How this list was compiled: Items made on 2026-09-26; names, ids and accepted spellings are Natural Earth's. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_1_states_provinces (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_1_states_provinces.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Surrounding land from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_0_countries (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 40.8°S 173.1°E. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This New Zealand outline map shows its 16 regions: nine on the North Island and seven on the South Island. Switch Borders off for a plain outline of the North and South Islands.
Read the full guide
Blank, numbered or named
The sheet opens blank. Choose Numbered to put a number on each of the 16 regions of New Zealand, or Named for their names, then press Print this map; the answer key prints on its own sheet.
Largest and smallest
Canterbury, on the east of the South Island, is the largest region and Nelson the smallest, so Nelson carries a ring. The Chatham Islands, 800 km to the east, are not a region and are not drawn. Auckland, the largest city, is a region of its own on the North Island.
Print Numbered and give each half of the class one island: nine regions to the north, seven to the south.
Questions and answers
How many regions does New Zealand have?
Sixteen: eleven with a regional council and five run by a unitary authority, such as Auckland and Nelson. All 16 are numbered here.
Which region is Wellington in?
The Wellington region, at the southern tip of the North Island, across Cook Strait from the South Island.
Which is the largest region?
Canterbury, on the South Island around Christchurch, followed by Otago to its south.