View source for New Zealand Subantarctic Islands

{{Short description|Southernmost parts of the South Pacific country}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |WHS           = New Zealand Subantarctic Islands
 |image         = Karta NZ Subantarctic islands.PNG
 |image_upright = 1.2
 |location      = [[New Zealand]]
 |includes      = {{ubl|[[Antipodes Islands]]|[[Auckland Islands]]|[[Bounty Islands]]|[[Campbell Islands]]|[[Snares Islands / Tini Heke]]}}
 |criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ix), (x)}}(ix), (x)
 |ID            = 877
 |coordinates   = {{Coord|50|45|S|166|6|E|format=dms}}
 |year          = 1998
 |area          = {{convert|764.8|km2|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|url = https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/53564-protected-areas/data/|title = Data Table – Protected Areas – LINZ Data Service|publisher = [[Land Information New Zealand]]|access-date = 27 August 2019|df = dmy-all}}</ref>
}}

The '''New Zealand Subantarctic Islands''' comprise the five southernmost groups of the [[New Zealand outlying islands]]. They are collectively designated as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|title = New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands|url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/877|website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre|series = World Heritage List|access-date = 8 September 2019|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

Most of the islands lie near the southeast edge of the largely [[submerged continent]] centred on [[New Zealand]] called [[Zealandia]], which was [[rift|riven]] from Australia 60–85&nbsp;million years ago, and from [[Antarctica]] 85–130 million years ago. They share some features with Australia's [[Macquarie Island]] to the west.

== History ==
These islands were uninhabited at the time of European discovery, nonetheless, there is evidence of [[Māori people|Māori]] and/or [[Polynesians|Polynesian]] visits to some of the island groups, and some were still known to Māori at the time of European contact.
* [[Antipodes Islands]] (Moutere Mahue)– Claims of a pottery shard found here in 1886, although this is contested.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/teaohou/issue/Mao59TeA/c18.html |title=NGA-IWI-O-AOTEA |date=1967 |magazine=Te Ao Hou |access-date=9 July 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1886-I.1.2502&cl=search&srpos=1&e=-------50--1------01886+hZz-24— |title=Captain Fairchild to the Secretary, Marine Department, Wellington |location=Wellington |publisher=Marine Department |series=Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1886 Session I, H-24 |page=6 |access-date=9 July 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Auckland Islands]] (Motu Maha/Maungahuka) – Traces of Polynesian settlement, possibly dating to the 13th century, have been found by archaeologists on [[Enderby Island]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Atholl |date=December 2005 |title=Subpolar settlement in South Polynesia |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/subpolar-settlement-in-south-polynesia/54A8ADF8F8DDD0B3B3FA4250AC4A74A0 |journal=Antiquity |language=en |volume=79 |issue=306 |pages=791–800 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00114930 |issn=0003-598X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/subantarctic-islands/page-4 |title=4. Early human settlement – Subantarctic islands |publisher=Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand |date=24 January 2013 |access-date=2 August 2013}}</ref> This is the most southerly settlement by Polynesians yet known.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://waikowhai2.wordpress.com/mystery-islands-of-south-polynesia/#auckland |author=Don Macnaughtan |title=Mystery Islands of Remote South Polynesia: Bibliography of Prehistoric Settlement on Norfolk Island, the Kermadecs, Lord Howe, and the Auckland Islands |date=11 February 2014 |access-date=30 May 2018}}</ref>
* [[Snares Islands]] (Tini Heke) – The islands were already known to the Māori, who called one of the larger islands ''Te Taniwha'' ("The sea-monster"). They are visible from near [[Stewart Island]] in good conditions.

European exploration took place in the 19th century, often involving exploiting the natural resources of the area for sealing and whaling etc. Some shipwrecks took place in the region, with crews being forced to live off the land. [[Hardwicke, New Zealand|Hardwicke]] on [[Auckland Island]] represents one of the few serious attempts by Europeans to set up a settlement in the islands, subsequently abandoned.

Until 1995, scientific research staff were stationed permanently at a meteorological station on [[Campbell Island, New Zealand|Campbell Island]]. Since then, the islands have been uninhabited, though they are periodically visited by researchers and tourists. Protection of reserves was strengthened in 2014, becoming the largest natural sanctuary in the nation.<ref>{{cite news|last = Fox|first = M.|date = 2 March 2014|title = Birds, seals, penguins protected|url = https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/9780890/Birds-seals-penguins-protected|website = Stuff News|access-date = 9 August 2019|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

== Islands ==
; [[Antipodes Islands]]: Antipodes Island, [[Bollons Island]], the Windward Islands, Orde Lees Island, Leeward Island, South Islet
; [[Auckland Islands]]: [[Auckland Island]], [[Adams Island, New Zealand|Adams Island]], [[Disappointment Island]], [[Enderby Island, New Zealand|Enderby Island]], [[Ewing Island, New Zealand|Ewing Island]], [[Rose Island, New Zealand|Rose Island]]
; [[Bounty Islands]] (Moutere Hauriri): Main Group, Centre Group, and Eastern Group islets
; [[Campbell Islands]]: [[Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku]], [[Dent Island, New Zealand|Dent Island]], [[Folly Island, New Zealand|Folly Island]], [[Jacquemart Island]]
; [[Snares Islands / Tini Heke]]: Alert Stack, [[Broughton Island, New Zealand|Broughton Island]], High Island, [[North East Island, New Zealand|North East Island]], [[Western Chain, New Zealand|Western Chain islets]]

=== Territorial claims ===
New Zealand also has territorial claims, held in abeyance under the [[Antarctic Treaty System]], over several islands close to the Antarctic mainland, including:

* [[Ross Island]] and the rest of the [[Ross Archipelago]]
* [[Balleny Islands]]: [[Young Island]], [[Buckle Island]], [[Sturge Island]], plus several smaller islets
* [[Roosevelt Island, Antarctica|Roosevelt Island]]
* [[Scott Island]] and [[Haggits Pillar]]

Of these, Ross Island is inhabited by the scientific staff of several research stations, notably at [[McMurdo Sound]] and [[Scott Base]].

==Ecology==
The Antipodes, Auckland, Bounty and Campbell Islands are collectively designated the ''Antipodean Islands'' in the [[World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions]]. The Snares Islands / Tini Heke are included with the [[South Island]] in ''New Zealand South'' under the scheme.

== See also ==
* [[List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands]]
* [[List of islands of New Zealand]]
** [[New Zealand outlying islands]]
** [[Solander Islands]]
** [[Stewart Island]]
* [[Macquarie Island]], an Australian administered island which neighbours these islands.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.doc.govt.nz/subantarctics Subantarctic islands], Department of Conservation
* [https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=877 UNESCO classification for the sub-antarctic islands]
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaAndAirTransport/Castaways/1/en Castaways: Wrecked on a subantarctic island] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718045649/http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaAndAirTransport/Castaways/1/en |date=18 July 2009 }} – ''Te Ara'' – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

{{Peri-Antarctic countries and overseas territories}}
{{World Heritage Sites in New Zealand}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subantarctic Islands}}
[[Category:Archipelagoes of New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand outlying islands]]
[[Category:New Zealand subantarctic islands| ]]
[[Category:Subantarctic islands]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Zealandia]]