Megaupload founder refused bail in New Zealand

(Reuters) - A New Zealand court refused an appeal by the founder of online file-sharing site Megaupload.com to be freed on bail, Friday, agreeing with prosecutors there was a risk he would attempt to flee before an extradition hearing.

Kim Dotcom, a German national also known as Kim Schmitz and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, was returned to custody until February 22 ahead of a hearing on an extradition application by the United States.

The High Court in Auckland said the lower court judge was right to rule there was a significant risk Dotcom, who had passports and bank accounts in three names, might try to flee the country.

There was nothing to tie Dotcom to New Zealand except his motivation to fight the charges and get his funds, Justice Raynor Asher said.

"The judge correctly concluded that the risk of flight cannot be mitigated by the imposition of conditions, including electronic monitoring," said prosecutor Anne Toohey.

STRENUOUSLY DENIES CHARGES

Prosecutors say Dotcom was the ringleader of a group that netted $175 million since 2005 by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorization.

Dotcom's lawyers say the company simply offered online storage and that he strenuously denies the charges and will fight extradition.

Dotcom, 38, and three others, were arrested on January 20 after armed New Zealand police raided his country estate at the request of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He told the court that with his assets frozen and business shut down he had no intention of trying to flee to his native Germany, where he would be safe from extradition.

"I will not run away. I want to fight these allegations on a level playing field. I have three little children. My wife is pregnant with twins. I just want to be with them," he said in court.

EXTREME FLIGHT RISK, FUNNY VISITS

The prosecution again painted Dotcom as an extreme flight risk because of he had multiple passports, sources of funds, access to various means of travel, and previous history of fleeing to avoid criminal charges.

Officers cut Dotcom out of a safe room he had barricaded himself in within the sprawling mansion, reputedly New Zealand's most expensive home.

Dotcom said he said he had received "funny visits" and contacts while in jail, including one from a man claiming to be a prosecutor asking for money in return for a favorable bail hearing. He denied knowing anyone with a background in providing forged documents, whom the prosecution said had tried to visit him.

He said police had been unnecessarily aggressive when they raided his property.

"I was punched in the face, I was kicked down on the floor, one guy was standing on my hands ... it was bleeding."

Legal experts have said extradition hearings are likely to be drawn out with appeals likely all the way to the country's highest court.

The lower court judge said the accused appeared to have "an arguable defense at least in respect of the breach of copyright charges."

(Writing by Gyles Beckford; Editing by Ed Lane)

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Bangladeshi scientist brings good news for acid victims

A Bangladeshi scientist now living in New Zealand has brought good news for the people with severe wound and similar physical injury from acid attack and fire incident.

Dr Azam Ali, an agro-scientist, has invented a bio-based wound dressing, which cures severe wound 40 percent faster than any other conventional medicine currently available on the market.

A leading pharmaceutical company from Bangladesh has already contacted the scientist to introduce the new product on the local market.

The breakthrough innovation of the Bangladeshi scientist won the globally reputed Bayer Innovation of the Year Award in 2010.

Dr Azam Ali (in the middle), winner of New Zealand’s prestigious Bayer Innovators Awards 2010 in Science and Health category poses with other winners of the award. Photo: Bayer Innovators

Ali has invented bio-based materials to create new wound dressing, bone-graft implant products and medical suture technology using wool from New Zealand sheep. He uses low-volume protein sources from the wool to wound dressing and medical devices.

Two of his wound-care medical products are now being used at New Zealand hospitals and are approved for use in Australia, United States and the European Union.

"Bangladesh can get benefit out of the invention," Ali said in an interview with BSS last week when he came to Dhaka for a personal visit.

He said the new wound dressing dramatically brings down the treatment time while the result is far better than any other existing treatment process as the bio-based wound dressing accelerates wound healing process and tissue growth.

"It works 40 percent faster than any other traditional products in wound treatment", Ali said.

The scientist sees very bright prospect of using the new product in Bangladesh because of availability of natural raw materials.

He pointed out that Bangladesh can use shrimp shell in place of wool to produce the same products with similar quality and effectiveness.

'There is lot of shrimp shells available at the industry where shrimp are being processed regularly for either export or domestic use," he said.

Ali said he is now in talks with a local pharmaceutical company to introduce the products in Bangladesh.

"We are expecting a positive result from the on-going discussions and hoping to introduce the products in a year," he said,

He believes the new products will serve better in treating the acid victims and the people with severe burn injury.

He, however, said the treatment would be costlier than the existing synthetic products, but it would heal the wounds of the acid and burn victims to the extent so they can get back to normal life.

A post graduate in chemistry from Jahangirnagar University, Ali did higher study in his subject in the United State before joining in research work first in Korea and then in New Zealand.

Currently, he is a senior scientist at the AgResearch, a leading research organisation in New Zealand.

Source: The Daily Star

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New Zealand quake Photo's Part-2

New Zealand quake Photo's Part-1

Image: Mark Mitchell, New Zealand Herald / AP Photo

Image: David Wethey, EPA / Landov

Image: Mark Mitchell, New Zealand Herald / AP Photo

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New Zealand quake Photo's

Image: Logan McMillan, AFP / Getty Images

Image: Martin Hunter / Getty Images

Image: Logan McMillan, AFP / Getty Images

Image: Martin Hunter / Getty Images

Image: Kristy Graham, Ashburton Guardian / AP Photo

New Zealand quake Photo's Part-1

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New Zealand quake kills at least 65

(Reuters) - A strong earthquake killed at least 65 people in New Zealand's second-biggest city of Christchurch on Tuesday, with more casualties expected as rescuers worked into the night to find scores of people trapped inside collapsed buildings.

The Carlton Hotel, after the 6.3 earthquake. Photo / NZPA

It was the second quake to hit the city of almost 400,000 people in five months, and New Zealand's most deadly natural disaster for 80 years.

"We may well be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day...The death toll I have at the moment is 65 and that may rise," New Zealand Prime Minister John Key told local TV.

"It's hard to describe. What was a vibrant city a few hours ago has been brought to its knees," added Key, who had flown to his home town of Christchurch, where he still has family.

The 6.3 magnitude quake struck at lunchtime, when streets and shops thronged with people and offices were still occupied.

Christchurch's mayor described the city, a historic tourist town popular with overseas students, as a war zone.

"There will be deaths, there will be a lot of injuries, there will be a lot of heartbreak in this city," Mayor Bob Parker told Australian TV by phone.

He told local radio that up to 200 could be trapped in buildings but later revised down to around 100 or so.

The quake is the country's worst natural disaster since a 1931 quake in the North Island city of Napier which killed 256.

Christchurch Hospital saw an influx of injured residents.

"They are largely crushes and cuts types of injuries and chest pain as well," said David Meates, head of the Canterbury Health Board. Some of the more seriously injured could be evacuated to other cities, he added.

TRAPPED

All army medical staff have been mobilized, while several hundred troops were helping with the rescue, officials said.

A woman trapped in one of the buildings said she was terrified and waiting for rescuers to reach her six hours after the quake, which was followed by at least 20 aftershocks.

"I thought the best place was under the desk but the ceiling collapsed on top, I can't move and I'm just terrified," office worker Anne Voss told TV3 news by mobile phone.

Christchurch has been described as a little piece of England. It has an iconic cathedral, now largely destroyed, and a river called the Avon. It had many historic stone buildings, and is popular with English-language students and also with tourists as a springboard for tours of the scenic South Island.

Twelve Japanese students at a school in Christchurch were still missing after a building collapse, an official told Reuters in Japan. Nine Japanese students and two teachers from the same group had already been rescued or accounted for.

Emergency shelters had also been set up in local schools and at a race course, as night approached. Helicopters dumped water to try to douse a fire in one tall office building. A crane helped rescue workers trapped in another office block.

"I was in the square right outside the cathedral -- the whole front has fallen down and there were people running from there. There were people inside as well," said John Gurr, a camera technician who was in the city center when the quake hit.

"A lady grabbed hold of me to stop falling over...We just got blown apart. Colombo Street, the main street, is just a mess...There's lots of water everywhere, pouring out of the ground," he said.

Emergency crews picked through rubble under bright lights as night fell, including a multi-storey office building whose floors appeared to have pancaked on top of each other.

SILT, SAND AND GRAVEL

Christchurch is built on silt, sand and gravel, with a water table beneath. In an earthquake, the water rises, mixing with the sand and turning the ground into a swamp and swallowing up sections of road and entire cars.

TV footage showed sections of road that had collapsed into a milky, sand-colored lake right beneath the surface. One witness described the footpaths as like "walking on sand."

Unlike last year's even stronger tremor, which struck early in the morning when streets were virtually empty, people were walking or driving along streets when the shallow tremor struck, sending awnings and the entire faces of buildings crashing down.

Police said debris had rained down on two buses, crushing them, but there was no word on any casualties.

The quake hit at 12:51 pm (2351 GMT Monday) at a depth of only 4 km (2.5 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

TALK OF POST-QUAKE RATE CUT

The quake helped knock the New Zealand dollar down to $0.75, about 1.8 percent off late U.S. levels, on fears the damage could dent confidence in the already fragile economy.

Westpac Bank also raised the possibility that the central bank could cut interest rates over the next few weeks to shore up confidence after the quake, while other banks pushed out their expectations for the next rate hike. ANZ now expects the central bank to be on hold until the first quarter of 2012.

Shares in Australian banks and insurers, which typically have large operations in New Zealand, fell after the quake.

The tremor was centered about 10 km (six miles) southwest of Christchurch, which had suffered widespread damage during last September's 7.1 magnitude quake but no deaths.

New Zealand sits between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates and records on average more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which about 20 would normally top magnitude 5.0.

Source: Reuters

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Rally In Support of Democracy In Egypt - Aotea Centre, Auckland (Part-2)

Click Here to watch Rally In Support of Democracy In Egypt - Aotea Centre, Auckland (Part-1)

Rally In Support of Democracy In Egypt - Aotea Centre, Auckland
Aotea Centre, Auckland, Feb 5 2011

Photo Credit and Copyright: Alison Withers

Contributor of BAG

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Rally In Support of Democracy In Egypt - Aotea Centre, Auckland (Part-1)

Click Here to watch Rally In Support of Democracy In Egypt - Aotea Centre, Auckland (Part-2)


Rally In Support of Democracy In Egypt - Aotea Centre, Auckland
Aotea Centre, Auckland, Feb 5 2011


Photo Credit and Copyright: Alison Withers


Contributor of BAG

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Strangely Bent Rails After New Zealand Earthquake !!!

None of these images are photoshopped even if they look so unreal that you simply can’t believe it. So what’s the case? The answer is the consequences of one of the biggest earthquakes in New Zealand’s recorded history that scored 7.0 on Richter scale.

It was actually supposed to be 7.2 but it was soon downgraded. A lot of places near Christchurch were closed for inspection, and among others was the rail network on the South Island, and one of their findings is represented in these pictures. It is rather a rare and weird kind of damage that an earthquake can cause. The rails are literally bent from one side to the other, and one fact that’s very creepy is that the surroundings are not destroyed at all, like there were no earthquake in the area whatsoever.

How exactly did this happen is still unknown; some think that it’s a nature phenomenon whilst others think that there must have been a weak point in the rails that made them bend like that. What do you think?

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New Zealand

New Zealand Population: 4,173,460

Background

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

Map data ©2009 Europa Technologies - Terms of Use

Geography
About 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world.
Location:	Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
Geographic coordinates:	41 00 S, 174 00 E
Area:	total: 268,680 sq km land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec IslandsSize comparison: about the size of Colorado
Land Boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	15,134 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:	temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Terrain:	predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m
Natural resources:	natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Land use:	arable land: 5.54% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005)
Irrigated land:	2,850 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:	earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Current Environment Issues:	deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species
International Environment Agreements:	party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation
People
Population:	4,173,460 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 20.9% (male 446,883/female 424,240) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,390,669/female 1,385,686) 65 years and over: 12.6% (male 238,560/female 287,422) (2008 est.)
Median age:	total: 36.3 years male: 35.6 years female: 37.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:	0.971% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:	14.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:	7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:	2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 80.24 years male: 78.33 years female: 82.25 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:	2.11 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	1,400 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:	noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand
Ethnic groups:	European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)
Religions:	Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
Languages:	English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name:	conventional long form: none conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ
Government type:	parliamentary democracy
Capital:	name: Wellington geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island
Administrative divisions:	16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast
Dependent areas:	Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
Independence:	26 September 1907 (from UK)
National holiday:	Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)
Constitution:	consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987
Legal system:	based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006) head of government: Prime Minister John KEY (since 19 November 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bill ENGLISH (since 19 November 2008) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch:	unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (usually 120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 8 November 2008 (next to be held not later than 27 November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NP 44.9%, NZLP 34%, Green Party 6.7%, NZ First 4%, ACT New Zealand 3.7%, Maori 2.4%, Progressive 0.9%, UF 0.9%, other 6.6%; seats by party - NP 58, NZLP 43, Green Party 9, ACT New Zealand 5, Maori 5, Progressive 1, UF 1 note: results of 2008 election saw the total number of seats increase to 122
Judicial branch:	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General
Political parties and leaders:	ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Tariana TURIA and Pita SHARPLES]; National Party or NP [John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZ First [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Phil GOFF]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:	Women's Electoral Lobby or WEL other: apartheid groups; civil rights groups; farmers groups; Maori; nuclear weapons groups; women's rights groups
International organization participation:	ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland
Economy
Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes - but left behind some at the bottom of the ladder - and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for nine consecutive years and reached $28,500 in 2008 in purchasing power parity terms. Debt-driven consumer spending drove robust growth in the first half of the decade, helping fuel a large balance of payments deficit that posed a challenge for economic managers. Inflationary pressures caused the central bank to raise its key rate steadily from January 2004 until it was among the highest in the OECD in 2007-2008; international capital inflows attracted to the high rates further strengthened the currency and housing market, however, aggravating the current account deficit. The economy fell into recession in 2008, and in line with global peers, the central bank has cut interest rates aggressively; the new government is responding with plans to raise productivity growth and develop infrastructure.
GDP (purchasing power parity):	$118.9 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):	$135.7 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:	0.6% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):	$28,500 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: 4.4% industry: 26% services: 69.6% (2008 est.)
Labor force:	2.26 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture: 7% industry: 19% services: 74% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:	4% (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:	NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: %NA highest 10%: %NA
Distribution of family income - Gini index:	36.2 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	4.3% (2008 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):	23.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $55.1 billion expenditures: $54.66 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:	22.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Industries:	food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:	42.41 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:	38.93 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:	47,850 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:	158,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:	14,570 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:	137,300 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:	55 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:	4.573 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:	4.572 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:	0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:	0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:	29.67 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:	-$9.047 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:	$29.53 billion (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:	dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
Exports - partners:	Australia 22%, US 11.5%, Japan 9.2%, China 5.3%, UK 4.6% (2007)
Imports:	$31.11 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:	machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
Imports - partners:	Australia 20.7%, China 13.4%, US 9.7%, Japan 9.5%, Singapore 4.9%, Germany 4.7% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:	ODA, $259 million (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:	$15.25 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:	$59.08 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:	$72.41 billion (2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:	$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:	$47.45 billion (31 December 2007)
Currency (code):	New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Exchange rates:	New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)
Fiscal year:	1 April - 31 March note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes
Communications
Telephones in use:	1.706 million (2007)
Cellular Phones in use:	4.245 million (2007)
Telephone system:	general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and the US; satellite earth stations - 8 (1 Inmarsat - Pacific Ocean, 7 other)
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:	41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:	.nz
Internet hosts:	1.72 million (2008)
Internet users:	3.36 million (2007)
Transportation
Airports:	121 (2007)
Airports (paved runways):	total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports (unpaved runways):	total: 80 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 46 (2007)
Pipelines:	condensate 331 km; gas 1,896 km; liquid petroleum gas 172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 260 km (2007)
Railways:	total: 4,128 km narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:	total: 93,576 km paved: 61,564 km (includes 172 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,012 km (2006)
Merchant marine:	total: 13 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Australia 1, Germany 1, South Africa 1) registered in other countries: 5 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook Islands 1, France 1, UK 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:	Auckland, Lyttelton, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei
Military
Military branches:	New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:	17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:	males age 16-49: 1,009,298 females age 16-49: 997,134 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:	males age 16-49: 833,073 females age 16-49: 822,807 (2008 est.)

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