History of New Zealand in Timeline

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, comprised of the North and South Islands, and over 600 smaller islands. It is located east of Australia across the Tasman Sea. Characterized by varied topography and sharp mountain peaks like the Southern Alps, which are a result of tectonic activity and volcanic eruptions. The capital city is Wellington, while Auckland is the most populous.

1907: North and South became the accepted norm

By 1907, mapmakers using "North" and "South" on their maps to distinguish the two largest islands became the accepted norm.

1907: New Zealand became a dominion

In 1907, New Zealand became a dominion, which reflected its self-governing status.

1908: New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1908

New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1908 as a joint team with Australia.

1912: New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1912

New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1912 as a joint team with Australia.

1920: New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1920

New Zealand first participated on its own at the Summer Olympics in 1920.

1921: Median Centre of Population

In 1921, the country's median centre of population was in the Tasman Sea west of Levin in Manawatū-Whanganui.

1922: Introduction of public radio

Public radio was introduced in New Zealand in 1922.

1923: Imperial Conferences decided

The 1923 Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate its own political treaties.

1926: Imperial Conferences decided

The 1926 Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate its own political treaties.

1928: First commercial treaty ratified

In 1928 the first commercial treaty was ratified with Japan.

1937: Islands uninhabited

Since 1937, the islands have been uninhabited except for about six people at Raoul Island station.

September 1939: New Zealand declared war on Germany

On 3 September 1939, New Zealand allied itself with Britain and declared war on Germany.

1940: Development of the New Zealand recording industry

The New Zealand recording industry began to develop from 1940 onwards.

1947: New Zealand adopted the Statute of Westminster

In 1947, New Zealand adopted the Statute of Westminster, confirming that the British Parliament could no longer legislate for the country without its consent.

1947: New Zealand gained full statutory independence

In 1947, New Zealand gained full statutory independence, retaining the monarch as head of state.

1950: Legislative Council abolished

In 1950, the Legislative Council, the upper house in New Zealand Parliament, was abolished.

1951: New Zealand joined the ANZUS security treaty

In 1951, New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty.

1960: Start of state-owned television service

A state-owned television service began in New Zealand in 1960.

1961: 1961 census results on ethnicity

In 1961, the census reported that the population of New Zealand was 92% European and 7% Māori, with Asian and Pacific minorities sharing the remaining 1%.

1965: First New Zealand Music Awards

The New Zealand Music Awards were first held in 1965 by Reckitt & Colman as the Loxene Golden Disc awards.

1970: Samoan Quota Scheme

Permanent migration is regulated under the 1970 Samoan Quota Scheme, which allows up to 1,100 Samoan nationals to become permanent New Zealand residents each year.

1973: Reduced Export Market

In 1973, New Zealand's export market was reduced when the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community.

1975: Municipalities consolidated

In 1975, the 249 municipalities that existed were consolidated into 67 territorial authorities and 11 regional councils.

1975: Waitangi Tribunal was set up

In 1975, the Waitangi Tribunal was set up to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty.

1978: New Zealand Film Commission established

In 1978, the New Zealand Film Commission started assisting local film-makers.

1979: Energy Crisis

The 1979 energy crisis contributed to a severe economic depression in New Zealand.

1982: UNCLOS

After the 1982 UNCLOS, the islands contributed significantly to New Zealand's exclusive economic zone.

1982: Lowest Per-Capita Income

By 1982 New Zealand had the lowest per-capita income of all the developed nations surveyed by the World Bank.

1984: Agricultural Sector Deregulation

In the mid-1980s, specifically 1984, New Zealand deregulated its agricultural sector by phasing out subsidies over a three-year period.

1985: Tribunal enabled to investigate historic grievances

In 1985, the Waitangi Tribunal was enabled to investigate historic grievances.

1986: Constitution Act

The British government's residual legislative powers were later removed by the Constitution Act in 1986.

1987: Māori language declared official language

In 1987, the Māori language (te reo Māori) was declared one of New Zealand's official languages.

1987: Share Market Crash

The 1987 share market crash lead to peak unemployment in 1991 and 1992.

1987: Telecom New Zealand Formed

The New Zealand Post Office had a monopoly over telecommunications in New Zealand until 1987 when Telecom New Zealand was formed.

1989: Reorganisation of local government

In 1989, the government reorganised local government into the current two-tier structure of regional councils and territorial authorities.

1990: Dairy Cow Increase

Between 1990 and 2007, the number of dairy cows in New Zealand doubled.

1990: Telecom New Zealand Privatised

Telecom New Zealand was privatised in 1990.

1991: Peak Unemployment

Unemployment in New Zealand peaked just above 10% in 1991, following the 1987 share market crash.

1992: Crown Research Institutes Formed

Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) were formed in 1992 from existing government-owned research organisations.

1992: Peak Unemployment

Unemployment in New Zealand peaked just above 10% in 1992, following the 1987 share market crash.

1993: Elections held under the first-past-the-post voting system

Almost all general elections between 1853 and 1993 were held under the first-past-the-post voting system.

1993: Railways Privatised

The country's railways were privatised in 1993.

1994: Press freedom ranked in top twenty

Since 1994, Freedom House has consistently ranked New Zealand's press freedom in the top twenty.

1995: New Zealand's success in the America's Cup regatta

New Zealand has seen regular sailing success in the America's Cup regatta since 1995.

1996: Mixed-member proportional used

Since the 1996 election, a form of proportional representation called mixed-member proportional (MMP) has been used.

1997: Forest occupied only 23% of the land

By 1997, after deforestation, forest occupied only 23% of the land in New Zealand.

2000: Life expectancy in 2000

In 2000, life expectancy in New Zealand was 78.6 years.

2000: Growth of the New Zealand fashion industry

Since 2000, the local fashion industry in New Zealand has grown significantly, doubling exports and increasing from a handful to about 50 established labels.

2001: New Zealand art exhibition in Venice Biennale

In 2001, New Zealand art was exhibited in the Venice Biennale.

2002: Increase in international students

In 2002, New Zealand saw an increase in international students studying in public tertiary institutions, with over 20,000 students.

2002: Pacific Access Category

Permanent migration is regulated under the 2002 Pacific Access Category, which allows up to 750 other Pacific Islanders to become permanent New Zealand residents each year.

2003: Final rights of appeal abolished

In 2003, final rights of appeal to British courts were abolished.

2004: "Paradise Now" exhibition in New York

In 2004, New Zealand art was exhibited in the "Paradise Now" exhibition in New York.

2004: Railways Re-Nationalised

The country's railways were re-nationalised by the government in stages between 2004 and 2008.

2006: Discovery of bones from a unique mammal

In 2006 bones from a unique, mouse-sized land mammal at least 16 million years old was discovered, which were the only sign of native land mammals in New Zealand.

2006: New Zealand Sign Language becomes official language

In 2006, New Zealand Sign Language became one of New Zealand's official languages.

2007: Seasonal workers scheme introduced

A seasonal workers scheme for temporary migration was introduced in 2007.

2007: Lowest Unemployment Ranking

In 2007, Unemployment fell to 3.7% (ranking third from twenty-seven comparable OECD nations).

2007: Vineyards Overtake Wool Exports

The number of vineyards doubled, overtaking wool exports for the first time in 2007.

April 2008: Free Trade Agreement with China

On 7 April 2008, New Zealand and China signed the New Zealand–China Free Trade Agreement, the first such agreement China has signed with a developed country.

2008: Financial Crisis

The 2008 financial crisis had a major effect on New Zealand, with the GDP shrinking for five consecutive quarters.

2008: Railways Re-Nationalised

The country's railways were re-nationalised by the government in stages between 2004 and 2008.

2009: Ultra-Fast Broadband Rollout

A large-scale rollout of gigabit-capable fibre to the premises, branded as Ultra-Fast Broadband, began in 2009 with a target of being available to 87% of the population by 2022.

2009: Pacific Islanders employed

In 2009, about 8,000 Pacific Islanders were employed under the seasonal workers scheme.

2009: The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered

In 2009, the New Zealand Geographic Board discovered that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised.

2009: New Zealand Immigration Service sets annual target

In 2009, the New Zealand Immigration Service set an annual target of 45,000–50,000 permanent residence approvals.

2009: Unemployment Rises

In late 2009, unemployment rose back to 7% following the 2008 financial crisis.

2011: Chorus Split from Telecom

Chorus, was split from Telecom (now Spark) in 2011.

2012: Partnership with NATO

Since 2012, New Zealand has had a partnership arrangement with NATO under the Partnership Interoperability Initiative.

2013: Names formalised

In 2013, the names of North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu were formalised.

2013: New Zealand citizens living in Australia

In 2013, there were about 650,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia.

2013: Net migration falls to lowest level since 2013

In 2025, New Zealand's net migration fell to its lowest level since 2013, outside 2021, when borders were largely closed during the Covid-19 outbreak. The country recorded a net migration gain of 14,200 in 2025, down 9,600 from a year earlier.

2014: Food Exports

In 2014, food products made up 55% of the value of all the country's exports; wood was the second largest earner (7%).

2015: Press freedom ranked 19th freest

As of 2015, New Zealand has the 19th freest media according to Freedom House.

2015: Renewable Energy Generation

In 2015, renewable energy generated 40.1% of New Zealand's gross energy supply.

2015: Gold Production

New Zealand's gold production in 2015 was 12 tonnes.

2015: Research and Development Expenditure

The total gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP rose to 1.37% in 2018, up from 1.23% in 2015.

2016: Livability Ranking of Cities

In 2016, Auckland was ranked the world's third most liveable city and Wellington the twelfth by the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.

2016: Tourism Contribution to GDP

In 2016, tourism contributed $12.9 billion (or 5.6%) to New Zealand's total GDP and supported 7.5% of the total workforce.

2016: New Zealand Space Agency Created

The New Zealand Space Agency was created by the government in 2016 for space policy, regulation and sector development.

2017: Telecommunications Development Ranking

As of 2017, the United Nations International Telecommunication Union ranks New Zealand 13th in the development of information and communications infrastructure.

2017: Northern Population Drift

By 2017, New Zealand's median centre of population had moved 280 km (170 mi) north to near Kawhia in Waikato, reflecting a northern drift during the 20th century.

2017: Human rights report

In 2017, a human rights report by the United States Department of State noted that the New Zealand government generally respected the rights of individuals, but voiced concerns regarding the social status of the Māori population.

2017: Expected Increase in International Visitor Arrivals

In 2017, international visitor arrivals were expected to increase at a rate of 5.4% annually up to 2022.

2017: Life Expectancy for Males

In 2017–2019 life expectancy in New Zealand was 80.0 years for males and 83.5 years for females.

2017: Exports in 2017–18

Other exports in 2017–18 were meat (8.8%), wood and wood products (6.2%), fruit (3.6%), machinery (2.2%) and wine (2.1%).

June 2018: Main Trading Partners

As at June 2018, New Zealand's main trading partners are China (NZ$27.8b), Australia ($26.2b), the European Union ($22.9b), the United States ($17.6b), and Japan ($8.4b).

June 2018: Dairy Products Export Value

In the year to June 2018, dairy products accounted for 17.7% ($14.1 billion) of total exports.

2018: 2018 census language data

As recorded in the 2018 census, Samoan is the most widely spoken non-official language (2.2%), followed by "Northern Chinese" (including Mandarin, 2.0%), Hindi (1.5%), and French (1.2%).

2018: Census data

Based on the 2018 census data, there are 72 electorates and the remaining 48 of the 120 seats are assigned so that representation in Parliament reflects the party vote.

2018: Population from 2018 New Zealand Census

The 2023 New Zealand census enumerated a resident population of 4,993,923, an increase of 6.3% over the 2018 census figure.

2018: Median Age at Census

The median age of the New Zealand population at the 2018 census was 37.4 years.

2018: Research and Development Expenditure

The total gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP rose to 1.37% in 2018.

September 2019: Population Estimates Based on Census

In September 2020 Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people in September 2019, according to population estimates based on the 2018 census.

2019: Life Expectancy for Females

In 2017–2019 life expectancy in New Zealand was 80.0 years for males and 83.5 years for females.

2019: Turnout in local elections

In 2019, the turnout in local elections was an already low 42%.

June 2020: Annual Population Increase Rate

New Zealand's population increased at a rate of 1.9% per year in the seven years ended June 2020.

September 2020: Population Exceeds 5 Million

In September 2020 Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people in September 2019, according to population estimates based on the 2018 census.

2020: Poverty among Ethnic-Minority Children

As of 2020, Poverty has a disproportionately high effect in ethnic-minority households, with a quarter (23.3%) of Māori children and almost a third (28.6%) of Pacific Islander children living in poverty.

2020: Total Fertility Rate

In 2020, New Zealand experienced sub-replacement fertility, with a total fertility rate of 1.6.

September 2021: Youth Unemployment

During the September 2021 quarter, the general unemployment rate was around 3.2%, while the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 was 9.2%.

December 2021: Lowest Unemployment Rate

The lowest unemployment rate recorded using the current methodology was in December 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, at 3.2%.

2021: Borders largely closed during Covid-19 outbreak in 2021

In 2021, New Zealand's borders were largely closed during the Covid-19 outbreak.

2021: Education statistics for 2021

In 2021, in the population aged 25–64, 13% had no formal qualification, 21% had a school qualification, 28% had a tertiary certificate or diploma, and 35% have a bachelor's degree or higher.

2021: Life expectancy in 2021

In 2021, life expectancy in New Zealand was 82.2 years.

June 2022: Child Poverty Rate

As of June 2022, New Zealand has 12.0% of children living in low-income households that have less than 50% of the median equivalised disposable household income.

July 2022: Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora established

On 1 July 2022, the New Zealand Government established Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora to replace the country's 20 district health boards (DHBs).

2022: Ultra-Fast Broadband Target Date

A large-scale rollout of gigabit-capable fibre to the premises, branded as Ultra-Fast Broadband, began in 2009 with a target of being available to 87% of the population by 2022.

2022: Expected Increase in International Visitor Arrivals

In 2017, international visitor arrivals were expected to increase at a rate of 5.4% annually up to 2022.

2022: Human Development Index and Economic Freedom Ranking

In 2022, New Zealand was ranked 16th in the Human Development Index, and fourth in the Index of Economic Freedom.

2022: Low turnout in local elections

In 2022, a historically low 36% of eligible New Zealanders voted in local elections.

July 2023: EU Free Trade Agreement

In July 2023, New Zealand and the European Union entered into the EU–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which eliminated tariffs on several goods traded between the two regions.

October 2023: Record net migration gain in October 2023

New Zealand achieved a record net migration gain of 135,500 people in the year ended October 2023. Immigrants from India, China and the Philippines are the largest contributors to New Zealand's population growth.

November 2023: Christopher Luxon became Prime Minister

Since 27 November 2023, Christopher Luxon is the 42nd and current prime minister.

2023: New Zealand healthcare spending in 2023

As of 2023, New Zealand allocated about 9.6 percent of its GDP to healthcare.

2023: Country ranked second in the strength of its democratic institutions

As of 2023, New Zealand is ranked second in the strength of its democratic institutions.

2023: Nominal GDP per capita

As of 2023, New Zealand's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was United States dollar48,071.

2023: 2023 census: more than half of the population reported no religion

At the 2023 census, 51.6% of the population said they had no religion. Christians are the single largest religious group, forming 32.3% of the population.

2023: 2023 census shows increase in overseas-born residents

In the 2023 census, 28.8% of people counted were not born in New Zealand. Immigrants from India, China and the Philippines are the largest contributors to New Zealand's population growth. New Zealand achieved a record net migration gain of 135,500 people in the year ended October 2023.

2023: 2023 census results on ethnicity

In the 2023 census, 62.1% of residents identified as New Zealand European, and 17.8% as Māori. Other ethnicities included Chinese (5.2%), Indian (5.1%), Samoan (4.3%), and Filipino (2.2%). 13.2% identified with multiple ethnicities.

2023: Population from 2023 New Zealand Census

The 2023 New Zealand census enumerated a resident population of 4,993,923, an increase of 6.3% over the 2018 census figure.

2024: Global Peace Index Ranking

According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, New Zealand is the 4th most peaceful country in the world.

June 2025: Population Distribution

As of June 2025, 76.4% of New Zealand's population lived in the North Island and 23.6% in the South Island.

2025: New Zealand is ranked 5th in the International Cricket Council Men's Test Team Rankings 2025

In 2025, New Zealand is ranked 5th in the International Cricket Council Men's Test Team Rankings with a rating of 100.

2025: Net migration falls to lowest level in more than a decade in 2025

In 2025, New Zealand's net migration fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. The country recorded a net migration gain of 14,200 in 2025, down 9,600 from a year earlier.