The New Zealand Esperanto Association, Incorporated (NZEA) (Esperanto: Nov-Zelanda Esperanto-Asocio; Māori

Maori language

Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...

: Te Rōpū o Aotearoa mō te Reo o te Ao) is the national Esperanto

Esperanto

is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...

 association of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is an incorporated society

Incorporated society

in New Zealand an incorporated society is defined as being a group of at least 15 people who have applied for registration under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908....

 and affiliated with the World Esperanto Association

World Esperanto Association

The World Esperanto Association is the largest international organization of Esperanto speakers, with members in 121 countries and in official relations with the United Nations and UNESCO. In addition to individual members, 70 national Esperanto organizations are affiliated to UEA...

.

History

NZEA was founded in Auckland on 1 February 1910. The first president of the Association was Mr George Aldridge of Auckland. Dr L. L. Zamenhof

L. L. Zamenhof

Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof December 15, 1859 – April 14, 1917) was the inventor of Esperanto, the most successful constructed language designed for international communication.-Cultural background:...

 agreed to be the Honorary President. The then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Sir Joseph Ward

Joseph Ward

Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...

 and George Fowler M.P. became patrons of the Association.

During the First World War, the association ceased to exist. It was revived in 1928 under a new President Mr (later Professor) C. John Adcock.

In 1983, the Inland Revenue Department

Inland Revenue Department (New Zealand)

Inland Revenue , previously known as the Inland Revenue Department, is the New Zealand government department responsible for the collection of over 80% of the Crown's revenue in New Zealand. It also collects and disburses social support programme payments and provides the government with policy...

 granted NZEA the status of charitable organisation.

Annual congress

The New Zealand Esperanto Association generally arranges an annual Esperanto congress. The congress is usually of 3 to 5 days duration and occurs usually in January or February. About every fourth year NZEA has a combined congress with the Australian Esperanto Association

Australian Esperanto Association

-Summer School:The Australian Esperanto Association hosts a summer school of the international auxiliary language Esperanto for one or two weeks each year. Classes are arranged for beginners, intermediate, and fluent speakers of the language...

, either in New Zealand or Australia. In January 2008, Oceanea Congress took place in Auckland with many Esperantists from Australia and other countries. There were classes in the Esperanto language for beginners, learners and fluent speakers. There were also sessions about the language, entertainment and the annual meeting of the Association.

Publications

The official journal of NZEA is called Esperanto sub la Suda Kruco. It is published jointly with the Australian Esperanto Association. NZEA publishes a member newsletter called Arĝenta Filiko, usually twice a year. It aims principally to inform members about congress arrangements.