List of islands of New Zealand
consists of more than six hundred islands, mainly remnants of a larger land mass now beneath the sea. New Zealand is the sixth-largest island country, and the third-largest located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. The following is a list of islands of New Zealand.
The two largest islands – where most of the population lives – have names in both English and in the Māori language. They are the North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui and the South Island or Te Waipounamu. Various Māori iwi sometimes use other names, with some preferring to call the South Island Te Waka o Aoraki. The two islands are separated by the Cook Strait. In general practice, the term mainland refers to the North Island and South Island. However, the South Island alone is sometimes called "the mainland" – especially by its residents, as a nickname – because it is the larger of the two main islands.
To the south of the South Island, Stewart Island is the largest of the smaller islands, and Waiheke Island in the urban Auckland Region has the largest population of the smaller islands.
Listed by size
The following table lists the largest islands of New Zealand by area. River delta islands such as Rakaia Island, Fereday Island, Rangitata Island, and Inch Clutha are omitted, as are temporary islands in braided river channels and tidal islands such as Rabbit Island, Nelson. The country's largest island within a lake, Pomona Island, has an area of just.| Rank | Name of island | Indigenous name | Area | Area | % of NZ area | Population |
| 1 | South Island or Te Waipounamu | Te Wahi Pounamu, Te Waka a Māui, Te Waka o Aoraki | 56.2% | - | ||
| 2 | North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui | Aotearoa | 42.3% | - | ||
| 3 | Stewart Island / Rakiura | Te Punga o Te Waka-a-Māui | 0.6% | 400 | - | |
| 4 | Chatham Island | Rekohu ; Wharekauri | 0.3% | 600 | - | |
| 5 | Auckland Island | Mauka Huka | 0.2% | 0 | - | |
| 6 | Great Barrier Island | 0.1% | 850 | - | ||
| 7 | Resolution Island | Mauīkatau, Tau Moana | 0.1% | 0 | - | |
| 8 | Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island | <0.1% | About 52 | - | ||
| 9 | Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku | <0.1% | 0 | - | ||
| 10 | Adams Island | <0.1% | 0 | - | ||
| 11 | Waiheke Island | <0.1% | - | |||
| 12 | Secretary Island | Kā Tū-waewae-o-Tū | <0.1% | 0 | - | |
| 13 | Arapaoa Island | <0.1% | 50 | - | ||
| 14 | Pitt Island | Rangiaotea | <0.1% | 38 | - | |
| 15 | Matakana Island | <0.1% | 225 | - | ||
| 16 | Raoul Island | Rangitahua | <0.1% | 0 | - | |
| 17 | Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island | Hauturu | ~0.0% | 0 | - | |
| 18 | Rangitoto Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 19 | Antipodes Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 20 | Kapiti Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 21 | Kawau Island | ~0.0% | 81 | - | ||
| 22 | Long Island | Motu Roa | ~0.0% | 0 | - | |
| 23 | Cooper Island | Ao-ata-te-pō | ~0.0% | 0 | - | |
| 24 | Ponui Island / Chamberlins Island | Te Pounui-o-Peretū | ~0.0% | 0 | - | |
| 25 | Great Mercury Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 26 | Ruapuke Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 27 | Motutapu Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 28 | Codfish Island / Whenua Hou | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 29 | Mayor Island / Tūhua | ~0.0% | 0 | - | ||
| 30 | Coal Island | Te Puka-Hereka | ~0.0% | 0 | - | |
| 31 | Anchor Island | Pukenui | ~0.0% | 0 | - | |
| 32 | Mōtītī Island | ~0.0% | 27 | - | ||
| 33 | Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island | ~0.0% | 0 | - |
Listed by highest point
The table below lists the islands of New Zealand ranked by their highest elevation. All of these islands are located in either harbours or the open sea. The country’s tallest island situated within a lake is Pomona Island, which rises to above sea level, approximately above the normal lake level of Lake Manapouri.| Rank | Name of island | Highest point | Name of peak | Type of peak |
| 1 | South Island or Te Waipounamu | Aoraki/Mount Cook | Tectonic | |
| 2 | North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui | Mount Ruapehu | Volcanic | |
| 3 | Secretary Island | Mount Grono | Tectonic | |
| 4 | Resolution Island | Mount Clerke | Tectonic | |
| 5 | Stewart Island | Mount Anglem / Hananui | Tectonic | |
| 6 | Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island | Takapōtaka / Attempt Hill | Tectonic | |
| 7 | Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island | Mount Hauturu | Volcanic | |
| 8 | Adams Island | Mount Dick | Volcanic | |
| 9 | Auckland Island | Cavern Peak | Volcanic | |
| 10 | Great Barrier Island | Mount Hobson | Tectonic | |
| 11 | Long Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 12 | Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku | Mount Honey | Volcanic | |
| 13 | Arapaoa Island | Narawhia | Tectonic | |
| 14 | Cooper Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 15 | Kapiti Island | Tuteremoana | Tectonic | |
| 16 | Raoul Island | Moumoukai Peak | Volcanic | |
| 17= | Anchor Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 17= | Taranga Island | The Pinnacles | Tectonic | |
| 19 | Bauza Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 20 | Maud Island/Te Hoiere | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 21 | Antipodes Island | Mount Galloway | Volcanic | |
| 22 | Forsyth Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 23 | Mayor Island / Tūhua | Opuahau | Volcanic | |
| 24 | Moutohora Island | Motu Hara | Volcanic | |
| 25 | Breaksea Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 26 | Solander Island / Hautere | Unnamed | Volcanic | |
| 27 | Whakaari / White Island | Mount Gisborne | Volcanic | |
| 28 | Chatham Island | Unnamed | Volcanic | |
| 29 | Blumine Island / Oruawairua | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 30 | Manawatāwhi/Great Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 31 | Mangere Island | Whakapa | Tectonic | |
| 32 | Stephens Island / Takapourewa | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 33 | Rangitoto Island | Rangitoto | Volcanic | |
| 34 | Coal Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 35 | Codfish Island / Whenua Hou | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 36 | Nukuwaiata Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 37 | Pitt Island / Rangiauria | Waihere | Tectonic | |
| 38 | Macauley Island | Mount Haszard | Volcanic | |
| 39 | Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 40 | Whatupuke Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 41= | Great Mercury Island | Mount Mohi | Volcanic | |
| 41= | Waiheke Island | Maunganui | Tectonic | |
| 43 | Jacquemart Island | Unnamed | Volcanic | |
| 44 | Wakaterepapanui Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 45 | South East Island / Rangatira | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 46 | Rakitu Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 47 | Aorangi Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 48= | Cuvier Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 48= | Little Mangere Island | Whakapa | Tectonic | |
| 50 | Moekawa / South West Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 51 | Bollons Island | Unnamed | Volcanic | |
| 52 | Indian Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 53 | Tawhiti Rahi Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 54 | Tinui Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 55 | Matapara / Pickersgill Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 56= | Great Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 56= | Kaikōura Island | Mitre Peak | Tectonic | |
| 56= | Pearl Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 59 | Coppermine Island | Huarewa | Tectonic | |
| 60 | Kawau Island | Grey Heights | Tectonic | |
| 61 | Te Kakaho Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 62 | Motukawanui Island | Maungapouri | Tectonic | |
| 63 | Ōhau / West Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 64 | Motutapere Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 65 | Ponui Island | Ponui | Tectonic | |
| 66 | Motuoruhi Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 67 | Lady Alice Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 68 | The Castle / Rangiwheau | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 69 | Long Island, Marlborough | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 70 | Noble Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 71 | Chalky Island | Unnamed | Tectonic | |
| 72= | Red Mercury Island | Unnamed | Volcanic | |
| 72= | Puangiangi Island | Unnamed | Tectonic |