The 47th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was a coalition between Labour and the small Progressive party with United Future supporting confidence and supply votes.

See: NZ Internet History

For world events and topics in 2004 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 2004

Media related to 2004 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons

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.

Nasser Hussain OBE (born 28 March 1968, Madras, India) is a former Essex and England cricketer.

Beginning his career in a strong Essex side in the late 1980s, he was an outstanding fielder and a stylish but inconsistent batsman. In first-class cricket from 1987 to 2004 Hussain scored 20,698 runs in 334 matches at an average of 42.06, including 52 centuries. A pugnacious right-handed batsman, Hussain's highest Test score was 207, scored in the first Test of the 1997 Ashes at Edgbaston.

Hussain is regarded as one of the best England Test Cricket Captains of the era for his part in transforming the side from a habitually under-performing team to one of achievement. Simon Barnes of The Times wrote that "Hussain is the most significant cricketer to have played for England since the war and perhaps the finest captain to hold the office."

Hussain was born of an Indian Muslim father, Jawad Hussain (also known as "Joe"), and mother Patricia. Hussain was educated at Forest School, Walthamstow, and then received a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Durham. His father and brother, Mehriyar Hussain, have both played first-class cricket, for Tamil Nadu and Worcestershire, respectively.

Nathan John Astle (born 15 September 1971 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was an attacking batsman who liked to play batting shots such as the cover drive and the pull shot. He also scored the world's fastest Test double century in terms of balls faced. This remarkable innings of 222 was scored in just 168 balls (vs. England at Jade Stadium, Christchurch in 2002). Astle reached the double-century after only 153 balls, with the second 100 of the double century coming off just 39 balls.

As a batsman, Astle opened the batting for New Zealand in one day cricket, whereas he batted in the middle order in Test cricket. He was also a right arm medium bowler.

Nathan has 16 ODI Centuries and 37 ODI Fifties to his name and is the second highest run-scorer of all time in One-Day Internationals for New Zealand. His highest ODI score of 145* was recorded against relative minnows USA although he won several matches for his country against countries with full Test match status. He has played County Cricket in England for Derbyshire, Durham and Nottinghamshire and plays for Canterbury in New Zealand.

David Bowie ( /ˈboʊ.i/ BOH-ee; born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He is known for his distinctive voice and the intellectual depth and eclecticism of his work.

Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in July 1969, when his song "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart. After a three-year period of experimentation he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, spearheaded by the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie's impact at that time, as described by biographer David Buckley, "challenged the core belief of the rock music of its day" and "created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture." The relatively short-lived Ziggy persona proved merely one facet of a career marked by continual reinvention, musical innovation and striking visual presentation.