Wellington [ b ] is the capital city of New Zealand. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, [ c ] and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington's economy is primarily service -based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, government, and the film industry. It is the centre of New Zealand's film and special effects industries, and increasingly a hub for information technology and innovation, [ 20 ] with two public research universities.
Wellington is one of New Zealand's chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping. The city is chiefly served by Wellington International Airport in Rongotai , the country's third-busiest airport. Often referred to as New Zealand's cultural capital, the culture of Wellington is a diverse and often youth-driven one which has wielded influence across Oceania. Wellington is a leading financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region, being ranked 35th in the world by the Global Financial Centres Index for Wellington takes its name from Arthur Wellesley , the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo : his title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset.
It was named in November by the original settlers of the New Zealand Company on the suggestion of the directors of the same, in recognition of the Duke's strong support for the company's principles of colonisation and his "strenuous and successful defence against its enemies of the measure for colonising South Australia".
One of the founders of the settlement, Edward Jerningham Wakefield , reported that the settlers "took up the views of the directors with great cordiality and the new name was at once adopted". In New Zealand Sign Language , the name is signed by raising the index, middle, and ring fingers of one hand, palm forward, to form a "W", and shaking it slightly from side to side twice.
The city's location close to the mouth of the narrow Cook Strait leaves it vulnerable to strong gales, leading to the nickname of "Windy Wellington". Legends recount that Kupe discovered and explored the region in about the 10th century.
