Realm of New Zealand - 94.06
10
The most native-friendly country in the Anglosphere, even if that’s not saying much
For the sake of simplicity, New Zealand is scored as the Realm of New Zealand, including the Cook Islands, Tokelau, and Niue. New Zealand is responsible for the administration of several small islands in the South Pacific, which had a lower standard of living in several categories than New Zealand itself, and these categories were scored accordingly. New Zealand maintained a very aggressive COVID policy throughout the year, but it was not draconian or excessive because COVID restrictions were lifted in correspondence with a decline in the number of cases. New Zealand’s growing economy despite the pandemic is evidence of these policies working. Of concern was the government’s shirking of responsibilities for its overseas territories to the local governments, forcing a number of responsibilities on less competent local administrations. New Zealand has recently made significant progress in the field of Maori rights, setting it apart from other Anglosphere countries in its treatment of indigenous populations.
Human Rights - 93
New Zealand (87/90): New Zealand has fully abolished the death penalty. Prisons in New Zealand generally had poor conditions, with prisons throughout the country facing problems with overcrowding. Prisoners on suicide watch were often restrained for extended periods of time, and prisoners were often subjected to solitary confinement for extended periods. Two unauthorized trials of facial recognition software were noted in May of 2020, and both instances were investigated. Trans Kiwis cannot serve openly, but other than that New Zealand guarantees a full gamut of LGBT rights. Abortion is legal to twenty weeks.
Cook Islands (6/10): The Cook Islands have fully abolished the death penalty. The Cook Islands only officially recognizes four religious groups to practice. The Islands are overwhelming Congregationalist Christian, so this is not usually a problem. Homosexuality is illegal, but this law goes generally unenforced.
Democracy - 92
New Zealand (84/90): New Zealand is a commonwealth democracy, limiting their score to 85. The Governor General is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister is the leader of the majority coalition. Parliament is directly elected. Elections are free and fair. Only two parties are competitive in New Zealand, but party formation and participation are not restricted.
Cook Islands (8/10): Cook Islands is a commonwealth democracy, limiting their score to 9. The Queen’s Representative is appointed by the Queen, and the Chief Minister is chosen by parliament. Parliament is directly elected.
Freedom - 95
New Zealand has censored footage the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting and publications related to the attacker’s manifesto. These laws are open-ended but seldom used. New Zealand has seldom-enforced laws prohibiting hate speech. New Zealand had aggressive COVID lockdown measures that were neither draconian nor excessive, because they were rolled back in accordance with declining COVID numbers. All drugs are illegal in New Zealand. New Zealand shall issue gun ownership permits for bolt-action rifles, shotguns, and revolvers. Centerfire semi-automatic handguns and rifles are illegal but rimfire is legal.
Economy - 100
Health - 96
New Zealand (89/90): New Zealand has a life expectancy of 82 years and an infant mortality rate of 0.39%. 30.8% of Kiwis are obese and 2.5% are malnourished. New Zealand has a very strong universal healthcare system, providing free, compulsory health insurance to all citizens. 99% of Kiwis have access to clean, running water.
Cook Islands (7/10): Cook Islands have a life expectancy of 75 years and an infant mortality rate of 1.63%. 56% of Cook Islanders are obese and 4.6% are malnourished. The Cook Islands also suffers from a high rate of malnutrition due to poor diet, as healthy foods are expensive and difficult to access. The Cook Islands has a decent universal healthcare system. Rarotonga has generally high-quality healthcare but many outlying islands lack adequate access to healthcare of any kind. All Cook Islanders have access to clean, running water.
Corruption - 100
New Zealand has no major failings in this regard.
Competency - 95
New Zealand has largely shirked responsibilities of its overseas territories to their local governments, forcing less competent local administrations to take on more responsibilities. New Zealand has classed them as “freely associating states” to force local governments to take on more responsibilities and draw attention away from New Zealand for various issues in its territories.
Future - 90
New Zealand (89/90): Kiwi culture has recently expanded for a greater inclusion of Maori, and Maori rights in New Zealand have expanded greatly. The Ardern administration has carried New Zealand in a positive direction and managed the COVID pandemic very well.
Cook Islands (1/10): Many outlying islands will be rendered uninhabitable by 2050, and all of the Cook Islands will be rendered uninhabitable by 2100.
Actions Abroad - 80
New Zealand is responsible for the foreign relations of the Cook Islands, Tokelau, and Niue. New Zealand is a member of the commonwealth of nations. Kiwi troops were deployed to Honiara at the request of the Solomonese Prime Minister, aiding Australian and Solomonese troops in quelling a violent protest. New Zealand maintains relatively good relations with China. New Zealand is generally isolationist and maintains good relations with most nations.
0.02% of Kiwis live below the international poverty line, while 15% live below the national poverty line. 4.6% of Kiwis are unemployed. New Zealand has a low economic disparity. New Zealand has a minimum wage of $14 per hour. New Zealand has very strong universal healthcare system. The government provides universal, compulsory health insurance and healthcare is of consistently high quality throughout the country. New Zealand’s economy grew 1% in 2020, and grew 1.6% in 2019.