Basic Indicators and Information

Area : 270,000 km2

Population: 4.242.048 (March 2013 Census)

GDP: 170.6 billion USD (2015, IMF)

GDP Per Capita: 36,964 USD (2015, IMF)

GDP Growth Rate:2.9% (RBNZ)

Inflation Rate:0.4% (July 2016, RBNZ)

Unemployment:5.3% (2015, Statistics NZ)

Currency and Exchange Rate: New Zealand Dollar(June 2016): US $ 0.7100

Government

Type: Parliamentary Democracy and a Commonwealth Realm

Constitution: No formal, written constitution

Branches: Executive – Queen Elizabeth II (Head of State represented by a Governor General)

Governor General: Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jerry Mateparae

Head of Government (Prime Minister): The Right Honorable John Key

Legislative – Unicameral House of Representatives – commonly called Parliament.

Speaker of the Parliament : The Right Honourable David Carter

Minister of Foreign Affairs : Honorable Murray McCully

Judicial - Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; High Court; note- judges appointed by the
Governor General

Brief History of The Common Bonds Between Turkey – New Zealand:

The first encounter of Turkey and New Zealand was on the battlefields of Çanakkale, the
scene of a fierce but, at the same time, gentlemanly war in 1915. This has created a bond of mutual respect, admiration and friendship. The historical bond between the two countries constitutes a strong foundation to further strengthen and deepen their relations in every field.

The warm sentiments between the Turkish and New Zealand nations were best voiced in the
message of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, which was sent to the New Zealand and
Australian mothers in 1934, and its text is as follows:

“Those heroes that shed their blood

And lost their lives…

You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country

Therefore rest in peace.

There is no difference between the Johnnies

And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side

Here in this country of ours…

You the mothers,

Who sent their sons from far away countries

Wipe away your tears,

Your sons are now lying in our bosom

And are in peace

After having lost their lives on this land

They have become our sons as well.”

The above message is inscripted at the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington, which was built by
the New Zealand Government and unveiled in April 1990 by the Turkish Minister of
Agriculture. The Memorial comprises a marble crescent, a bust of Atatürk, inscriptions and
soil from Anzac Cove.

Turkey and New Zealand opened Embassies in each other’s’ capitals respectively in 1992 and
1993.