Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is an online encyclopedia
created by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage of the New Zealand Government. The project was established in 2002 and the website launched in 2005. Te Ara is a long-term project, although much content is already visible.
Jock Phillips
and has a staff of writers, editors, image and resource researchers and designers. It is organised by themes, and its first theme focused on telling the stories of New Zealanders. It covers the migration of peoples to New Zealand, and the history of their settlement – both New Zealand's indigenous Māori people, and other immigrant groups.
An overview section, New Zealand in Brief, presents concise information and facts about the country.
In 2006 a second thematic group of entries was published entitled Earth, Sea and Sky and covering ocean fish, sea and shorebirds and other marine life, the interactions of people and the sea, the country's natural resources, and shaping forces such as geology, volcanology, weather and climate. Distinctively New Zealand features are the main focus of the content, and scientific and technical data is presented within its social and human context.
Te Ara's third theme, The Bush, was launched in late 2007. It covers New Zealand's indigenous landscapes, forests, plants and animals, and the ways that people have used them or attempted to understand them. The Bush comprises more than 100 entries, covering such topics as early mapping, tramping, conifer–broadleaf forests, taniwha
, Māori exploration, threatened species, logging native forests, moa
, kiwi
and a great deal more.
A further six thematic groups of entries will appear progressively – roughly one a year until 2013. In 2008 the theme being prepared focused broadly on farming and rural life.
Geographical information is also being added progressively, and by early 2008 included Auckland
, the Bay of Plenty
, Canterbury
, Manawatū and Horowhenua, Northland, South Canterbury, the Volcanic Plateau
, Wairarapa
and Wellington
.
The previous official New Zealand encyclopedia was An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, first published in 1966 and edited by A.H. McLintock. A digitised version of this work now forms part of the Te Ara website. Unlike the earlier commercial The Cyclopedia of New Zealand
, neither Te Ara nor An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand contain vanity press
material.
Entries on topics relating substantially to Māori are presented in Māori
as well as English.
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
created by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage of the New Zealand Government. The project was established in 2002 and the website launched in 2005. Te Ara is a long-term project, although much content is already visible.
History
The encyclopedia is edited by historianHistorian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Jock Phillips
Jock Phillips
Jock Phillips is a New Zealand historian, author and encyclopedist . He is currently the general editor of Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, the official encyclopedia of New Zealand.- Career :...
and has a staff of writers, editors, image and resource researchers and designers. It is organised by themes, and its first theme focused on telling the stories of New Zealanders. It covers the migration of peoples to New Zealand, and the history of their settlement – both New Zealand's indigenous Māori people, and other immigrant groups.
An overview section, New Zealand in Brief, presents concise information and facts about the country.
In 2006 a second thematic group of entries was published entitled Earth, Sea and Sky and covering ocean fish, sea and shorebirds and other marine life, the interactions of people and the sea, the country's natural resources, and shaping forces such as geology, volcanology, weather and climate. Distinctively New Zealand features are the main focus of the content, and scientific and technical data is presented within its social and human context.
Te Ara's third theme, The Bush, was launched in late 2007. It covers New Zealand's indigenous landscapes, forests, plants and animals, and the ways that people have used them or attempted to understand them. The Bush comprises more than 100 entries, covering such topics as early mapping, tramping, conifer–broadleaf forests, taniwha
Taniwha
In Māori mythology, taniwha are beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers...
, Māori exploration, threatened species, logging native forests, moa
Moa
The moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....
, kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
and a great deal more.
A further six thematic groups of entries will appear progressively – roughly one a year until 2013. In 2008 the theme being prepared focused broadly on farming and rural life.
Geographical information is also being added progressively, and by early 2008 included Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
, Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
, Manawatū and Horowhenua, Northland, South Canterbury, the Volcanic Plateau
North Island Volcanic Plateau
The North Island Volcanic Plateau is a volcanic plateau covering much of central North Island of New Zealand with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes....
, Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
The previous official New Zealand encyclopedia was An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, first published in 1966 and edited by A.H. McLintock. A digitised version of this work now forms part of the Te Ara website. Unlike the earlier commercial The Cyclopedia of New Zealand
The Cyclopedia of New Zealand
The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: industrial, descriptive, historical, biographical facts, figures, illustrations was an encyclopaedia published in New Zealand between 1897 and 1908 by the Cyclopedia Company Ltd of Christchurch. Six volumes were published on the people, places and organisations of...
, neither Te Ara nor An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand contain vanity press
Vanity press
A vanity press or vanity publisher is a term describing a publishing house that publishes books at the author's expense. Publisher Johnathon Clifford claims to have coined the term in 1959. However, the term appears in mainstream U.S...
material.
Entries on topics relating substantially to Māori are presented in Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
as well as English.