Located in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand is made up of two main islands (the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or
Te Waipounamu) and a number of smaller islands, the largest of which being Stewart Island, Chatham Island, Great Barrier Island, D’Urville Island, and Waiheke Island.
New Zealand is part of a region known as Australasia, together with Australia. It also forms the southwestern extremity of the geographic and ethnographic region called Polynesia. The term Oceania is often used to denote the wider region encompassing the Australian continent, New Zealand and various islands in the Pacific Ocean that are not included in the seven-continent model.
New Zealand’s climate is predominantly temperate maritime, with mean annual temperatures ranging from 10 °C in the south to 16 °C in the north. Historical maxima and minima are 42.4 °C in Rangiora, Canterbury and −25.6 °C in Ranfurly, Otago. Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to semi-arid in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin of inland Canterbury, and subtropical in Northland.
Average annual sunshine in New Zealand
The major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all receive a yearly average of more than 2,000 hours of sunshine. The southern and southwestern parts of the South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1,400–1,600 hours average; the northern and northeastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas of the country and receive about 2,400–2,500 hours per year.
Solar Lighting New Zealand
Much like its neighbour Australia, the connection to nature and preservation of
the natural landscape is a large part of the New Zealand identity. With an increased emphasis on sustainability and preservation of natural resources becoming a very important topic globally, there is the need to invest in sustainable alternatives
to fossil fuels and reliance on traditional electricity networks.
Solar lighting can generate its own electricity and provide lighting to streets and areas where it is needed for the safety and well being of people throughout the world.
