New Zealand

American  

[zee-luhnd] / ˈzi lənd /

noun

1. a country in the South Pacific, southeast of Australia, consisting of North Island, South Island, and adjacent small islands: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations: 103,416 sq. mi. (267,845 sq. km). Wellington.

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New Zealand British  

/ ˈziːlənd /

noun

1. an independent dominion within the Commonwealth, occupying two main islands (the North Island and the South Island), Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and a number of minor islands in the SE Pacific: original Māori inhabitants ceded sovereignty to the British government in 1840; became a dominion in 1907; a major world exporter of dairy products, wool, and meat. Official languages: English and Māori. Religion: Christian majority, nonreligious and Māori minorities. Currency: New Zealand dollar. Capital: Wellington. Pop: 4 365 113 (2013 est). Area: 270 534 sq km (104 454 sq miles)

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New Zealand Cultural  

1. Nation in the southern Pacific Ocean containing two principal islands — North Island and South Island — and several small outlying islands. Its capital is Wellington, and its largest city is Auckland.

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Discover More

New Zealand is known for its sheep industry and spectacular scenery.

Other Word Forms

• New Zealander
  noun

Example Sentences

"Win or lose, I will be in floods of tears and I wanted to be doing that in Edinburgh rather than New Zealand," she told the BBC.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

That person, who remains healthy, is now in the remote Pitcairn Islands in the south Pacific Ocean — halfway between Peru and New Zealand.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

The company, which is also backed by Bain Capital, plans to expand to geographies like Australia, New Zealand, India and South Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Storm systems moving through the region also shape weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the world.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

Tests on other samples–from Denmark, Spain, France, New Zealand, Antarctica–showed that the iridium deposit was worldwide and greatly elevated everywhere, sometimes by as much as five hundred times normal levels.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson