Chicago Blackhawks NHL Game Tickets 2013 2014 Season Schedule Hockey Discount Tickets in Chicago, Illinois For Sale

Chicago Blackhawks NHL xxxx xxxx Season Schedule Tickets
The NHL team schedule for the Chicago Blackhawks xxxx xxxx season has been released and we have a great selection of tickets for all games scheduled for the Chicago Blackhawks . This includes all home games for the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois as well as all away games.
To view the Chicago Blackhawks xxxx xxxx team schedule & game tickets please use one of these links:
View: Chicago Blackhawks NHL Team Schedule & Game Tickets for xxxx xxxx Season
Mobile Link: Chicago Blackhawks NHL Team Schedule & Tickets for xxxx xxxx Season
We have an outstanding selection of tickets for every National Hockey League home and away games scheduled for all 30 NHL teams for the xxxx - xxxx Preseason tickets, Regular Season game tickets, and, when released, post season - playoff tickets. Our inventory of tickets for each game is extensive including all seating options offered by the hosting stadiums. This includes the best tickets to satisfy everyone's budget & seating preferences. We can also provide large group sales for those wanting a large number of tickets for seats located together.
The NHL has released the xxxx - xxxx National Hockey League schedules for all 30 NHL Teams.
Save when You use Discount Code ONLINE at the Checkout for 6% Off from your total order. No minimum purchase required for discount to be used.
OnlineTicketWindow.com also provides you, if you prefer to search any other Tickets, with a Mobile Ticket Site for your convenience. We have sortable & interactive listings and seating charts for your use to find the tickets you prefer to purchase for each individual game. Please check out the links provided below:
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
11/10/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes
United Center
Chicago, IL
Thursday
11/14/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Bridgestone Arena (Formerly Sommet Center)
Nashville, TN
Saturday
11/16/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
11/17/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Colorado Avalanche vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Pepsi Center - Denver
Denver, CO
Tuesday
11/19/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Winnipeg Jets vs. Chicago Blackhawks
MTS Centre
Winnipeg, Canada
Thursday
11/21/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, Canada
Saturday
11/23/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Rexall Place
Edmonton, Canada
Monday
11/25/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Scotiabank Saddledome (Formerly Pengrowth Saddledome)
Calgary, Canada
Wednesday
11/27/xxxx
8:00 PM
view
tickets
Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks
American Airlines Center
Dallas, TX
Friday
11/29/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Jobing.com Arena (formerly Glendale Arena)
Glendale, AZ
Saturday
11/30/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars
United Center
Chicago, IL
Tuesday
12/3/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Xcel Energy Center
Saint Paul, MN
Thursday
12/5/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks
United Center
Chicago, IL
Friday
12/6/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Florida Panthers
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
12/8/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks
American Airlines Center
Dallas, TX
Tuesday
12/10/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers
United Center
Chicago, IL
Wednesday
12/11/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, Canada
Saturday
12/14/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
12/15/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Bridgestone Arena (Formerly Sommet Center)
Nashville, TN
Tuesday
12/17/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks
United Center
Chicago, IL
Friday
12/20/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. New Jersey Devils
United Center
Chicago, IL
Monday
12/23/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche
United Center
Chicago, IL
Friday
12/27/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Scottrade Center
Saint Louis, MO
Saturday
12/28/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings
United Center
Chicago, IL
Monday
12/30/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
New York Islanders vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY
Thursday
1/2/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
New Jersey Devils vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Prudential Center
Newark, NJ
Friday
1/3/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
1/5/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Rangers
United Center
Chicago, IL
Wednesday
1/8/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Centre Bell
Montreal, Canada
Saturday
1/11/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
1/12/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche
United Center
Chicago, IL
Tuesday
1/14/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks
United Center
Chicago, IL
Friday
1/17/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Boston Bruins
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
1/19/xxxx
2:00 PM
view
tickets
Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, MI
Wednesday
1/22/xxxx
8:00 PM
view
tickets
Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Xcel Energy Center
Saint Paul, MN
Thursday
1/23/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Winnipeg Jets
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
1/26/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Scotiabank Saddledome (Formerly Pengrowth Saddledome)
Calgary, Canada
Tuesday
1/28/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, Canada
Wednesday
1/29/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
SAP Center (formerly HP Pavilion)
San Jose, CA
Saturday
2/1/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
Monday
2/3/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Anaheim Ducks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Honda Center (formerly Arrowhead Pond)
Anaheim, CA
Wednesday
2/5/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Jobing.com Arena (formerly Glendale Arena)
Glendale, AZ
Friday
2/7/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
New York Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Thursday
2/27/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Outdoor Series: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Soldier Field Stadium
Chicago, IL
Saturday
3/1/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche
United Center
Chicago, IL
Tuesday
3/4/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
United Center
Chicago, IL
Thursday
3/6/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Buffalo Sabres vs. Chicago Blackhawks
First Niagara Center (formerly HSBC Arena)
Buffalo, NY
Sunday
3/9/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Colorado Avalanche vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Pepsi Center - Denver
Denver, CO
Wednesday
3/12/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
United Center
Chicago, IL
Friday
3/14/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
3/16/xxxx
6:30 PM
view
tickets
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Wells Fargo Center - PA
Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday
3/18/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
United Center
Chicago, IL
Wednesday
3/19/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Carolina Hurricanes
United Center
Chicago, IL
Friday
3/21/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
3/23/xxxx
6:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars
United Center
Chicago, IL
Tuesday
3/25/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks
TD Garden (Fleet Center)
Boston, MA
Thursday
3/27/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Ottawa Senators vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Canadian Tire Centre (formerly Scotiabank Place)
Ottawa, Canada
Friday
3/28/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Sunday
3/30/xxxx
7:30 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild
United Center
Chicago, IL
Thursday
4/3/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, OH
Friday
4/4/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday
4/6/xxxx
6:30 PM
view
tickets
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Montreal Canadiens
United Center
Chicago, IL
Wednesday
4/9/xxxx
6:30 PM
view
tickets
Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Verizon Center - DC
Washington, DC
Friday
4/11/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Bridgestone Arena (Formerly Sommet Center)
Nashville, TN
Saturday
4/12/xxxx
7:00 PM
view
tickets
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy,[56] although its constitution is not codified.[57] Elizabeth II is the Queen of New Zealand and the head of state.[58] The Queen is represented by the Governor-General, whom she appoints on the advice of the Prime Minister.[59][60] The Governor-General can exercise the Crown's prerogative powers, such as reviewing cases of injustice and making appointments of ministers, ambassadors and other key public officials,[61] and in rare situations, the reserve powers (e.g. the power to dissolve Parliament or refuse the Royal Assent of a bill into law).[62] The powers of the Queen and the Governor-General are limited by constitutional constraints and they cannot normally be exercisedThe New Zealand Parliament holds legislative power and consists of the Queen and the House of Representatives.[63] It also included an upper house, the Legislative Council, until this was abolished in xxxx.[63] The supremacy of Parliament, over the Crown and other government institutions, was established in England by the Bill of Rights xxxx and has been ratified as law in New Zealand.[63] The House of Representatives is democratically elected and a Government is formed from the party or coalition with the majority of seats.[63] If no majority is formed a minority government can be formed if support from other parties during confidence and supply votes is assured. The Governor-General appoints ministers under advice from the Prime Minister, who is by convention the Parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition.[64] Cabinet, formed by ministers and led by the Prime Minister, is the highest policy-making body in government and responsible for deciding significant government actions.[65] By convention, members of cabinet are bound by collective responsibility to Judges and judicial officers are appointed non-politically and under strict rules regarding tenure to help maintain constitutional independence from the government.[57] This theoretically allows the judiciary to interpret the law based solely on the legislation enacted by Parliament without other influences on their decisions.[67] The Privy Council in London was the country's final court of appeal until xxxx, when it was replaced with the newly established Supreme Court of New Zealand. The judiciary, headed by the Chief Justice,[68] includes the Court of Appeal, the High Court, andAlmost all parliamentary general elections between xxxx and xxxx were held under the first-past-the-post voting system.[69] The elections since xxxx have been dominated by two political parties, National and Labour.[69] Since the xxxx election, a form of proportional representation called Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) has been used.[57] Under the MMP system each person has two votes; one is for electoral seats (including some reserved for Maori),[70] and the other is for a party. Since the xxxx election, there have been 70 electorate seats (which includes, since the xxxx election, 7 Maori electorates), and the remaining fifty seats are assigned so that representation in parliament reflects the party vote, although a party has to win one electoral seat or 5 percent of the total party vote before it is eligible for these seats.[71] Between March xxxx and August xxxx New Zealand became the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land (Head of State, Governor-General, Prime Minister, Speaker and Chief Justice) were occupied New Zealand is identified as one of the world's most stable and well-governed nations.[73] As of xxxx, the country was ranked fifth in the strength of its democratic institutions[74] and first in government transparency and lack of corruption.[75] New Zealand has a high level of civic participation, with 79% voter turnout during the most recent elections, compared to an OECD average of 72%. Furthermore, 67% of New Zealanders say they trust their political institutions, far higherEarly colonial New Zealand allowed the British Government to determine external trade and be responsible for foreign policy.[77] The xxxx and xxxx Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate their own political treaties and the first commercial treaty was ratified in xxxx with Japan. On 3 September xxxx New Zealand allied itself with Britain and declared war on Germany with Prime Minister Michael Savage proclaiming, "Where she goes,In xxxx the United Kingdom became increasingly focused on its European interests,[79] while New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty.[80] The influence of the United States on New Zealand weakened following protests over the Vietnam War,[81] the refusal of the United States to admonish France after the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior,[82] disagreements over environmental and agricultural trade issues and New Zealand's nuclear-free policy.[83][84] Despite the USA's suspension of ANZUS obligations the treaty remained in effect between New Zealand and Australia, whose foreign policy has followed a similar historical trend.[85] Close political contact is maintained between the two countries, with free trade agreements and travel arrangements that allow citizens to visit, live and work in both countries without restrictions.[86] In xxxx, there are about 650,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia, which is about 15 per cent of the population of New Zealand has a strong presence among the Pacific Island countries. A large proportion of New Zealand's aid goes to these countries and many Pacific people migrate to New Zealand for employment.[88] Permanent migration is regulated under the xxxx Samoan Quota Scheme and the xxxx Pacific Access Category, which allow up to 1,100 Samoan nationals and up to 750 other Pacific Islanders respectively to become permanent New Zealand residents each year. A seasonal workers scheme for temporary migration was introduced in xxxx and in xxxx about 8,000 Pacific Islanders were employed under it.[89] New Zealand is involved in the Pacific Islands Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (including the East Asia Summit).[86] New Zealand is also a member of the United Nations,[90] the Commonwealth of Nations,[91] the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development[92] and theThe New Zealand Defence Force has three branches: the Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.[94] New Zealand's national defence needs are modest because of the unlikelihood of direct attack,[95] although it does have a global presence. The country fought in both world wars, with notable campaigns in Gallipoli, Crete,[96] El Alamein[97] and Cassino.[98] The Gallipoli campaign played an important part in fostering New Zealand's national identity[99][100] and strengthened the ANZAC tradition it shares with Australia.[101] According to Mary Edmond-Paul, "World War I had left scars on New Zealand society, with nearly 18,500 in total dying as a result of the war, more than 41,000 wounded, and others affected emotionally, out of an overseas fighting force of about 103,000 and a population of just over a million."[102] New Zealand also played key parts in the naval Battle of the River Plate[103] and the Battle of Britain air campaign.[104][105] During World War II, the United States had more than 400,000 American military personnelIn addition to Vietnam and the two world wars, New Zealand fought in the Korean War, the Second Boer War,[107] the Malayan Emergency,[108] the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War. It has contributed forces to several regional and global peacekeeping missions, such as those in Cyprus, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sinai, Angola, Cambodia, the Iran?Iraq border, Bougainville, East Timor, and the Solomon Islands.[109] New Zealand also sent a unit of army engineers to help rebuild Iraqi infrastructureThe early European settlers divided New Zealand into provinces, which had a degree of autonomy.[112] Because of financial pressures and the desire to consolidate railways, education, land sales and other policies, government was centralised and the provinces were abolished in xxxx.[113] As a result, New Zealand now has no separately represented subnational entities. The provinces are remembered in regional publicSince xxxx, various councils have administered local areas under legislation determined by the central government.[112][116] In xxxx, the government reorganised local government into the current two-tier structure of regional councils and territorial authorities.[117] The 249 municipalities[117] that existed in xxxx have now been consolidated into 67 territorial authorities and 11 regional councils.[118] The regional councils' role is to regulate "the natural environment with particular emphasis on resource management",[117] while territorial authorities are responsible for sewage, water, local roads, building consents and other local matters.[119] Five of the territorial councils are unitary authorities and also act as regional councils.[120] The territorial authorities consist of 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council. While officially the Chatham Islands Council is not a unitary authority, it undertakes many New Zealand is one of 16 realms within the commonwealth.[122][123] The Realm of New Zealand is the territory over which the Queen of New Zealand is sovereign and comprises New Zealand, Tokelau, the Ross Dependency, the Cook Islands and Niue.[123] The Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing states in free association with New Zealand.[124][125] The New Zealand Parliament cannot pass legislation for these countries, but with their consent can act on behalf of them in foreign affairs and defence. Tokelau is a non-self-governing territory that uses the New Zealand flag and anthem, but is administered by a council of three elders (one from each Tokelauan atoll).[126][127] The Ross Dependency is New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica, where it operates the Scott Base research facility.[128] New Zealand citizenship law treats all parts of the realm equally, so most people born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency before xxxx are New Zealand citizens. Further conditions apply forNew Zealand is made up of two main islands and a number of smaller islands, located near the centre of the water hemisphere. The two main islands (the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Maui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu) are separated by the Cook Strait, 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at its narrowest point.[130] Besides the North and South Islands, the five largest inhabited islands are Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, Great Barrier Island (in the Hauraki Gulf),[131] d'Urville Island (in the Marlborough Sounds)[132] and Waiheke Island (about 22 km (14 mi) from central Auckland).[133] The country's islands lie between latitudes 29° and New Zealand is long (over 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) along its north-north-east axis) and narrow (a maximum width of 400 kilometres (250 mi)),[134] with approximately 15,000 km (9,300 mi) of coastline[135] and a total land area of 268,000 square kilometres (103,500 sq mi)[136] Because of its far-flung outlying islands and long coastline, the country has extensive marine resources. Its Exclusive Economic Zone, one of the largest in the world, covers more The South Island is the largest landmass of New Zealand, and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps.[138] There are 18 peaks over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), the highest of which is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,754 metres (12,316 ft).[139] Fiordland's steep mountains and deep fiords record the extensive ice age glaciation of this south-western corner of the South Island.[140] The North Island is less mountainous but is marked by volcanism.[141] The highly active Taupo Volcanic Zone has formed a large volcanic plateau, punctuated by the North Island's highest mountain, Mount Ruapehu (2,797 metres (9,177 ft)). The plateau also hosts the country's largest lake, Lake Taupo,[142] nestled in the caldera of one of the world's The country owes its varied topography, and perhaps even its emergence above the waves, to the dynamic boundary it straddles between the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates.[144] New Zealand is part of Zealandia, a microcontinent nearly half the size of Australia that gradually submerged after breaking away from the Gondwanan supercontinent.[145] About 25 million years ago, a shift in plate tectonic movements began to contort and crumple the region. This is now most evident in the Southern Alps, formed by compression of the crust beside the Alpine Fault. Elsewhere the plate boundary involves the subduction of one plate under the other, producing the Puysegur Trench to the south, the Hikurangi Trench east of the North Island, and the Kermadec and Tonga New Zealand has a mild and temperate maritime climate (Köppen: Cfb) with mean annual temperatures ranging from 10 °C (50 °F) in the south to 16 °C (61 °F) in the north.[147] Historical maxima and minima are 42.4 °C (108.32 °F) in Rangiora, Canterbury and -25.6 °C (-14.08 °F) in Ranfurly, Otago.[148] Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to almost semi-arid in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury and subtropical in Northland.[149] Of the seven largest cities, Christchurch is the driest, receiving on average only 640 millimetres (25 in) of rain per year and Auckland the wettest, receiving almost twice that amount.[150] Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all receive a yearly average in excess of 2,000 hours of sunshine. The southern and south-western parts of the South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1,400?1,600 hours; the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas of the country and receive approximately 2,400?2,500 hours.[151] The general snow season is about early June until early October in the South Island. It is less common on the North Island, New Zealand's geographic isolation for 80 million years[152] and island biogeography is responsible for the country's unique species of animals, fungi and plants. They have either evolved from Gondwanan wildlife or the few organisms that have managed to reach the shores flying, swimming or being carried across the sea.[153] About 82 percent of New Zealand's indigenous vascular plants are endemic, covering 1,944 species across 65 genera and includes a single endemic family.[154][155] The number of fungi recorded from New Zealand, including lichen-forming species, is not known, nor is the proportion of those fungi which are endemic, but one estimate suggests there are approximately xxxx species of lichen-forming fungi in New Zealand[154] and 40 percent of these are endemic.[156] The two main types of forest are those dominated by broadleaf trees with emergent podocarps, or by southern beech in cooler climates.[157] The remaining vegetation types consist of grasslands, the majority ofBefore the arrival of humans an estimated 80 percent of the land was covered in forest, with only high alpine, wet, infertile and volcanic areas without trees.[159] Massive deforestation occurred after humans arrived, with around half the forest cover lost to fire after Polynesian settlement.[160] Much of the remaining forest fell after European settlement, being logged or cleared to make room for pastoral farming, leaving forest occupying only 23The forests were dominated by birds, and the lack of mammalian predators led to some like the kiwi, kakapo and takahe evolving flightlessness.[162] The arrival of humans, associated changes to habitat, and the introduction of rats, ferrets and other mammals led to the extinction of many bird species, including large birds like Other indigenous animals are represented by reptiles (tuataras, skinks and geckos),[165] frogs, spiders (katipo), insects (weta) and snails.[166][167] Some, such as the wrens and tuatara, are so unique that they have been called living fossils. Three species of bats (one since extinct) were the only sign of native land mammals in New Zealand until the xxxx discovery of bones from a unique, mouse-sized land mammal at least 16 million years old.[168][169] Marine mammals however are abundant, with almost half the world's cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and large numbers of fur seals reported in New Zealand waters.[170] Many seabirds breed in New Zealand, a third of them unique to the country.[171] More penguin species are found in New Zealand than inSince human arrival almost half of the country's vertebrate species have become extinct, including at least fifty-one birds, three frogs, three lizards, one freshwater fish, and one bat. Others are endangered or have had their range severely reduced.[163] However, New Zealand conservationists have pioneered several methods to help threatened wildlife recover, including island sanctuaries, pest control, wildlife translocation, fostering, and ecological restoration of islands and other selected areas.[173][174][175][176] According to the xxxx Environmental Performance Index, New Zealand is considered a "strong performer" in environmental protection, ranking 14th out of 132New Zealand has a modern, prosperous and developed market economy with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita of roughly US$28,250.[n 7] The currency is the New Zealand dollar, informally known as the "Kiwi dollar"; it also circulates in the Cook Islands (see Cook Islands dollar), Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands.[181] New Zealand was ranked sixth in the xxxx Human Development Index,[182] fourth in the The Heritage Foundation's xxxx Index of Economic Freedom,[183] and 13th in INSEAD's xxxx Historically, extractive industries have contributed strongly to New Zealand's economy, focussing at different times on sealing, whaling, flax, gold, kauri gum, and native timber.[186] With the development of refrigerated shipping in the xxxxs meat and dairy products were exported to Britain, a trade which provided the basis for strong economic growth in New Zealand.[187] High demand for agricultural products from the United Kingdom and the United States helped New Zealanders achieve higher living standards than both Australia and Western Europe in the xxxxs and xxxxs.[188] In xxxx New Zealand's export market was reduced when the United Kingdom joined the European Community[189] and other compounding factors, such as the xxxx oil and xxxx energy crisis, led to a severe economic depression.[190] Living standards in New Zealand fell behind those of Australia and Western Europe, and by xxxx New Zealand had the lowest per-capita income of all the developed nations surveyed by the World Bank.[191] Since xxxx, successive governments engaged in major macroeconomic restructuring (known first as Rogernomics and then Ruthanasia), rapidly transforming New Zealand from a highly protectionist economy to aUnemployment peaked above 10 percent in xxxx and xxxx,[194] following the xxxx share market crash, but eventually fell to a record low of 3.4 percent in xxxx (ranking fifth from twenty-seven comparable OECD nations).[195] However, the global financial crisis that followed had a major impact on New Zealand, with the GDP shrinking for five consecutive quarters, the longest recession in over thirty years,[196][197] and unemployment rising back to 7 percent in late xxxx.[198] As of May xxxx, the general unemployment rate was around 6.7 percent, while the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 21 was 13.6 percent.[199] New Zealand has experienced a series of "brain drains" since the xxxxs[200] that still continue today.[201] Nearly one quarter of highly skilled workers live overseas, mostly in Australia and Britain, which is the largest proportion from any developed nation.[202] In recent years, however, a "brain gain" has brought in educated professionals from Europe and lesser New Zealand is heavily dependent on international trade,[205] particularly in agricultural products.[206] Exports account for a high 24 percent of its output,[135] making New Zealand vulnerable to international commodity prices and global economic slowdowns. Its principal export industries are agriculture, horticulture, fishing, forestry and mining, which make up about half of the country's exports.[207] Its major export partners are Australia, United States, Japan, China, and the United Kingdom.[135] On 7 April xxxx, New Zealand and China signed the New Zealand?China Free Trade Agreement, the first such agreement China has signed with a developed country.[208][209] The service sector is the largest sector in the economy, followed by manufacturing and construction and then farming and raw material extraction.[135] Tourism plays a significant role in New Zealand's economy, contributing $15.0 billion to New Zealand?s total GDP and supporting 9.6 percent of the total workforce in xxxx.[210] International visitors to New Zealand increased by 3.1 percent in the year to October xxxx[211] and are expected to increase at a rate of 2.5 Wool was New Zealand?s major agricultural export during the late 19th century.[186] Even as late as the xxxxs it made up over a third of all export revenues,[186] but since then its price has steadily dropped relative to other commodities[212] and wool is no longer profitable for many farmers.[213] In contrast dairy farming increased, with the number of dairy cows doubling between xxxx and xxxx,[214] to become New Zealand's largest export earner.[215] In the year to June xxxx, dairy products accounted for 21 percent ($9.1 billion) of total merchandise exports,[216] and the country's largest company, Fonterra, controls almost one-third of the international dairy trade.[217] Other agricultural exports in xxxx were meat 13.2 percent, wool 6.3 percent, fruit 3.5 percent and fishing 3.3 percent. New Zealand's wine industry has followed a similar trend to dairy, the number of vineyards doubling over the same period,[218] overtaking wool exports for the first In xxxx, oil, gas and coal generated approximately 69 percent of New Zealand's gross energy supply and 31% was generated from renewable energy, primarily hydroelectric power and geothermal power.[221] New Zealand's transport network includes 93,805 kilometres (58,288 mi) of roads, worth 23 billion dollars,[222] and 4,128 kilometres (2,565 mi) of railway lines.[135] Most major cities and towns are linked by bus services, although the private car is the predominant mode of transport.[223] The railways were privatised in xxxx, then re-purchased by the government in xxxx and vested into a state owned enterprise.[224] Railways run the length of the country, although most lines now carry freight rather than passengers.[225] Most international visitors arrive via air[226] and New Zealand has six international airports, although currently only the Auckland and Christchurch airports connect directly with countries other than Australia or Fiji.[227] The New Zealand Post Office had a monopoly over telecommunications until xxxx when Telecom New Zealand was formed, initially as a state-owned enterprise and then privatised in xxxx.[228] Telecom still owns the majority of the telecommunications infrastructure, but competition from other providers has increased.[229] The United Nations International Telecommunication Union ranks New Zealand 12th in the development of information and communications infrastructure, having moved up four places The population of New Zealand is approximately 4.5 million.[231] New Zealand is a predominantly urban country, with 72 percent of the population living in 16 main urban areas and 53 percent living in the four largest cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton.[232] New Zealand cities generally rank highly on international livability measures. For instance, in xxxx Auckland was ranked the world's 4th most liveable city and Wellington the 12th by the MercerThe life expectancy of a New Zealand child born in xxxx was 82.4 years for females, and 78.4 years for males.[234] Life expectancy at birth is forecast to increase from 80 years to 85 years in xxxx and infant mortality is expected to decline.[235] New Zealand's fertility rate of 2.1 is relatively high for a developed country, and natural births account for a significant proportion of population growth. Subsequently, the country has a young population compared to most industrialized nations, with 20 percent of New Zealanders being 14 years-old or younger.[135] By xxxx the population is forecast to reach 5.3 million, the median age to rise from 36 years to 43 years and the percentage of people 60 years of age and older to rise from In the xxxx census, 67.6 percent identified ethnically as European and 14.6 percent as Maori.[236] Other major ethnic groups include Asian (9.2 percent) and Pacific peoples (6.9 percent), while 11.1 percent identified themselves simply as a "New Zealander" (or similar) and 1 percent identified with other ethnicities.[237][n 8] This contrasts with xxxx, when the census reported that the population of New Zealand was 92 percent European and 7 percent Maori, with Asian and Pacific minorities sharing the remaining 1 percent.[239] While the demonym for a New Zealand citizen is New Zealander, the informal "Kiwi" is commonly used both internationally[240] and by locals.[241] The Maori loanword Pakeha has been used to refer to New Zealanders of European descent, although others reject this appellation.[242][243] The word Pakeha today is increasingly used to refer to all non-Polynesian The Maori were the first people to reach New Zealand, followed by the early European settlers. Following colonisation, immigrants were predominantly from Britain, Ireland and Australia because of restrictive policies similar to the white Australian policies.[245] There was also significant Dutch, Dalmatian,[246] Italian, and German immigration, together with indirect European immigration through Australia, North America, South America and South Africa.[247] Following the Great Depression policies were relaxed and migrant diversity increased. In xxxx?10, an annual target of 45,000?50,000 permanent residence approvals was set by the New Zealand Immigration Service ? more than one new migrant for every 100 New Zealand residents.[248] Twenty-three percent of New Zealand's population were born overseas, most of whom live in the Auckland region.[249] While most have still come from the United Kingdom and Ireland (29 percent), immigration from East Asia (mostly mainland China, but with substantial numbers also from Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong) is rapidly increasing the number of people from those countries.[250] The number of fee-paying international students increased sharply in the late xxxxs, with more than 20,000 studying in public tertiary institutionsEnglish is the predominant language in New Zealand, spoken by 98 percent of the population.[3] New Zealand English is similar to Australian English and many speakers from the Northern Hemisphere are unable to tell the accents apart.[252] The most prominent differences between the New Zealand English dialect and other English dialects are the shifts in the short front vowels: the short-"i" sound (as in "kit") has centralised towards the schwa sound (the "a" in "comma" and "about"); the short-"e" sound (as in "dress") has moved towards the short-"i" sound; and the short-"a" sound (as in "trap") has moved to the short-"e" sound.[253] Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, although its society is among the most secular in the world.[267] In the xxxx Census, 55.6 percent of the population identified themselves as Christians, while another 34.7 percent indicated that they had no religion (up from 29.6 percent in xxxx) and around 4 percent affiliated with other religions.[268][n 12] The main Christian denominations are Anglicanism 14.8 percent, Roman Catholicism 13.6 percent, Presbyterianism 10.7 percent and Methodism 5 percent. There are also significant numbers of Christians who identify themselves with Pentecostal, Baptist, and Latter-day Saint churches. According to census figures, other significant minority religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.[259][269] The indigenous Maori tend to be associated with Presbyterian and Mormonism, but the census showed that the New Zealand-based Ringatu and Ratana religions had experienced considerable growth.[270]Hence, the New Zealand pronunciation of words such as "bad", "dead", "fish" and "chips" sound like "bed", "did", "fush" and "chups" After the Second World War, Maori were discouraged from speaking their own language (te reo Maori) in schools and workplaces and it existed as a community language only in a few remote areas.[254] It has recently undergone a process of revitalisation,[255][256] being declared one of New Zealand's official languages in xxxx,[257] and is spoken by 4.1 percent of the population.[3] There are now Maori language immersion schools and two Maori Television channels, the only nationwide television channels to have the majority of their prime-time content delivered in Maori.[258] Many places have officially been given dual Maori and English names in recent years. Samoan is one of the most widely spoken languages in New Zealand (2.3 percent),[n 9] followed by French, Hindi, Yue and Northern Chinese.[3][259][n 10] New Zealand Sign Language is used by approximately 28,000 people and was declared one of New Zealand's official Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, with the majority attending from the age of 5.[261] There are 13 school years and attending state (public) schools is free to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents from a person's 5th birthday to the end of the calendar year following their 19th birthday.[262] New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99 percent,[135] and over half of the population aged 15 to 29 hold a tertiary qualification.[261][n 11] There are five types of government-owned tertiary institutions: universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, specialist colleges, and wananga,[263] in addition to private training establishments.[264] In the adult population 14.2 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher, 30.4 percent have some form of secondary qualification as their highest qualification and 22.4 percent have no formal qualification.[265] The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment ranks New Zealand's education system as the 7th best in the world, with students performing exceptionally well in reading, mathematics languages in xxxx.[260]to non-New Zealanders. in xxxx.[251]New Zealanders.[xxxx percent to 29 percent.[235] Quality of Life Survey[233]between xxxx and xxxx.[230]time in xxxx.[219][220]percent annually up to xxxx.[210]developed countries.[203][204] liberalised free-trade economy.[192][193]Global Innovation Index.[184] assessed countries.[177] any other country.[172]the moa and Haast's Eagle.[163][164] percent of the land.[161] which are tussock.[158]although it does occur.Trenches[146] further north.[144]most active supervolcanoes.[143]than 15 times its land area.[137]53°S, and longitudes 165° and 176°E. those born from xxxx onwards.[129]functions of a regional council.[121] holidays[114] and sporting rivalries.[115 for one year during the Iraq War. stationed in New Zealand.[106] Five Power Defence Arrangements.[93]New Zealand.[87] 65,000 we go; where she stands, we stand."[78] than the OECD average of 56%.[76]simultaneously by women.[72] subordinate courts.[57]decisions made by cabinet.[66] without the advice of Cabinet.[62][63]