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's the sixth-largest island country, located east of Australia. Known for its varied topography, including the Southern Alps formed by tectonic activity and volcanoes. Wellington is the capital city, and Auckland is the most populous.

1907: Accepted norm for island names

By 1907, the use of "North" and "South" on maps to distinguish the two largest islands was the accepted norm.

1907: New Zealand becomes a dominion

In 1907, New Zealand became a dominion within the British Empire, marking a shift towards self-governance.

1921: Median centre of population

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

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

The first commercial treaty was ratified in 1928 with Japan.

1937: Kermadec Islands are uninhabited except for Raoul Island station

Since 1937, the Kermadec 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.

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: Abolition of the Legislative Council

The upper house, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1950.

1951: New Zealand joins ANZUS security treaty

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

1970: Samoan Quota Scheme

In 1970, the Samoan Quota Scheme was established, regulating permanent migration and allowing up to 1,100 Samoan nationals to become permanent New Zealand residents each year.

1973: Export market reduced

In 1973, New Zealand's export market was reduced when the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community and other compounding factors led to a severe economic depression.

1975: Waitangi Tribunal established

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

1975: 249 municipalities

In 1975, there were 249 municipalities that existed, which have now been consolidated.

1979: Energy crisis

The 1979 energy crisis, along with other factors, led to a severe economic depression in New Zealand.

1982: UNCLOS and the Kermadec Islands

After the 1982 UNCLOS, the Kermadec 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, leading to major macroeconomic restructuring.

1985: Waitangi Tribunal enabled to investigate historic grievances

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

1986: Constitution Act removes British legislative powers

In 1986, the British government's residual legislative powers were removed by the Constitution Act.

1987: Share market crash

Following the 1987 share market crash, unemployment peaked just above 10% in 1991 and 1992.

1987: Telecom New Zealand formed

In 1987, Telecom New Zealand was formed, initially as a state-owned enterprise.

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 numbers doubling

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

1990: Telecom New Zealand privatised

In 1990, Telecom New Zealand was privatised.

1991: Unemployment peak

In 1991, unemployment peaked just above 10% following the 1987 share market crash.

1992: Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) formed

In 1992, Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) were formed from existing government-owned research organizations.

1992: Unemployment peak

In 1992, unemployment remained high, peaking just above 10% following the 1987 share market crash.

1993: End of 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

In 1993, New Zealand's railways were privatised.

1996: Introduction of mixed-member proportional representation

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

1997: Forest cover occupies 23% of the land

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

2002: Pacific Access Category

In 2002, the Pacific Access Category was established, regulating permanent migration and allowing up to 750 Pacific Islanders to become permanent New Zealand residents each year.

2003: Abolishment of final rights of appeal to British courts

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

2004: Railways re-nationalised

Between 2004 and 2008, New Zealand's railways were re-nationalised by the government in stages.

2006: Discovery of mouse-sized land mammal bones

In 2006, bones from a unique, mouse-sized land mammal at least 16 million years old were discovered in New Zealand.

2007: Wine industry overtakes wool exports

In 2007, New Zealand's wine industry overtook wool exports for the first time.

2007: Seasonal workers scheme introduced

In 2007, a seasonal workers scheme for temporary migration was introduced.

2007: Unemployment at 3.7%

In 2007, unemployment fell to 3.7%, ranking third among twenty-seven comparable OECD nations.

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 signed with a developed country.

2008: Railways re-nationalised

Between 2004 and 2008, New Zealand's railways were re-nationalised by the government in stages.

2008: Financial crisis

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

2009: Ultra-Fast Broadband rollout

In 2009, a large-scale rollout of gigabit-capable fibre to the premises, branded as Ultra-Fast Broadband, began.

2009: Pacific Islanders employed under seasonal workers scheme

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

2009: New Zealand Geographic Board discovery

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

2009: Unemployment rises to 7%

In late 2009, unemployment rose back to 7% as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.

2011: Chorus split from Telecom

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

2012: Partnership with NATO

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

2013: Formalization of names and alternative names

In 2013, the names and alternative names for the North and South Islands were formalized as North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu.

2013: New Zealand citizens living in Australia

In 2013, there were about 650,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia, which is equivalent to 15% of the population of New Zealand.

2014: Food products made up of all exports

In 2014, Food products made up 55% of the value of all the country's exports.

2015: R&D as a proportion of GDP

In 2015, New Zealand's total gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP was 1.23%.

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.

2016: New Zealand Space Agency Created

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

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.

2017: United States Department of State 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, but voiced concerns regarding the social status of the Māori population.

2017: Ranked 13th in development of info and communications infrastructure

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

2017: Median centre of population

By 2017, the country's median centre of population had moved 280 km (170 mi) north to near Kawhia in Waikato.

2017: 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: Other Exports

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 accounted for total exports

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

2018: Electorate data from the 2018 census

Based on the 2018 census data, there are 72 electorates (which include seven Māori electorates in which only Māori can optionally vote), and the remaining 48 of the 120 seats are assigned so that representation in Parliament reflects the party vote.

2018: R&D as a proportion of GDP

In 2018, New Zealand's total gross expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a proportion of GDP rose to 1.37%.

2018: 2018 New Zealand census

The 2018 New Zealand census recorded a resident population of 4,993,923.

September 2019: Population Climbed Above 5 Million

In September 2019 Statistics New Zealand reported that the population had climbed above 5 million people.

2019: Low turnout in local council elections

A historically low 42% of eligible New Zealanders voted in the 2019 local elections.

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 Climbed Above 5 Million

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

2020: Child poverty rates for Maori and Pacific Islander 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.

September 2021: Youth unemployment rate

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 recorded

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

June 2022: Child poverty rates in New Zealand

As of June 2022, Child poverty in New Zealand has been identified by the Government as a major societal issue; the country has 12.0% of children living in low-income households that have less than 50% of the median equivalised disposable household income.

2022: Low turnout in local council elections

A historically low 36% of eligible New Zealanders voted in the 2022 local elections.

2022: Ultra-Fast Broadband target

In 2009 a project began with a target of being available to 87% of the population by 2022.

2022: Expected increase in visitor arrivals

In 2017, it was expected that international visitor arrivals would increase at a rate of 5.4% annually up to 2022.

2022: Ranked 16th in Human Development Index

In 2022, New Zealand was ranked 16th in the Human Development Index.

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 in democratic institutions

As of 2023, New Zealand is ranked second in the strength of its democratic institutions and third in government transparency and lack of corruption.

2023: 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.

June 2024: Population distribution

As of June 2024, New Zealand's population is concentrated to the north, with around 76.5% of the population living in the North Island and 23.5% in the South Island.