Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. The World Factbook. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand withdrew from a number of defense alliances during the 1970s and 1980s. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes, broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures.
Inflation remains among the lowest in the industrial world.
Per capita GDP has been moving up toward the levels of the big West European economies. Moderate growth probably will characterize 2000.