New Zealand is an island country in the south Pacific. It is a stable parliamentary democracy and has a population of around 5 million people, with a history of Māori, Pacific island, European and Asian immigration. The majority of New Zealand’s population is of European descent (70 per cent), followed by indigenous Māori (16.5 per cent) Asians (15.3 per cent) and Pacific peoples (9 per cent). English is the predominant language, with te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language recognized official languages.