Whaling in New Zealand and in 1844 the last of the early onshore stations closed. Still, Captain Nye of the barque "Mount Wolleston" reported in 1879 that the northern whales averaged 10lbs of whale bone to each barrel of oil, and at that time were the most profitable whales caught. The following table presents the average yield of oil and bone to the northern and southern whale: A later shore station, Perano's of Tory Channel, Cook Strait caught 4200 whales (mainly humpback) between 1911 and 1964, when the last whale was caught in New Zealand waters. Since 1978, whales within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic
Languages of New Zealand and New Zealand Sign Language. English is spoken by 96.1 percent of the population. It has long been the predominant language and the "de facto" official language. It is the primary language used in parliament, government, the courts, and the education system. Its official status has been presumed and is not codified in statute. In 2018, New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell introduced a bill to parliament to statutorily recognise English as an official language. New Zealand English is mostly non-rhotic with the exception of the "southern burr" found principally in Southland and parts of Otago. It is similar to