2007 Rally New Zealand 37th Propecia Rally New Zealand
Round 11 of the 2007 World Rally Championship ← Previous event Next event →
Coast of New Zealand.
Host country	New Zealand
Rally base	Hamilton, New Zealand
Dates run	31 August – 2 September 2007
Stages	18 (353.56 km; 219.69 mi)
Stage surface	Gravel
Overall distance	1,255.98 km (780.43 mi)
Results
Overall winner	Marcus Grönholm BP Ford World Rally Team
Crews	68 at start, 59 at finish

The 2007 Rally New Zealand (37th Propecia Rally New Zealand), 11th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, was run on 31 August - 2 September. After a tight battle for three days, Marcus Grönholm beat Sébastien Loeb for the win by 0.3 seconds. This was the closest finish in the history of the World Rally Championship. The previous record was held by the 1998 Rally de Portugal, in which Colin McRae took the win 2.1 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz.^[1]

Results[link]

Pos.	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Time	Difference	Points
WRC
1.	Marcus Grönholm	Timo Rautiainen	Ford Focus RS WRC 07	3:52:53.9	0.0	10
2.	Sébastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Citroën C4 WRC	3:52:54.2	0.3	8
3.	Mikko Hirvonen	Jarmo Lehtinen	Ford Focus RS WRC 07	3:54:36.7	1:42.8	6
4.	Chris Atkinson	Stéphane Prévot	Subaru Impreza WRC 07	3:55:26.2	2:32.3	5
5.	Jari-Matti Latvala	Ole Kristian Unnerud	Ford Focus RS WRC 06	3:55:30.8	2:36.9	4
6.	Daniel Sordo	Marc Marti	Citroën C4 WRC	3:56:35.9	3:42.0	3
7.	Petter Solberg	Phil Mills	Subaru Impreza WRC 07	3:56:48.6	3:54.7	2
8.	Urmo Aava	Kuldar Sikk	Mitsubishi Lancer WR05	4:02:10.2	9:16.3	1
PCWRC
1. (13.)	Toshi Arai	Tony Sircombe	Subaru Impreza WRX STI	4:13:35.8	0.0	10
2. (14.)	Niall McShea	Gordon Noble	Subaru Impreza WRX STI	4:13:38.4	2.6	8
3. (15.)	Richard Mason	Sara Randall	Subaru Impreza WRX STI	4:14:46.0	1:10.2	6
4. (16.)	Gabriel Pozzo	Daniel Stillo	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9	4:14:48.9	1:13.1	5
5. (17.)	Fumio Nutahara	Daniel Barritt	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9	4:14:55.7	1:19.9	4
6. (18.)	Armindo Araujo	Migue Ramalhol	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9	4:15:16.0	1:40.2	3
7. (19.)	Juho Hänninen	Mikko Markkula	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9	4:15:46.9	2:11.1	2
8. (22.)	Martin Rauam	Kristo Kraag	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9	4:16:15.2	2:39.4	1

Special Stages[link]

Leg	Stage	Time	Name	Length	Winner	Time	Avg. spd.	Rally leader
1 (31 Aug)	SS1	09:18	Pirongia West 1	18.30 km	M. Grönholm	13:40.5	80.29 km/h	M. Grönholm
	SS2	10:21	Waitomo 1	43.88 km	M. Grönholm	28:47.8	91.43 km/h
	SS3	14:07	Pirongia West 2	18.30 km	S. Loeb	13:32.4	81.09 km/h
	SS4	15:10	Waitomo 2	43.88 km	S. Loeb	28:20.4	92.9 km/h
	SS5	17:03	Mystery Creek 1	3.14 km	C. Atkinson	2:56.2	64.15 km/h
2 (1 Sep)	SS6	09:03	Port Waikato	17.21 km	S. Loeb	9:33.2	108.09 km/h
	SS7	09:41	Possum	13.88 km	M. Grönholm	10:38.2	78.3 km/h
	SS8	10:19	Franklin	31.57 km	S. Loeb	21:15.7	89.09 km/h
	SS9	12:32	Mystery Creek 2	3.14 km	M. Grönholm	2:54.7	64.71 km/h
	SS10	14:58	Te Akau South	31.92 km	S. Loeb	18:25.0	103.99 km/h
	SS11	15:41	Te Akau North	32.36 km	S. Loeb	16:59.8	114.23 km/h	S. Loeb
3 (2 Sep)	SS12	09:03	Maungatawhiri 1	5.34 km	M. Grönholm	2:41.3	119.18 km/h	M. Grönholm
	SS13	09:31	Te Hutewai 1	11.22 km	S. Loeb	7:54.3	85.16 km/h	S. Loeb
	SS14	09:59	Whaanga Coast 1	29.81 km	S. Loeb	21:00.8	85.12 km/h
	SS15	11:38	Maungatawhiri 2	5.34 km	M. Grönholm	2:39.7	120.38 km/h
	SS16	12:06	Te Hutewai 2	11.22 km	M. Grönholm	7:43.0	87.24 km/h
	SS17	12:34	Whaanga Coast 2	29.81 km	M. Grönholm	20:32.1	87.1 km/h	M. Grönholm
	SS18	14:18	Mystery Creek 3	3.14 km	S. Loeb	2:52.5	65.53 km/h

Championship standings after the event[link]

Drivers' championship[link]

Pos Driver MON SWE NOR MEX POR ARG ITA GRC FIN GER NZL ESP FRA JPN IRL GBR  Pts  1 Marcus Grönholm 3 1 2 2 4 2 1 1 1 4 1 90 2 Sébastien Loeb 1 2 14 1 1 1 Ret 2 3 1 2 80 3 Mikko Hirvonen 5 3 1 3 5 3 2 4 2 3 3 69 4 Dani Sordo 2 12 25 4 3 6 3 24 Ret Ret 6 31 Petter Solberg 6 Ret 4 Ret 2 Ret 5 3 Ret 6 7 31 6 Henning Solberg 14 4 3 9 9 5 4 5 5 14 9 28 7 Chris Atkinson 4 8 19 5 Ret 7 10 6 4 15 4 25 8 Jari-Matti Latvala Ret Ret 5 7 8 4 9 12 Ret 8 5 17 9 Toni Gardemeister 7 6 Ret DSQ 6 7 10 10 Daniel Carlsson 5 7 6 Ret 9 Manfred Stohl 10 7 12 6 10 8 7 8 Ret Ret 12 9 12 François Duval Ret 2 8 Jan Kopecký 8 10 8 22 Ret 7 Ret 5 8 14 Gigi Galli 13 6 7 5 15 Xavier Pons 25 Ret 16 6 18 Ret 3 Urmo Aava 28 15 13 14 7 12 8 3 17 Matthew Wilson 12 Ret 26 8 12 30 12 10 10 9 10 1 Juho Hänninen DSQ 17 11 8 Ret Ret 19 1 Mads Østberg 9 37 Ret Ret 8 1 Pos Driver MON SWE NOR MEX POR ARG ITA GRC FIN GER NZL ESP FRA JPN IRL GBR  Pts

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Injured or ill (Inj) Excluded (EX) Suspended (SUS) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrew entry before the event (WD)

Manufacturers' championship[link]

Rank	Manufacturer	Event																Total points
		MON	SWE	NOR	MEX	POR	ARG	ITA	GRC	FIN	GER	NZL	ESP	FRA	JPN	IRL	GBR
1	BP Ford World Rally Team	10	16	18	14	9	14	18	15	18	11	16	-	-	-	-	-	159
2	Citroën Total World Rally Team	18	9	1	15	16	13	6	8	6	10	11	-	-	-	-	-	113
3	Subaru World Rally Team	8	2	5	4	8	2	5	9	5	5	7	-	-	-	-	-	60
4	Stobart VK M-Sport Ford	1	5	10	3	2	9	7	4	4	5	5	-	-	-	-	-	55
5	OMV Kronos	2	7	5	3	4	1	3	2	0	8	0	-	-	-	-	-	35
6	Munchi's Ford World Rally Team		0		0		0	0	1	5		0	-	-	-	-	-	6

References[link]

External links[link]

• Results on the official site: WRC.com
• Results on eWRC-results.com

The Rally New Zealand is an annual rally race in New Zealand. It was first held in Taupo in 1969, and was subsequently staged in Canterbury, before moving back to the North Island in 1971.

The rally was included as a round of the World Championship in 1977. Auckland has hosted the majority of the events, however, beginning in 2006 event is based in Hamilton, with the service park, parc ferme and the super special stage all being located at the Mystery Creek Events Centre. Rally New Zealand is famous for its fast flowing gravel roads which carry the competitors through forests and alongside the impressive New Zealand coastline.

The WRC teams voted Propecia Rally New Zealand "Rally of the Year" in 2001. The 2007 Rally New Zealand was run from 31 August to 2 September and ended with the closest-ever finish in the history of the World Rally Championship. After over 350 competitive kilometres, only 0.3 seconds separated the winner Marcus Grönholm and second-placed Sébastien Loeb.

Past winners[link]

2006 post race celebration with Marcus Grönholm, Mikko Hirvonen and Manfred Stohl.

Multiple Winners[link]

Number	Driver	Country	Years
5	Marcus Grönholm	Finland	2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007
4	Carlos Sainz	Spain	1990, 1991, 1992, 1998
3	Colin McRae	British	1993, 1994, 1995
2	Andrew Cowan	British	1972, 1976
	Hannu Mikkola	Finland	1973, 1979
	Timo Salonen	Finland	1980, 1985
	Richard Burns	British	1996, 2001
	Sébastien Loeb	France	2005, 2008

External links[link]

• Official site
• FIA Page for Rally New Zealand

New Zealand Aotearoa
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  "God Defend New Zealand" "God Save the Queen"[n 1]
The hemisphere centred on New Zealand
Capital		Wellington 41°17′S 174°27′E / 41.283°S 174.45°E / -41.283; 174.45
Largest city		Auckland
Official language(s)		English (95.9%)[n 2] Māori (4.2%) NZ Sign Language (0.6%)
National language		English (98%)
Ethnic groups		78% European/Other[n 3] 14.6% Māori 9.2% Asian 6.9% Pacific peoples
Demonym		New Zealander, Kiwi (colloquial)
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	Elizabeth II
-	Governor-General	Sir Jerry Mateparae
-	Prime Minister	John Key
Legislature		House of Representatives
Independence		from the United Kingdom[n 4]
-	New Zealand Constitution Act 1852	17 January 1853
-	Dominion	26 September 1907
-	Statute of Westminster	11 December 1931 (adopted 25 November 1947)
-	Constitution Act 1986	13 December 1986
Area
-	Total	268,021 km2 (75th) 103,483 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.6[n 5]
Population
-	September 2011 estimate	4,422,700[6] (122nd)
-	2006 census	4,027,947[7]
-	Density	16.5/km2 (202nd) 42.7/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$122.193 billion[8]
-	Per capita	$27,668[8]
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$161.851 billion[8]
-	Per capita	$36,648[8]
Gini (1997)		36.2[9] (medium)
HDI (2011)		0.908[10] (very high) (5th)
Currency		New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Time zone		NZST[n 6] (UTC+12)
-	Summer (DST)	NZDT (UTC+13)
		(Sep to Apr)
Date formats		dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the		left
ISO 3166 code		NZ
Internet TLD		.nz[n 7]
Calling code		+64

New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.

During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.

Polynesians settled New Zealand in 1250–1300 CE and developed a distinctive Māori culture, and Europeans first made contact in 1642 CE. The introduction of potatoes and muskets triggered upheaval among Māori early during the 19th century, which led to the inter-tribal Musket Wars. In 1840 the British and Māori signed a treaty making New Zealand a colony of the British Empire. Immigrant numbers increased sharply and conflicts escalated into the New Zealand Wars, which resulted in much Māori land being confiscated in the mid North Island. Economic depressions were followed by periods of political reform, with women gaining the vote during the 1890s, and a welfare state being established from the 1930s. After World War II, New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty, although the United States later, until 2010, suspended the treaty after New Zealand banned nuclear weapons. New Zealand is part of the intelligence sharing among the Anglosphere countries, the UKUSA Agreement. New Zealanders enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the world in the 1950s, but the 1970s saw a deep recession, worsened by oil shocks and the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community. The country underwent major economic changes during the 1980s, which transformed it from a protectionist to a liberalised free-trade economy. Markets for New Zealand's agricultural exports have diversified greatly since the 1970s, with once-dominant exports of wool being overtaken by dairy products, meat, and recently wine.

The majority of New Zealand's population is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and non-Māori Polynesians. English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages, with English predominant. Much of New Zealand's culture is derived from Māori and early British settlers. Early European art was dominated by landscapes and to a lesser extent portraits of Māori. A recent resurgence of Māori culture has seen their traditional arts of carving, weaving and tattooing become more mainstream. Many artists now combine Māori and Western techniques to create unique art forms. The country's culture has also been broadened by globalisation and increased immigration from the Pacific Islands and Asia. New Zealand's diverse landscape provides many opportunities for outdoor pursuits and has provided the backdrop for a number of big budget movies.

New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes; these have less autonomy than the country's long defunct provinces did. Nationally, executive political power is exercised by the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is the country's head of state and is represented by a Governor-General. The Queen's Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau (a dependent territory); the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); and the Ross Dependency, New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and the United Nations.

Etymology[link]

Detail from a 1657 map showing the western coastline of "Nova Zeelandia"

Aotearoa (often translated as "land of the long white cloud")^[11] is the current Māori name for New Zealand, and is also used in New Zealand English. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the whole country before the arrival of Europeans, with Aotearoa originally referring to just the North Island.^[12] Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642 and called it Staten Landt, supposing it was connected to a landmass of the same name at the southern tip of South America.^[13] In 1645 Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland.^[14][15] British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicised the name to New Zealand.^{[n 8]}

Māori had several traditional names for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui (the fish of Māui) for the North Island and Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of greenstone) or Te Waka o Aoraki (the canoe of Aoraki) for the South Island.^[16] Early European maps labelled the islands North (North Island), Middle (South Island) and South (Stewart Island / Rakiura).^[17] In 1830 maps began to use North and South to distinguish the two largest islands and by 1907 this was the accepted norm.^[18] The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised, but there are now plans to do so.^[19] The board is also considering suitable Māori names,^[20] with Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Wai Pounamu the most likely choices according to the chairman of the Māori Language Commission.^[21]

History[link]

The Māori people are most likely descended from people who emigrated from Taiwan to Melanesia and then travelled east through to the Society Islands. After a pause of 70 to 265 years, a new wave of exploration led to the discovery and settlement of New Zealand.^[22]

New Zealand was one of the last major landmasses settled by humans. Radiocarbon dating, evidence of deforestation^[23] and mitochondrial DNA variability within Māori populations^[24] suggest New Zealand was first settled by Eastern Polynesians between 1250 and 1300,^[16][25] concluding a long series of voyages through the southern Pacific islands.^[26] Over the centuries that followed these settlers developed a distinct culture now known as Māori. The population was divided into iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) which would cooperate, compete and sometimes fight with each other. At some point a group of Māori migrated to the Chatham Islands (which they named Rēkohu) where they developed their distinct Moriori culture.^[27][28] The Moriori population was decimated between 1835 and 1862, largely because of Māori invasion and enslavement, although European diseases also contributed. In 1862 only 101 survived and the last known full-blooded Moriori died in 1933.^[29]

The first Europeans known to have reached New Zealand were Dutch explorer Abel Tasman and his crew in 1642.^[30] In a hostile encounter, four crew members were killed and at least one Māori was hit by canister shot.^[31] Europeans did not revisit New Zealand until 1769 when British explorer James Cook mapped almost the entire coastline.^[30] Following Cook, New Zealand was visited by numerous European and North American whaling, sealing and trading ships. They traded food, metal tools, weapons and other goods for timber, food, artefacts, water, and on occasion sex.^[32] The introduction of the potato and the musket transformed Māori agriculture and warfare. Potatoes provided a reliable food surplus, which enabled longer and more sustained military campaigns.^[33] The resulting inter-tribal Musket Wars encompassed over 600 battles between 1801 and 1840, killing 30,000–40,000 Māori.^[34] From the early 19th century, Christian missionaries began to settle New Zealand, eventually converting most of the Māori population.^[35] The Māori population declined to around 40 percent of its pre-contact level during the 19th century; introduced diseases were the major factor.^[36]

The Waitangi sheet from the Treaty of Waitangi

The British Government appointed James Busby as British Resident to New Zealand in 1832^[37] and in 1835, following an announcement of impending French settlement by Charles de Thierry, the nebulous United Tribes of New Zealand sent a Declaration of the Independence to King William IV of the United Kingdom asking for protection.^[37] Ongoing unrest and the dubious legal standing of the Declaration of Independence prompted the Colonial Office to send Captain William Hobson to claim sovereignty for the British Crown and negotiate a treaty with the Māori.^[38] The Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in the Bay of Islands on 6 February 1840.^[39] In response to the commercially run New Zealand Company's attempts to establish an independent settlement in Wellington^[40] and French settlers "purchasing" land in Akaroa,^[41] Hobson declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand on 21 May 1840, even though copies of the Treaty were still circulating.^[42] With the signing of the Treaty and declaration of sovereignty the number of immigrants, particularly from the United Kingdom, began to increase.^[43]

New Zealand, originally part of the colony of New South Wales, became a separate Crown colony in 1841.^[44] The colony gained a representative government in 1852 and the 1st New Zealand Parliament met in 1854.^[45] In 1856 the colony effectively became self-governing, gaining responsibility over all domestic matters other than native policy. (Control over native policy was granted in the mid-1860s.)^[45] Following concerns that the South Island might form a separate colony, premier Alfred Domett moved a resolution to transfer the capital from Auckland to a locality near the Cook Strait.^[46] Wellington was chosen for its harbour and central location, with parliament officially sitting there for the first time in 1865. As immigrant numbers increased, conflicts over land led to the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s and 1870s, resulting in the loss and confiscation of much Māori land.^[47] In 1893 the country became the first nation in the world to grant all women the right to vote^[48] and in 1894 pioneered the adoption of compulsory arbitration between employers and unions.^[49]

In 1907, at the request of the New Zealand Parliament, King Edward VII proclaimed New Zealand a dominion within the British Empire, reflecting its self-governing status. In 1947 the country adopted the Statute of Westminster, making New Zealand a Commonwealth realm.^[45] New Zealand was involved in world affairs, fighting alongside the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars^[50] and suffering through the Great Depression.^[51] The depression led to the election of the first Labour government and the establishment of a comprehensive welfare state and a protectionist economy.^[52] New Zealand experienced increasing prosperity following World War II^[53] and Māori began to leave their traditional rural life and move to the cities in search of work.^[54] A Māori protest movement developed, which criticised Eurocentrism and worked for greater recognition of Māori culture and the Treaty of Waitangi.^[55] In 1975, a Waitangi Tribunal was set up to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty, and it was enabled to investigate historic grievances in 1985.^[39] The government has negotiated settlements of these grievances with many iwi, although Māori claims to the foreshore and seabed have proved controversial in the 2000s.

Politics[link]