500 Polynesian inhabitants live in three villages. Their isolation and lack of resources greatly limits economic development and confines agriculture to the subsistence level.

Economy

Tokelau's economy is among the smallest globally, primarily characterized by subsistence agriculture and fishing. The residents cultivate crops such as coconuts (for copra), taro, breadfruit, papayas, bananas, and figs, and raise livestock including pigs and poultry. Fishing, particularly for local consumption, plays a vital role in their sustenance.

The territory's economic activities are limited, with revenues stemming from the sale of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, handicrafts, and remittances from Tokelauans residing in New Zealand.

Geography

The islands lie within 29° to 31.5° south latitude and 178° to 179° west longitude, 800–1,000 km (500–620 mi; 430–540 nmi) northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The total area of the islands is 33.6 km2 (12.97 sq mi).

The climate of the islands is subtropical, with a mean monthly temperature of 22.4 °C (72.3 °F) in February and 16.0 °C (60.8 °F) in August. Rainfall is approximately 1,500 mm (60 in) annually, with lower rainfall from October to January.

Raoul Island or Sunday Island is by far the largest of the islands. It lies 900 km (560 mi; 490 nmi) south-southwest of 'Ata, the southernmost island of Tonga, and 1,100 km (680 mi; 590 nmi) north-northeast of New Zealand.

History

As indicated by their name for the islands, Rangitāhua (lit. 'the stopping-off place'), Polynesian people "stopped off" on the Kermadec Islands in around the 14th century (and perhaps previously in the 10th century). Their arrival is also evident in the presence of introduced taro and candlenut growing wild in certain areas of Raoul Island supported by its relatively warm climate. However, the first Europeans to reach the area – arriving on board the Lady Penrhyn in May 1788 – found no inhabitants on these volcanic islands.

British, American and Australian whaling vessels cruised offshore in the 19th century and often visited the islands in search of water, wood and food. The first such vessel on record was the whaler Fanny that visited Raoul Island in 1823.

Geography

Stewart Island has an area of 1,680 square kilometres (650 sq mi). The highest point is Mount Anglem, at 980 metres (3,215 ft) above sea level, located close to the island's north coast. Following the passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, the official name of the peak was altered to Mount Anglem / Hananui.

The southern half is more uniformly undulating, rising to a ridge that runs south from the valley of the Rakeahua River, which also flows into Paterson Inlet. The southernmost point in this ridge is Mount Allen, at 750 metres (2,460 ft). Notable twin rock formations in this region are granite domes known as Gog and Magog.

Mason Bay, on the west side, is notable for being long and sandy.

History and naming

Archaeology indicates that the island was settled in the 14th century, shortly after the Māori settled in the South Island.

The original Māori name, Te Punga o Te Waka a Māui, means "The Anchor Stone of Māui’s Canoe". This refers to the legend of Māui and his crew, who from their canoe Te Waka a Māui (the South Island), caught and raised the great fish Te Ika a Māui, the North Island.

The more common Māori name, Rakiura, is usually translated as "glowing skies" in reference to the aurora australis.

For some, Rakiura is the abbreviated version of Te Rakiura a Te Rakitamau, translated as "great blush of Rakitamau", in reference to the latter's embarrassment when refused the hand in marriage of not one but two daughters of an island chief.

Climate

Stewart Island has a temperate climate. However, one travel guide mentions "frequent downpours that make 'boots and waterproof clothing mandatory", and another guide says that rainfall in Oban, the principal settlement, is 1,600 to 1,800 mm (63 to 71 in) a year.

Ecology

Noeline Baker purchased land near Halfmoon Bay in the early 1930s and with a checklist by botanist Leonard Cockayne populated it with all the local indigenous plants. She gave the land and her house to the government in 1940, and today Moturau Moana is New Zealand's southernmost public garden.

There are many species of birds on Stewart Island that have been able to continue to thrive because of the absence of the stoats, ferrets, and weasels that humans brought to the main islands. There are even more species of birds, including huge colonies of sooty shearwater and other seabirds, on The Snares and the other smaller islands offshore. The birds of Stewart Island include weka, kākā, albatross, the flightless Stewart Island kiwi, silvereyes, fantails, and kererū.

Geography

The Auckland Islands lie 360 km (220 mi) south of Stewart Island, and 465 km (289 mi) from the South Island port of Bluff, between the latitudes 50° 30' and 50° 55' S and longitudes 165° 50' and 166° 20' E.

They include Auckland Island, Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island, and Green Island, with a combined area of 570 km2 (220 sq mi). The islands are close to each other, forming a kind of banjo-shape, incised by narrow channels, and a rugged coastline, with numerous deep inlets.

Auckland Island, the main island, has an approximate land area of 510 km2 (197 sq mi), and a length of 42 km (26 mi). It is notable for its steep cliffs and rugged terrain, which rises to over 600 m (1,969 ft).

History

Evidence exists that Polynesian voyagers first discovered the Auckland Islands. Traces of Polynesian settlement, possibly dating to the 13th century, have been found by archaeologists on Enderby Island. This is the most southerly settlement by Polynesians yet known.

The whaler Ocean, captained by Abraham Bristow, rediscovered the islands in 1806, finding them uninhabited. Bristow named them "Lord Auckland's" on 18 August 1806 in honour of his father's friend William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland (whose son the Earl of Auckland would be namesake of New Zealand's largest city). Bristow worked for the businessman Samuel Enderby, the namesake of Enderby Island. The following year Bristow returned on Sarah to claim the archipelago for Britain.

Ecology

The botany of the islands was first described in the Flora of Lord Auckland and Campbell's Islands, a product of the Ross expedition of 1839–43, written by Joseph Dalton Hooker and published by Reeve Brothers in London between 1843 and 1845. Since then, many other botanists have studied the flora of the Auckland Islands, which comprises 228 vascular plant species, of which over 80% are indigenous and about 20% are introduced.

The vegetation of the islands sub-divides into distinct altitudinal zones. Inland from the salt-spray zone, the fringes of the islands predominantly feature forests of southern rātā Metrosideros umbellata, and in places the subantarctic tree daisy (Olearia lyallii), probably introduced by sealers.

Geography

The Chatham Islands lie roughly 840 km (455 nmi) east of Christchurch in the South Island. The nearest New Zealand mainland point to the islands is Cape Turnagain, in the North Island, 650 km (350 nmi) distant. The islands sit on the Chatham Rise, a large, relatively shallowly submerged (no more than 1,000 m or 3,281 ft deep at any point) plateau that stretches east from near the South Island. The Chatham Rise is part of the now largely submerged continent of Zealandia. The islands, which emerged only within the last 4 million years, are the only part of the Chatham Rise showing above sea level.

The two largest islands, Chatham Island and Pitt Island (Rangiaotea), constitute most of the total area of 793.87 km2 (307 sq mi), with 12 scattered islets making up the rest.

History

The first human inhabitants of the Chatham Islands are the Moriori. They are descended from the East Polynesians who settled New Zealand and from whom the Māori also descended. A group of New Zealand Polynesians migrated from mainland New Zealand to the Chatham Islands, probably in the 15th century. Traditions of Moriori genealogy and some features of artefacts suggest that some arrivals may have come directly to the Chathams Islands from tropical East Polynesia. The Chathams are no further from Rarotonga than the Coromandel coast is, and it is possible that they were settled separately during the Polynesian exploration of the South Pacific, with most of the immigrants coming from New Zealand later.

Economy and infrastructure

Most of the Chatham Island economy is based on fishing and crayfishing, with only a fragment of the economic activity in adventure tourism. This economic mix has been stable for the past 50 years, as little infrastructure or population is present to engage in higher levels of industrial or telecommunications activity.

Two 225 kW wind turbines and diesel generators provide mains power on Chatham Island, at costs of five to ten times that of electricity on the main islands of New Zealand. During 2014, 65% of the electricity was generated from diesel generators, the balance from wind. For heating, electricity comes second to wood. In 2013, solar power contributed about a third as much as mains-generated electricity.