The
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency is a region of
Antarctica

Antarctica defined by a sector
originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to
150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south. It is claimed by
New Zealand. Since the
Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961,
Article IV of which states: "No acts or activities taking place while
the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting,
supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica
or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica," most countries do
not recognise territorial claims in Antarctica.
The Dependency takes its name from Sir James Clark Ross, who
discovered the Ross Sea, and includes part of Victoria Land, and most
of the Ross Ice Shelf. Ross Island,
Balleny Islands

Balleny Islands and the small
Scott Island

Scott Island also form part of the Dependency, as does the ice-covered
Roosevelt Island.
Contents
1 History of claim
2 Geography and habitation
3 Other events
4 Postage stamps
5 Notes
6 See also
7 External links
History of claim[edit]
Following his discovery of
Victoria Land

Victoria Land in 1841, James Clark Ross
took possession of this territory, along with the surrounding sea, on
behalf of Britain. On 30 July 1923, the
United Kingdom

United Kingdom government
passed an
Order in Council under the British Settlements Act 1887,
which defined the current borders of the
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency as follows:
"From and after the publication of this Order in the Government
Gazette of the
Dominion

Dominion of
New Zealand

New Zealand that part of His Majesty's
Dominions in the Antarctic Seas, which comprises all the islands and
territories between the 160th degree of East
Longitude

Longitude and the 150th
degree of West
Longitude

Longitude which are situated south of the 60th degree
of South
Latitude

Latitude shall be named the Ross Dependency."
The
Order in Council then went on to appoint the Governor-General and
Commander-in-Chief

Commander-in-Chief of
New Zealand

New Zealand as the Governor of the territory.[1]
This
Order in Council was published in the
New Zealand

New Zealand Gazette on 16
August 1923, and on 14 November 1923, the Governor-General issued
regulations extending
New Zealand

New Zealand law to the Ross Dependency.
After the
Order in Council was read in the
New Zealand

New Zealand House of
Representatives by the Prime Minister of
New Zealand

New Zealand William Massey, a
clarification was made by the
Attorney-General Sir Francis Bell in the
legislative council. Sir Francis stated that:
"The boundaries of
New Zealand

New Zealand are not extended to include the Ross
sea and adjacent lands. His Majesty's delegation to the
Governor-General of
New Zealand

New Zealand did not confer upon the government or
parliament of
New Zealand

New Zealand the same powers as were vested by the
Constitution Act in respect of the
Dominion

Dominion itself. It might be
assumed that in the administration of the
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency that he
would invite advice from his
New Zealand

New Zealand ministers and it was certain
that details would be entrusted to the
New Zealand

New Zealand government. But his
excellency was required in all matters of legislation and regulation
for the Ross Territory to comply with instructions from the colonial
secretary. There was no reason to believe that the Colonial Office
would give such instructions without prior consultation with the
Government of the Dominion, but the part which the New Zealand
Government had agreed to take in enabling His Majesty to exercise
jurisdiction in and over the Ross Territory must be taken on behalf of
the Empire as a whole and not specially in the interests of New
Zealand."
It has been said that the
Order in Council contained no suggestion of
a transfer to
New Zealand

New Zealand of the United Kingdom's claim,[2] but the
fact remains that the territory is administered by the Government of
New Zealand.[3] Technically, the claim is that of the Queen and she
can exercise it through any of her Governments.[3]
At an
Imperial conference

Imperial conference in 1930,[4] it was agreed that the
Governors-General of the Dominions would be appointed by the King on
the advice of the
Dominion

Dominion in question. And following the passing of
the Statute of Westminster in 1931 (which was adopted in full by New
Zealand in 1947), the government of the
United Kingdom

United Kingdom relinquished
all control over the government of New Zealand. This however had no
bearing on the obligations of the Governor-General of
New Zealand

New Zealand in
his capacity as Governor of the
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency on the appointment of
Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. Then in the year 1959,
the
Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Treaty was signed by twelve nations which included both
the
United Kingdom

United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Geography and habitation[edit]
Aerial photo of
Mount Erebus

Mount Erebus on Ross Island
The actual amount of land mass claimed is not large; most of the area
defined as being in the
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency is either in the
Ross Sea

Ross Sea or
the Antarctic Ocean. It is the second-smallest of the claims which
were made prior to the implementation of the
Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Treaty System
and the suspension of all territorial claims to
Antarctica

Antarctica proper.
Officers of the Government of the
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency are annually
appointed to run the Dependency. The
New Zealand

New Zealand Geographic Board has
named many features within the Dependency.
The scientific bases of
Scott Base

Scott Base (New Zealand), McMurdo Station
(USA) and Mario
Zucchelli Station

Zucchelli Station (Italy) are the only permanently
occupied human habitations in the area, though Amundsen–Scott South
Pole Station (USA) is partially within the territory and dependent on
logistics operations based in New Zealand. The Dependency has access
to a U.S. Antarctic Program maintained snow runway at Williams Field,
and depending on conditions and time of year, two ice runways. This
guarantees accessibility by wheeled and ski equipped aircraft year
round.
From 1969 to 1995
New Zealand

New Zealand operated a summer-only base called Vanda
Station in the Dry Valley area of the dependency.
Greenpeace

Greenpeace maintained its own Antarctic station in the Ross Dependency
called
World Park Base

World Park Base from 1987 to 1992, which was on Ross Island. As
this base was a non-governmental entity, the official policy of the
signatory nations of the
Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Treaty was not to give any support
or assistance to it.
Other events[edit]
Unofficial Flag of the Ross Dependency
In the summer of 1985, when the British non-governmental exploratory
vessel Southern Quest sank in the Ross Sea,
United States

United States Coast Guard
helicopters rescued the crew, who were taken to McMurdo Station. The
expedition was criticised by scientists in the Antarctic because the
rescue and return of the crew disrupted their work.[5]
In 2006, the
New Zealand

New Zealand police reported that jurisdictional issues
prevented them issuing warrants for potential American witnesses who
were reluctant to testify during the Christchurch Coroner's
investigation into the poisoning death of
Rodney Marks

Rodney Marks at the South
Pole base.[6][7]
Postage stamps[edit]
Further information: Postage stamps and postal history of the Ross
Dependency
Notes[edit]
^
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/imperial/1923/0974/latest/DLM1195.html
Order in Council Under the British Settlements Act, 1887 (50 & 51
Vict c 54), Providing for the Government of the Ross Dependency.
^ See Richardson, Ivor L. M. (1957). "New Zealand's Claims in the
Antarctic".
New Zealand

New Zealand Law Journal. 33 (9): 38–42.
SSRN 2257655 .
^ a b Commonwealth and Colonial Law by Sir Kenneth Roberts-Wray,
London, Stevens, 1966. P. 137 (word for word quote as at 2 May 2015)
^ Extracts from Imperial Conferences
^ "Robert Swan Expedition 1984-85". Glasgow Digital Library. Retrieved
2007-03-25.
^ Hotere, Andrea. "
South Pole

South Pole death file still open". Sunday Star
Times, December 17, 2006. Retrieved on December 19, 2006.
^ Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "Death of Australian astrophysicist an
Antarctic whodunnit". Monstersandcritics.com, December 14, 2006.
Retrieved on December 19, 2006.
See also[edit]
New Zealand

New Zealand portal
Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ross Dependency.
New Zealand,
Antarctica

Antarctica and the
Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean — Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade. Outline of NZ involvement
Antarctica

Antarctica
New Zealand

New Zealand — Crown entity charged with administering,
developing and managing Ross Dependency
50 years of Scott Base
History - From University of Canterbury
Stamps of Ross Dependency
map of
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency (central part)
Scientific Research by NIWA in Antarctica
Dominion

Dominion Post Photos of Antarctica: enter, go to
Categories:Places;Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica and New Zealand, NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Coordinates: 75°00′S 175°00′W / 75.000°S 175.000°W /
-75.000; -175.000
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Territories of Antarctica
Territorial claims
Adélie Land

Adélie Land (France)
Argentine Antarctica
Australian Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
Chilean Antarctic Territory
Peter I Island

Peter I Island (Norway)
Queen Maud Land

Queen Maud Land (Norway)
Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency (New Zealand)
Other territories
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Ross Dependency
Tokelau
15 islands
14 villages
Territorial authorities
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Notes
Some districts lie in more than one region
These combine the regional and the territorial authority levels in one
Special

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The outlying
Solander Islands

Solander Islands form part of the Southland Region
New Zealand's Antarctic territory
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Antarctica

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Ross Dependency

Ross Dependency (transferred to the Realm of New Zealand)
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previously dependencies of Saint Helena.
15. Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British
Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South