Te Ara – The Encyclopedia Of New Zealand
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''Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand'' is an online
encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...
established in 2001 by the
New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...
's
Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the Creative New Zealand, arts, Culture of New Zealand, culture, New Zealand Historic Places Trust, built heritage, Sport Ne ...
. The web-based content was developed in stages over the next several years; the first sections were published in 2005, and the last in 2014 marking its completion. ''Te Ara'' means "the pathway" in the
Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...
, and contains over three million words in articles from over 450 authors. Over 30,000 images and video clips are included from thousands of contributors.


History

New Zealand's first recognisable encyclopedia was '' The Cyclopedia of New Zealand'', a commercial venture compiled and published between 1897 and 1908 in which businesses or people usually paid to be covered. In 1966 the New Zealand Government published '' An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'', its first official encyclopedia, in three volumes. Although now superseded by ''Te Ara'', its historical importance led to its inclusion as a separate digital resource within the ''Te Ara'' website. ''Te Ara'' was developed between 2001 and 2014 and edited by historian Jock Phillips, who oversaw a full-time staff of about 20 writers, editors, image and resource researchers and designers during its creation. In 2010 during the development of the encyclopedia, the decision was made to integrate the ''
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online ...
'' into ''Te Ara''. On completion of the work in 2014, Jock Phillips' contribution to the project was recognised with a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement. The encyclopedia entered a maintenance phase and is now kept updated by a dedicated research team within the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.


Structure

The encyclopedia is organised into several sections by broad themes, and entries on topics relating substantially to
Māori culture Māori culture () is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Polynesians, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of Culture of New ...
are published in both Māori and English languages. The encyclopedia launched in 2005 with the first theme, focused on telling the stories of New Zealanders. It covers the migration of peoples to New Zealand, and the history of their settlement – both New Zealand's indigenous Māori and other groups. An overview section, "New Zealand in Brief", presents concise information and facts about the country. "Earth, Sea and Sky" published in 2006 covers ocean fish, sea and shorebirds and other marine life, the interactions of people and the sea, the country's natural resources, and shaping forces such as geology, volcanology, weather and climate. Distinctively New Zealand features are the main focus of the content, and scientific and technical data is presented within its social and human context. In 2007, "The Bush" was published, covering New Zealand's indigenous landscapes, forests, plants and animals, and the ways that people have used them or attempted to understand them. Topics also include early mapping, tramping, conifer–broadleaf forests, native fauna, taniwha, Māori exploration, threatened species, and logging native forests. Later themes were "The Settled Landscape" (2008), "Economy and the City" (2010), "Social Connections" (2010), "Government and Nation" (2012), "Daily Life, Sport and Recreation" (2013), and "Creative and Intellectual Life" (2014).


See also

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List of online encyclopedias This is a list of well-known online encyclopedias that are accessible or formerly accessible on the Internet. The largest online encyclopedias are general reference works, though there are also many specialized ones. Some online encyclopedias ar ...


References


External links

*
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
'
''Signposts'' – the blog of ''Te Ara''
{{Authority control 2005 establishments in New Zealand Internet properties established in 2005
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
New Zealand online encyclopedias 21st-century encyclopedias