Here's a world-first from New Zealand: a national encyclopedia called Te Ara is now live online at www.teara.govt.nz.

It's the world’s first national encyclopedia developed specifically for the web, and it's jammed with images, text, video and sound recordings. The site looks gorgeous and you can switch instanhtly between English and Maori text.

Te Ara is being produced by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and nine 'themes' will be launched over the next seven years. The first theme is ‘New Zealanders’, covering the people who have made this country their home, from the first canoes from the Pacific to today’s immigrants from around the globe.

It's been a mammoth undertaking to set up. 'Te Ara has involved the support of thousands of New Zealanders, telling their stories, writing contributions, allowing us to use their photos and treasures,' said General Editor Jock Phillips.

From the look of it, it's been worth the effort.