NZ History 1769-2012
Category: Other
Updated: 30 Jul 2024
Contributors
Created byRose Mullins
Attachments
Events
Captain Cook ArrivesGeorge Vancouver names
Chatham IslandsLiteracy becomes more
prevalent in Māori
cultureEncouragement to
choose a flag`James Busby arrivesEncouragement for an
NZ declaration of
independenceNew Zealand Company
arrivesWilliam Hobson and
the Treaty signedMore contact
with inland MāoriSettler representative
government
proposed.NZ Constitution ActMāori parliamentary
seats establishedJulius Vogel (CT/MF)
proposes ambitious development
plan to fix economyParihaka becomes centre
of oppositionGovernment invade ParihakaAbolition of provincial governmentsNZ's first university (University of
Otago) opensEducational Act sets ground
rules for a colony-wide public
school systemMain trunk railway line completedNZ women gain the
right to workFirst successful
shipment of frozen meat
to the UKSheep, pigs and goats
introducedRabbits introduced
(Rabbit plagues in 1870s,
1920s, 1940s and 1980s)Earliest record of whalingRussell (Kororāreka) named capital
of NZ, then later Auckland as the 2ndCrown Monopoly establishedPrivate land purchases
prohibitedHorses, cattle and
merino sheep
introducedFirst book in te reo Māori
publishedFirst wine grapevines
plantedFirst Māori dictionaryRangatira sign a petition
to King William IVFirst export shipment
of woolCharles Darwin arrivesNZ Association establishedPossums introducedGorse introducedHoney bees
introducedFrench colony at Akaroa
approvedFirst NZ Bank establishedFirst NZ tariff system
introducedSupreme court establishedFirst use of the
death penaltyFirst NZ debenture
notes issuedEuropean diseases
significantly affect
MāoriQueen v Symonds
(Legal case)Armed police force
establishedNZ Company endsGold discovery near
CoromandelFirst general electionKīngitanga movement establishedWairapa earthquakeHenry Sewell becomes
first PremierEnglish Laws Act
and British coins
become legal tenderCensus Act 1858Põtatau becomes the first
Māori kingKohimarama HuiBNZ EstablishedNative Department EstablishedCourt of Appeal
establishedFirst telegraph
line laidNZ Steam Navigation
Company establishedHMS Orpheus
disasterNZ's first public
railway opensNZ Settlements ActWellington becomes
capital of NZAll Māori declared
British subjectsNative Lands ActColonial museum establishedBay of Plenty
land confiscation
orderedFirst oil wellStamp and death
duties introducedTe Kooti imprisoned
without trialTime standardisedProtection of Animals ActLast British
imperial regiment
leavesUniversity of NZ opensFirst NZ visit
to USUniversity of Otago
opens classes to
womenFirst dairy co-opNative Affairs Committee
establishedAbolition of ProvincesMāori seats extended
definitelyGod Defend NZ
first performedWi Parata v
Bishop of
WellingtonFree primary school
education establishedLand tax introducedMeetings on Treaty
of Waitangi begin
at ŌrākeiUniversal suffrage for
European menParliamentary term shortened
from five to three yearsSingle member electoral
districts establishedFirst large dairy
factory builtRussian scare leads
to more military
fortificationsFirst hydroelectric station opensNZ born citizens become
the majorityMt Tarawera eruptionFirst national parkMāori union of Waitangi
establishedLabour DayFirst liberal governmentInfluenza (second wave)Income tax introducedMāori parliament establishedHouse of representatives and
Legislative council disagreeAcquisition of crown land
restrictedNZ official yearbook
publishedJames Carroll becomes
first Māori politician elected to
European parliamentIndustrial C&R ActFirst Māori with an NZ degreeMahuta becomes first
Māori kingBrunner mine accidentDaylight saving proposedNational Council of
NZ Women est.Māori women able to stand
for Māori parliamentOld Age Pensions ActFirst NZ film madeFarmer's Union Est.Troops sent to the
Boer War to support
the BritishCook Islands claimedMāori councils actMāori lands administration
actRichard Seddon is the first
prime ministerNZ decides not
to become an Australian StateNurse's Registration ActDept. of Tourist and
Health ResortsMāori parliament disbandedNational flag adoptedSS Ventnor sinksKing Mahuta joins
legislative councilFirst time kiwi is used
as an unofficial national symbolManapouri power station
suggestedThe Originals
rugby team tourFirst state house builtPearse's flying
machine patentedNZ International exhibitionStout-Ngata comissionThe school journal
establishedPlunket Society estTohunga Suppression ActNZ becomes a dominionKīngitanga movement est.Dominion museum est.First NZers at
the OlympicsBoy scouts and
girl peace scouts est.Rutherford wins
Nobel Prize in ChemistryNational Council of Churches
establishedTreaty made enforceable
in law only when referred to
in legislationCanberra Pact signedAnnual leave
introducedNZ joins the UNSecond ballot actNative Land ActYoung Māori PartyNZ Coat of Arms adoptedWaihi strikeLiberal govt. replaced
by reform govt.Public Service ActTe Rata becomes fourth
Māori kingWaterfront strikesGallipoli CampaignAotearoa popularisedMilitary Service ActRecognition of dominions
as autonomous of the CommonwealthSix o'clock swill beginsRutherford splits the atomTurnbull bequeaths
his library to the CrownArmistice DayRātana foundedWomen are able
to stand for parliamentNZ becomes a founding
member of the League of
NationsFirst NZ team at
the OlympicsNative Trustee ActMansfield's Bliss and
other stories publishedFirst radio broadcastFirst producer board
establishedGovernment funds book
on the NZ WarsFirst Conservation Organisation
establishedNZ jurisdiction extended
to AntarcticaFirst electric railway
opensRātana takes petition to
EnglandThe "Invincibles" All Blacks
Rugby tourEnrolment for European
voters made compulsoryDept. of Scientific and
Industrial Research establishedRoyal Commission on
confiscated lands est.Balfour DeclarationNational Archive est.Daylight saving
put in placeMotor-Spirits Taxation
ActNZ's first international
trade treaty signed
(Japan)First cricket test
match playedPoll tax for unemployment
relief (first one citizen-wide)Hawkes Bay earthquakeUnited (Liberal) and Reform
parties form a coalition
(attempt to combat the GD)Cabinet granted power
to declare a state of
emergency5% sales tax introducedMcCombs becomes
the first woman in ParliamentKorikī becomes the fifth
Māori kingRoyal Society of NZ ActFirst Waitangi DayRoyal NZ Air Force
establishedReserve Bank establishedFour year term
introducedMāori Purposes Fund
Board establishedMāori Trust Office
combines with Native
DepartmentFirst Labour
government takes
officeNZ's first major
airline begins
operationGreat CycloneFirst regular radio
broadcast of the
parliamentUnions made compulsory
and 40 hour work week est.Jean Batten completes
her flightCurtis becomes the first
woman in the Royal Society of NZFree school milk
scheme beginsFirst major state housing
construction schemeThree year parliamentary
term reintroducedVoting by secret ballot
compulsory for Māori seats
(European in 1890)Karl Popper lectures at
Canterbury UniSocial Security ActRationing beginsWaitangi centennial exhibition
opensHigh commisioner appointed
by BritainTEAL est.Māori battalion recruitedHodgkins invited to BiennaleNZ Royal Navy establishedNational Film Unit
establishedUnited Nations Act"Native" now referred to
as "Māori"Polio epidemic forces
North Island schools to
closeTroops sent to Malaya
to support the BritishGeneral agreement on
tariffs and trade signedMāori electoral roll createdUniversal Declaration of
Human Rights adoptedFirst National government
takes officePetrol + butter rationing
endsLegislative Council
Abolition ActWaterfront dispute beginsANZUS Security Treaty
signedMāori women's welfare
league establishedHillary and Norgay
climb Mt EverestMāori Affairs ActFirst Family Planning
clinic opensFirst visit of Head
of State to NZTangiwai rail disaster"Realm of New Zealand"
comes into useNZ Ballet establishedManila Pact signedMāori Trust Boards
ActCompulsory enrolment
is extended to MāoriInterest expressed in
aluminum smeltingNZ coat of arms
amendedDisposable syringes
inventedLast use of death
penaltyScott base establishedThe Pohutukawa Tree
play first performedHillary reaches the
South PolePAYE and indirect tax
introduced (Black Budget)Chinese gooseberry renamed
kiwifruitAntarctic Treaty
signedTV becomes availableWorld's first nuclear
submarine visits NZWaitangi Day ActSeparate Māori schooling
phased outMāori education foundation
establishedLye exhibits at NY
museum of artNZ govt. purchases
Tasman AirwaysDeath penalty
abolishedUniversities ActTreaty of friendship
with Western SamoaOmbudsman Act 1962Wilkins wins NobelMāori community
development actNZ Māori council
establishedKerr solves Einstein's
equationsNuclear Test Ban
Treaty signedManapouri-Te Anau
Development ActMarsden Point
Oil Refinery opensDecimal currency system
introducedWhaling in NZ endsFirst and only nuclear
reactor builtTEAL renamed
Air NZHigh voltage cable
links North and SouthCook Islands gain
full self-governmentNational Library of NZ
establishedSecond time on
UN security councilTe Ātairangikaahu
becomes first
Māori queenInternational Convention
on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial DiscriminationEncyclopedia of NZ
publishedTinsley completes
galaxology significant
PHD thesisFree school milk
scheme endsSix o'clock swill endsWater and Soil
Conservation ActMāori able to be candidates
in European electorates and
vice versaMāori and Island Affairs
Dept. est.Wahine ferry disasterNational Development
Conference takes placeInternational Covenant
on Civil and Political RightsVoting age lowered from
21 to 20Maui gas field discoveredManapouri petition
presentedNgā Tamatoa activist group formedPolynesian Panthers foundedPacific Islands Forum establishedRace Relations Act 1971Values Party foundedNational Museum est.United Kingdom joins European Union impacting
New Zealand exportsMarsden Point Oil Refinery expansion approvedFirst oil shockTrans-Tasman Travel Arrangement established‘Damn the Dam’ protest song releasedWaitangi Day becomes New Zealand DayRoyal Titles Act 1974Dawn Raids BeginACC est.Marine Pollution ActVoting age lowered from 20 to 18Niue no longer governed by New Zealand‘Maori’ extended to include descendants
of MāoriElectoral Amendment Act 1975Māori land hīkoi
(Dame Whina Cooper)Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 establishes Waitangi
TribunalBoycott of Montreal Olympic GamesWanganui Computer Centre Act 1976New Zealand Day becomes Waitangi DayConstitutional crisis: Prime Minister appoints
Governor-General200-mile economic zone established‘God Defend New Zealand’ becomes
national anthemCitizenship Act 1977Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977First abortion clinic
openedOccupation of Bastion PointNew Zealand Film Commission Act 1978Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978Second oil shock and ‘car-less days’ beginMt Erebus disasterUnited Nations Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW) signedMcGee’s Foreskin’s Lament play first performedMāori political party, Mana Motuhake, foundedMuldoon’s ‘Think Big’ scheme introducedUnderarm bowling incidentTrans-Tasman Travel Arrangement amendedSpringbok rugby tour begins, sparking
nationwide protestsSharebrokers Amendment Act 1981Electoral boundary review for Māori seats
introducedFirst building to use lead rubber bearingsMuldoon imposes a wage and price freezeUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS) signedOfficial Information Act 1982Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic
Relations Trade Agreement (CER) signedWaitangi Tribunal releases Motunui-Waitara
ReportLetters Patent Constituting the Office of
Governor-General of New ZealandReading Recovery programme implementedConstitutional crisis: Caretaker Convention
establishedEconomic summit beginsFirst Hui Taumata – Māori Economic
Development Summit ConferenceDouglas introduces economic reformsUSS Buchanan refused entry on grounds of
nuclear capabilityRoyal Commission on the Electoral SystemLange wins Oxford Union DebateRainbow Warrior sunk by French agentsSouth Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty signedHulme wins Booker Prize for The Bone PeopleReeves becomes first Māori Governor-GeneralWaitangi Tribunal given power to investigate
historical Treaty claimsHomosexual Law Reform Act 1986Legal decision: Te Weehi v Regional
Fisheries OfficerGoods and Services Tax introducedConstitution Act 1986State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986Belich’s The New Zealand Wars is publishedConservation Act 1987Telecom New Zealand establishedNew Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament,
and Arms Control Act 1987Hackett bungy jumps off Eiffel TowerLegal decision: New Zealand Maori Council v
Attorney-GeneralMaori Language Act 1987Orange’s The Treaty of Waitangi publishedParliamentary Commissioner for the Environment
appointedCyclone BolaState Sector Act 1988Wake becomes an officer of Legion d’HonneurAir New Zealand privatisedAccrual accounting introduced into governmentMaori Affairs Restructuring Act 1989Reserve Bank is made more independent of
governmentMaori Fisheries Act 1989Jackson’s Lord of the Rings wins OscarsGovernment apologises to SamoaHager’s Seeds of Distrust publishedLocal Government Act 2002Gypsy moth discoveredNgāti Apa v Attorney-GeneralProstitution Reform Act 2003Supreme Court establishedSmoke-free Environments Amendment Act 2003King’s The Penguin History of New Zealand
publishedBrash delivers Orewa SpeechMāori Television launchedForeshore and Seabed hīkoi beginsMāori Party foundedDidymo discoveredCivil Union Act 2004Crown Entities Act 2004Second Hui Taumata – Māori Economic
Development Summit Conference beginsWilson becomes first female Speaker of House
of RepresentativesCitizenship Amendment Act 2005First Iwi Chairs Forum hui convenedCitizens increasingly identify as
‘New Zealanders’Auckland blackoutFirst Statement on Long-term Fiscal Position
publishedTūheitia becomes sixth Māori KingAnti-Smacking BillApiata becomes first recipient of the Victoria
Cross for New ZealandKiwiSaver introducedTe Urewera police raidsKauri dieback disease discoveredThird oil shock (global)United Nations recognises extended seabed rightsFree Trade Agreement with China signedRelationship and Confidence and Supply
Agreement formed between National Party and
Māori PartyAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-
Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement
(AANZFTA) signedKickStart Breakfast introducedTitular honours reinstatedClark becomes Administrator of United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP)Influenza pandemic (swine flu)Tuffery becomes first Polynesian artist to have
painting bought by British MuseumEnvironment Canterbury (ECan) reviewEnvironmental Protection Authority (EPA)
establishedNgā Haerenga (The New Zealand Cycle Trail)
construction beginsNational Māori flag adoptedUnited Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) endorsedPike River
mine explosionsAuckland ‘Super City’ establishedNational and Māori Party constitutional
review announcedChristchurch earthquakesMarine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011Waitangi Tribunal report on Wai 262 claim
releasedRena oil spillPolice execute search
warrant on Kim DotcomCrafar farms saleQueen Elizabeth's II
diamond jubileeMarmageddonNational Māori Congress formedNew Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990Runanga Iwi Act 1990Telecom New Zealand privatisedTizard becomes first female Governor-GeneralTroops sent to Iraq to support United Nations
Special Commission (UNSCOM)Runanga Iwi Repeal Act 1991Employment Contracts Act 1991Resource Management Act 1991Richardson releases ‘mother of all budgetsMinistry of Maori Development Act 1991Government introduces market rents for
state housesMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Act 1992Sealord settlementStudent loan scheme introducedTe Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993Privacy Act 1993Human Rights Act 1993Electoral Act 1993Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993Treaty of Waitangi fiscal cap introducedCave Creek disasterTeam New Zealand win America’s CupTreaty policy papers and Cabinet
minutes releasedOffice of Treaty Settlements formedTe Runanga o Ngai Tahu Act 1996New Zealand’s first wind farm builtHazardous Substances and New Organisms
Act 1996Unleaded petrol made mandatoryFirst MMP election heldManapouri Power Station granted further
resource consentsCooke appointed to House of LordsAsian financial market crisis
(NZ was actually fine here tbh.)Shipley becomes first female Prime MinisterAuckland power crisisLincoln Agreement (Bougainville peace accord)
signedFirst fibre optic cable commissionedPainted apple moth discovered in NZVictoria Cross for New Zealand introducedBeyer becomes first transsexual MPClark becomes first elected female
Prime MinisterFitzsimons becomes first ‘Green’ MP in world to
win a constituency seat (FPTP)Titular honours droppedVarroa mite discoveredRoyal Commission on Genetic ModificationMacDiarmid wins Nobel Prize in ChemistryAfghan refugees from MV Tampa given asylumGE-free hīkoi arrives at ParliamentFonterra establishedGovernment apologises to Chinese immigrantsKiwibank opensKyoto Protocol ratifiedPeriods
Explorers Scoping Out NZTraders and Whalers take interest in NZMusket WarsPush for settlement from British and Colonial troopsGold production falls
and wool prices declineMore war involving Te Kooti and TitokowaruRailroads expand to 2000km, doubling British colony populations. (Vogel era)Ongoing peaceful resistanceEconomic DepressionProhibition MovementHōne Heke
chops down
flagpoleCollingwood-Takaka gold rushThe Land WarsOtago Gold RushWakamarina and West Coast Gold RushWaihi Gold RushInfluenza (First wave)WW1The Great DepressionSecond World WarNZ's involvement in the Korean WarPart of UN
security councilVietnam WarLong recession beginsNgāi Tahu Land Report investigation (by The Waitangi Tribunal)Third time on United Nations Security CouncilInquiry to review New Zealand’s existing
constitutional arrangementsGlobal Financial Crisis
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