History of New Zealand in Timeline
New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, comprising the North and South Islands, and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area, located east of Australia. Its landscape is characterized by varied topography, sharp mountain peaks including the Southern Alps, formed by tectonic activity and volcanic eruptions. Wellington is the capital city, while Auckland is the most populous.
1907: North and South Islands accepted norm
By 1907, the use of "North" and "South" on maps to distinguish the two largest islands of New Zealand was the accepted norm.
1907: New Zealand becomes a dominion
In 1907, New Zealand became a dominion within the British Empire.
1908: Summer Olympics Participation
New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1908 as a joint team with Australia.
1912: Summer Olympics Participation
New Zealand participated at the Summer Olympics in 1912 as a joint team with Australia.
1920: First Independent Olympics
New Zealand first participated on its own at the Summer Olympics in 1920.
1921: Median Centre of Population Location
In 1921, the country's median centre of population was located 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
The 1923 Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate its own political treaties.
1926: Imperial Conferences
The 1926 Imperial Conferences decided that New Zealand should be allowed to negotiate its own political treaties.
1928: First commercial treaty
In 1928, the first commercial treaty was ratified with Japan.
1937: Islands are uninhabited
Since 1937, the islands are uninhabited except for about six people at Raoul Island station.
September 1939: New Zealand declares war on Germany
On 3 September 1939, New Zealand allied itself with Britain and declared war on Germany.
1940: Development of Recording Industry
The New Zealand recording industry began to develop from 1940 onwards.
1947: New Zealand adopts 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 gains 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, an upper house of the New Zealand Parliament, was abolished.
1951: ANZUS security treaty
In 1951, New Zealand joined Australia and the United States in the ANZUS security treaty.
1960: Start of Television Service
A state-owned television service began in 1960 in New Zealand.
1961: 1961 Census Data
In the 1961 census, 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
In 1965, the New Zealand Music Awards were first held by Reckitt & Colman as the Loxene Golden Disc awards.
1970: Samoan Quota Scheme
Permanent migration is regulated under the 1970 Samoan Quota Scheme.
1973: Export Market Reduction
In 1973, New Zealand's export market was reduced when the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community.
1975: Waitangi Tribunal set up
In 1975, a Waitangi Tribunal was set up to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi.
1975: Municipalities
The 249 municipalities that existed in 1975 have now been consolidated into 67 territorial authorities and 11 regional councils.
1978: Film Commission Assistance
In 1978, the New Zealand Film Commission started assisting local film-makers.
1979: Energy Crises
The 1979 energy crisis, among other compounding factors, led 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: Macroeconomic Restructuring
Since 1984, successive governments engaged in major macroeconomic restructuring, transforming New Zealand to a liberalised free-trade economy.
1985: Tribunal enabled to investigate historic grievances
In 1985, the Waitangi Tribunal was enabled to investigate historic grievances.
1986: Constitution Act
The Constitution Act 1986 removed the British government's residual legislative powers.
1987: Share Market Crash
Following the 1987 share market crash, unemployment peaked just above 10% in 1991 and 1992.
1987: Māori Language Declared Official
In 1987, the Māori language was declared one of New Zealand's official languages.
1987: Telecom New Zealand Formed
The New Zealand Post Office had a monopoly over telecommunications until 1987 when Telecom New Zealand was formed.
1989: Local government reorganised
In 1989, the New Zealand government reorganised local government into the current two-tier structure of regional councils and territorial authorities.
1990: Increase in Dairy Cows
Between 1990 and 2007, the number of dairy cows in New Zealand doubled, becoming the country's largest export earner.
1990: Telecom New Zealand Privatisation
Telecom New Zealand was privatised in 1990.
1991: Unemployment Peak
In 1991, unemployment peaked just above 10% following the 1987 share market crash.
1992: Formation of Crown Research Institutes
Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) were formed in 1992 from existing government-owned research organisations.
1992: Unemployment Peak
In 1992, unemployment peaked just above 10% following the 1987 share market crash.
1993: First-past-the-post voting system
Almost all general elections between 1853 and 1993 in New Zealand were held under the first-past-the-post voting system.
1993: Railways Privatisation
In 1993, the railways in New Zealand were privatised.
1994: Press Freedom Ranking
Since 1994, Freedom House has consistently ranked New Zealand's press freedom in the top twenty.
1995: America's Cup Success
New Zealand has seen regular sailing success in the America's Cup regatta since 1995.
1996: MMP voting system used
Since the 1996 election, a form of proportional representation called mixed-member proportional (MMP) has been used in New Zealand.
1997: Forest cover in New Zealand
By 1997, forest covered only 23% of the land in New Zealand.
2000: Growth of Fashion Industry
Since 2000, the local fashion industry has grown significantly, doubling exports and increasing from a handful to about 50 established labels.
2001: Venice Biennale Exhibition
New Zealand art and craft was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2001.
2002: Increase in International Students
In 2002, the number of fee-paying international students increased sharply, with more than 20,000 studying in public tertiary institutions.
2002: Pacific Access Category
Permanent migration is regulated under the 2002 Pacific Access Category.
2003: Final rights of appeal abolished
In 2003, final rights of appeal to British courts were abolished.
2004: Railways Re-nationalisation
Between 2004 and 2008, the railways were re-nationalised by the government in stages.
2004: Paradise Now Exhibition
New Zealand art and craft was exhibited at the "Paradise Now" exhibition in New York in 2004.
2006: Discovery of land mammal bones
In 2006, bones from a unique, mouse-sized land mammal at least 16 million years old were discovered in New Zealand.
2006: Sign Language Official Language
New Zealand Sign Language became one of New Zealand's official languages in 2006.
2007: Seasonal workers scheme
In 2007, a seasonal workers scheme for temporary migration was introduced.
2007: Low Unemployment Rate
In 2007, unemployment fell to 3.7%, ranking third from twenty-seven comparable OECD nations.
2007: Wine Exports Overtake Wool
New Zealand's wine industry overtook wool exports for the first time in 2007.
April 2008: New Zealand–China Free Trade Agreement
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: Railways Re-nationalisation
Between 2004 and 2008, the railways were re-nationalised by the government in stages.
2009: Ultra-Fast Broadband Rollout
A large-scale rollout of gigabit-capable fibre to the premises, branded as Ultra-Fast Broadband, began in 2009.
2009: Pacific Islanders employed
In 2009, about 8,000 Pacific Islanders were employed under the seasonal workers scheme.
2009: Geographic Board discovers names not formalised
In 2009, the New Zealand Geographic Board discovered that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised.
2009: Immigration Target Set
In 2009–10, the New Zealand Immigration Service set an annual target of 45,000–50,000 permanent residence approvals.
2009: Unemployment Increase
In late 2009, the global financial crisis had a major effect on New Zealand, with the GDP shrinking for five consecutive quarters and unemployment rising back to 7%.
2011: Chorus Split from Telecom
Chorus was split from Telecom (now Spark) in 2011.
2012: Partnership Interoperability Initiative with NATO
In 2012, New Zealand established a partnership arrangement with NATO under the Partnership Interoperability Initiative.
2013: Names of North and South Islands formalised
In 2013, the names and alternative names for the North and South Islands were formalised.
2013: New Zealand citizens living in Australia
In 2013, there were about 650,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia.
2013: 2013 Census Data
In the 2013 census, 25.2% of people counted were not born in New Zealand.
2014: Export Composition
In 2014, food products made up 55% of the value of all the country's exports, and wood was the second largest earner (7%).
2015: Media Freedom Ranking in 2015
As of 2015, New Zealand's media was ranked the 19th freest in the world by Freedom House.
2015: Renewable Energy Generation
In 2015, renewable energy generated 40.1% of New Zealand's gross energy supply.
2015: Gross Expenditure on R&D
In 2015, the total gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP was 1.23%.
2015: Gold Production
New Zealand's gold production in 2015 was 12 tonnes.
2016: Leading Causes of Death
In 2016 the leading cause of death was cancer at 30.3%, followed by ischaemic heart disease (14.9%) and cerebrovascular disease (7.4%).
2016: Livability Ranking
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 Creation
The New Zealand Space Agency was created by the government in 2016 for space policy, regulation and sector development.
2017: Human rights report
A 2017 human rights report by the United States Department of State noted that the New Zealand government generally respected the rights of individuals.
2017: United Nations Telecommunication Ranking
As of 2017, the United Nations International Telecommunication Union ranked New Zealand 13th in the development of information and communications infrastructure.
2017: Median Centre of Population Location
By 2017, the country's median centre of population had moved 280 km (170 mi) north to near Kawhia in Waikato.
2017: Projected 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
In 2017, life expectancy in New Zealand was 80.0 years for males and 83.5 years for females.
June 2018: Dairy Products Export
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" (2.0%), Hindi (1.5%), and French (1.2%).
2018: Census data
Based on the 2018 census data, there are 72 electorates in New Zealand.
2018: Gross Expenditure on R&D
In 2018, the total gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP rose to 1.37%.
September 2019: Population Exceeds 5 Million
In September 2019, Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people.
2019: Low voter turnout in local elections
In 2019, 42% of eligible New Zealanders voted in the local elections.
2019: Life Expectancy
In 2019, life expectancy in New Zealand was 80.0 years for males and 83.5 years for females.
June 2020: 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 Climbs Above 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 Rates Among Māori and Pacific Islander Children
As of 2020, a quarter (23.3%) of Māori children and almost a third (28.6%) of Pacific Islander children were living in poverty in New Zealand.
2020: Fertility Rate
In 2020, New Zealand experienced a total fertility rate of 1.6.
September 2021: Youth Unemployment Rate
During the September 2021 quarter, 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: Educational Attainment in 2021
In 2021, among the population aged 25–64, 13% had no formal qualification, 21% had a school qualification, 28% had a tertiary certificate or diploma, and 35% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
June 2022: Child Poverty Rate
As of June 2022, New Zealand had 12.0% of children living in low-income households.
2022: Low voter turnout in local elections
A historically low 36% of eligible New Zealanders voted in the 2022 local elections.
2022: Ultra-Fast Broadband Target
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: Projected 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.
July 2023: EU–New Zealand 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.
November 2023: Christopher Luxon becomes Prime Minister
Since 27 November 2023, Christopher Luxon is the 42nd and current prime minister of New Zealand.
2023: New Zealand ranked highly
As of 2023, New Zealand is ranked second in the strength of its democratic institutions.
2023: 2023 Census Religion Data
At the 2023 census, 51.6% of the population stated they had no religion, up from 48.2% in the 2018 census.
2023: New Zealand Census Enumeration
The 2023 New Zealand census enumerated a resident population of 4,993,923.
June 2024: Population Distribution
As of June 2024, around 76.4% of the population was living in the North Island and 23.6% in the South Island.
2024: Global Peace Index Ranking
According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, New Zealand was ranked as the 4th most peaceful country in the world.
February 2025: Estimated Population
As of February 2025, the total population was estimated to be 5,231,143.
2050: Projected Median Age
By 2050, the median age is projected to rise to 43 years and the percentage of people 60 years of age and older to rise from 18% to 29%.
