Flag Facts
Blue, with the flag of the U.K. in the upper hoist-side quadrant, New Zealand’s flag has four red stars that represent the Southern Cross constellation.
Location: Southeast of Australia, New Zealand is comprised of islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
Language: English, with small percentages of Maori, Samoan and others
Total Population: 4.9 million
Capital: Wellington
Government: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Religion: Christian (37.3%); in the 2018 census 48.6 percent stated “no religion”
Economy: New Zealand’s economy is highly dependent on international trade and tourism, and the United States is the country’s third largest trading partner after China and Australia. While its economic foundation remains in agricultural exports, with dairy the lead export commodity, over the past 40 years New Zealand has developed more of an industrialized, free market economy with deepened technological capabilities. The country’s swift and effective response to COVID-19 helped manage the crisis, and despite pandemic disruptions, the economy is performing better than expected and forecast by the New Zealand Treasury to grow 4.4 percent by 2023.
News note: Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, the master franchisee for the U.S. pizza giant in Australia and New Zealand, signed an agreement with Flirtey Inc. to expand its drone food delivery trials in New Zealand. The two partnered on a trial from the Domino’s Whangaparaoa store in Auckland in 2016, and Flirtey has since developed drones capable of carrying increased payloads and improved the precision delivery altitude, the company said. It also added a parachute system and received additional certification from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.
GDP (official exchange rate): $205.2 billion
Currency: New Zealand Dollar (conversion rate at press time: 1 NZD equals $0.68 USD).
Franchising in New Zealand: With almost 600 concepts and more than 32,500 franchise units, New Zealand is considered the most franchised country per capita in the world. The sector employs about 157,000 people and contributes about 12 percent to New Zealand’s GDP. New Zealanders have a preference for self-employment that aligns with franchise ownership. U.S. brands account for an estimated 12 percent of the industry, with food and beverage concepts—mainly QSRs—having the largest presence. New Zealanders value strong working relationships with their U.S. partners, and for them due diligence is important, along with having numerous resources available for assistance. The country has no franchise-specific laws; overall business practices are similar to those in the U.S.