New Zealand

New Zealand is an island nation in the south-west Pacific, with a population of 4 million. It is also known as Aotearoa, which in Maori means The Land of the Long White Cloud.

A British colony since 1840, New Zealand gained its Independence in 1907. It remains a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen as Head of State. New Zealand is an active member of the Commonwealth.

With Independence, New Zealand has flourished and prospered. The country has moved from an agrarian economy, dependent on access to British markets, to a modern, industrialised nation competing on the world stage. As a consequence, New Zealand now has lower unemployment, lower levels of poverty, a higher average life expectancy and higher fertility rates than the UK.

New Zealand also has one of the lowest rates of pensioner poverty in the world. Almost seventy years ago the country introduced a universal Citizen's Pension for its old folk. The New Zealand Superannuation (NZS) guarantees retired people a non-means-tested flat rate pension. That's why only 1 in 20 New Zealand pensioners fall into poverty in retirement. Compare this with Scotland, where a massive 1 in 5 of our pensioners are below the breadline. The SNP would like Scotland to follow New Zealand's example and introduce a decent state pension for all. And that's not the only example from New Zealand we would like to follow.

Like Scotland, New Zealand has vast renewable energy potential. Already almost three quarters of New Zealand's energy is supplied from renewable resources. Unlike Scotland, however, New Zealand has also managed to remain nuclear-free. There are no nuclear power stations in New Zealand - and no dangerous nuclear waste either. Neither are there any nuclear weapons. Indeed, New Zealand has declared itself, as a sovereign state, a completely Nuclear Free Zone. With Independence, Scotland could become a Nuclear Free Zone too.

Independence has given New Zealand the opportunity to participate in the world as an equal partner and the ability to develop distinctive policies to suit the nation's distinctive needs. It's been the best thing that ever happened to New Zealand. It could be the best thing that ever happens to Scotland too.