Online Encyclopedia

1000-1300: Archaeological evidence (such as the cabbage tree ovens on the Otago Peninsula} indicates that Polynesian settlement was established some time in this period.

17th century

1642

December 13: Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sights the South Island.
December 18: Abel Tasman's expedition sails around Farewell Spit and into Golden Bay. The Dutch sailors sight local Maori.
December 19: Four of Tasman's crew are killed by Maori and Tasman's ships depart without landing. West of North Island is charted, but no more.

18th century

1769

September 26: Birth of William Hobson, future Governor.

1769

October 8: James Cook makes his first visit to New Zealand.
Cook maps the majority of the New Zealand coastline.
Jean de Surville explores parts of the New Zealand coast.

1772

April: Expedition of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne visits Northland

1791

November 29: Chatham Islands discovered by HMS Chatham commanded by William Broughton .

1792

Group of sealers from the Britannia landed in Dusky Sound .

1793

Dusky Sound sealers picked up.

1800s

1805

July 5: Robert FitzRoy born.

1806

First Pakeha women arrive in New Zealand.

1810s

1812

Birth of William Fox , future premier.
April 14: Birth of George Grey.

1813

Birth of Harry Atkinson, future premier.

1814

December 22: British missionary Samuel Marsden , of the (Anglican) Church Missionary Society, arrives at Rangihoua at Oihi Bay in the Bay of Islands to establish the country's first mission station. Sheep, cattle, horses and poultry are introduced.
On Christmas Day, Rev Marsden preached the first Christian service in the country, at Rangihoua.

1815

February, Thomas Holloway King is the first Pakeha child born in New Zealand, at Rangihoua.

1819

Raids on Taranaki and Te Whanganui-a-tara regions by Ngapuhi and Ngati Toa people led by chiefs Patuone , Nene, Moetara , Tuwhare , and Te Rauparaha.
April 23: Birth of Edward Stafford.
August 17: the country's second mission station is established, at Kerikeri, when Rev Marsden, John Butler, Francis Hall and William Hall mark out the site which was previously visited by Marsden in 1815.
September 25: Rev Marsden planted 100 vines, the first grapes grown in New Zealand.
November 4: Chiefs Hongi Hika and Rewa sell 13,000 acres at Kerikeri to the Church Missionary Society for 48 felling axes.

1820s

1820

Hongi Hika , Ngapuhi chief, visits England, meets King George IV and secures supply of muskets.

1821

Musket wars begin with raids by Hongi Hika and Te Morenga on southern iwi and continue throughout the decade.

1822

Ngati Toa begin migration south to Cook Strait region, led by Te Rauparaha.

1823

Jurisdiction of New South Wales courts is extended to British citizens in New Zealand.
Wesleyan Missionary Society mission established.
First Church of England marriage between Philip Tapsell and Mäori girl, Maria Ringa.

1824

Te Heke Niho-puta migration of Taranaki iwi to the Kapiti Coast.
Rawiri Taiwhanga in Bay of Islands sells dairy produce and other food supplies to visiting ships.

1827

Te Rauparaha's invasion of the South Island from Kapiti begins.

1830s

1830
1831

Whaling stations established at Tory Channel and Preservation Inlet .
Birth of Harry Atkinson, future Prime Minister

1832

April 19: stonemason William Parrott begins work on the missionaries' Stone Store at Kerikeri.
James Busby appointed British Resident.

1833

May: James Busby arrives at the Bay of Islands.

1834

March: United Tribes of New Zealand flag adopted by some 25 northern chiefs at Busby's suggestion.

1835

February 24: Birth of Julius Vogel.
October: Declaration of Independence of New Zealand by the "Confederation of United Tribes" signed by 34 northern chiefs (and later by another 18).

1837

New Zealand Association formed in London, becoming the New Zealand Colonisation Society in 1838 and the New Zealand Company in 1839, under the inspiration of Edward Gibbon Wakefield.

1838

Bishop Pompallier founds Roman Catholic Mission at Hokianga.

1839

William Hobson instructed to establish British rule in New Zealand, as a dependency of New South Wales.
Colonel William Wakefield of the New Zealand Company arrives on the Tory to purchase land for a settlement.
March 27: Birth of John Ballance, future Premier.

Colony and Self Government ( 1840 to 1946 )

1840s

1840

January 29: Hobson arrives in the Bay of Islands.
New Zealand Company settlers arrive at Te Whanganui a Tara which became Port Nicholson, site of Wellington.
February 6: Hone Heke is the first to sign the Treaty of Waitangi at Bay of Islands.
May 21: Hobson proclaims British sovereignty over New Zealand.
August: French colony established in Akaroa.
Hobson becomes first Governor and sets up executive and legislative councils.

1841

European settlements established at New Plymouth and Wanganui.
February: Capital shifted from Kororareka to Auckland .

1842

Main body of settlers arrive at Nelson.
September 10: William Hobson dies.

1843

Twenty-two European settlers and four Maori killed at a confrontation at Tua Marina , near the Wairau , in Marlborough.
Robert FitzRoy becomes Governor.

1844

Hone Heke begins the "War in the North".
New Zealand Company suspends its colonising operations due to financial difficulties.

1845

George Grey becomes Governor.

1846

War in the north ends with capture of Ruapekapeka .
First New Zealand Constitution Act passed.
Heaphy , Fox, and Brunner begin exploring the West Coast.
First steam vessel, HMS "Driver", arrives in New Zealand waters.

1848

Settlement of Dunedin founded by Scottish Otago Association.
Provinces of New Ulster and New Munster set up under 1846 Act.
Coal discovered at Brunner on the West Coast.
Earthquake centred in Marlborough damages most Wellington buildings.

1850s

1850

Canterbury settlement founded.

1852

Second New Zealand Constitution Act passed creating General Assembly and six provinces with representative government.

1853

Idea of a Mäori King canvassed by Tamihana Te Rauparaha and Matene Te Whiwhi .
July 4–October 1: New Zealand general election 1853

1854

First session of the General Assembly opens in Auckland.
March 10: Thomas Mackenzie born.

1855

Governor Thomas Gore Browne, appointed in 1854, arrives.
Severe earthquake on both sides of Cook Strait. Wellington's Basin Reserve is raised, dashing plans to use it for boats.
Adhesive, imperforate postage stamps on sale.
October 28–December 28: New Zealand general election 1855 .

1856

Henry Sewell forms first ministry under responsible government and becomes first Premier.
Edward Stafford forms first stable ministry.
March 26: William Massey born.

1858

New Provinces Act passed.
Te Wherowhero installed as first Mäori King , taking name Potatau I.

1859

First session of Hawke's Bay and Marlborough provincial councils.
Gold discovered in Buller River.
New Zealand Insurance Company established.

1860s

1860

Waitara dispute develops into general warfare in Taranaki.
December 12–March 28: New Zealand general election 1860-1861 .

1861

Grey becomes governor for the second time.
May Gabriel Read discovers gold in Gabriel's Gully near Tuapeka ; Otago goldrush es begin.
First session of Southland provincial council.
Bank of New Zealand incorporated at Auckland.

1862

First electric telegraph line opens from Christchurch to Lyttelton.
First gold shipment from Dunedin to London.

1863

War resumes in Taranaki and begins in Waikato when General Cameron crosses the Mangatawhiri stream.
New Zealand Settlements Act passed to effect land confiscation.
First steam railway in New Zealand opened.

1864

War in the Waikato ends with battle of Orakau .
Land in Waikato, Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, and Hawke's Bay confiscated.
Gold discovered in Marlborough and Westland.
Arthur, George, and Edward Dobson are the first Päkehä to cross what becomes known as Arthur's Pass.

1865

Seat of government transferred from Auckland to Wellington.
Native Land Court established.
Mäori resistance continues.
Auckland streets lit by gas for first time.
April 30: Robert FitzRoy dies.

1866

Cook Strait submarine telegraph cable laid.
Christchurch to Hokitika road opens.
Cobb and Co. coaches run from Canterbury to the West Coast.
January–February: Trevor Chute leads raids aginst Maro in Taranaki
February 12–April 6: New Zealand general election 1866 .

1867

Thames goldfield opens; soon the town has more people than Auckland.
Four Maori seats established in Parliament.
Lyttelton railway tunnel completed.
Armed constabulary established.

1868

Mäori resistance continues through campaigns of Te Kooti Arikirangi and Titokowaru.
New Zealand's first sheep breed, the Corriedale , is developed.

1869

Thomas Burns founds New Zealand's first university, the University of Otago, in Dunedin.
March 12: George Forbes born.

1870s

1870

The last imperial forces leave New Zealand.
Julius Vogel's public works and immigration policy begins.
New Zealand University Act passed, establishing a federal system which lasts until 1961.
Vogel announces national railway construction programme; over 1,000 miles constructed by 1879.
First rugby match.
Auckland to San Francisco mail service begins.
October 20: Charles Goldie born.

1871

Deer freed in Otago.
January 14–February 23: New Zealand general election 1871 .

1872

Te Kooti retreats to the King Country and Mäori armed resistance ceases.
Telegraph communication links Auckland, Wellington and southern provinces.
March 23: Michael Joseph Savage born.

1873

New Zealand Shipping Company established.

1874

First New Zealand steam engine built at Invercargill.

1875

December 20–January 29: New Zealand general election 1875-1876 .

1876

Abolition of the provinces and establishment of local government by counties and boroughs.
New Zealand-Australia telegraph cable established.

1877

Education Act passed, establishing national system of primary education, "free, secular, and compulsory".
December 3: Richard Pearse born.

1878

Completion of Christchurch-Invercargill railway.

1879

Triennial Parliaments Act passed. Vote is given to every male aged 21 and over.
Kaitangata mine explosion, 34 people die.
Annual property tax introduced.
Kangaroo lays the first Telegraph cable across Cook Strait.
August 28–September 15: New Zealand general election 1879 .

1880s

1881

Parihaka community forcibly broken up by troops. Te Whiti, Tohu Kakahi and followers arrested and imprisoned.
Wreck of SS "Tararua", 131 people die.
Auckland and Christchurch telephone exchanges open.
December 9: New Zealand general election 1881 .

1882

First shipment of frozen meat leaves Port Chalmers for England on the "Dunedin".
February 12: Birth of Walter Nash.

1883

Te Kooti pardoned, Te Whiti and other prisoners released.
Direct steamer link established between New Zealand and Britain.

1884

King Tawhiao visits England with petition to the Queen, appealing to the Treaty of Waitangi, and is refused access.
First overseas tour by a New Zealand rugby team, to New South Wales.
Construction of King Country section of North Island main trunk railway begins.
June 22: New Zealand general election 1884 .
August 28: Peter Fraser born in Scotland.

1886

Mt Tarawera erupts and the Pink and White Terraces are destroyed, 153 people die.
Oil is discovered in Taranaki.

1887

New Zealand's first national park, Tongariro, is presented to the nation by Te Heuheu Tukino IV.
Reefton becomes first town to have electricity.
First inland parcel post service.
September 26: New Zealand general election 1887 .

1888

October 14: Katherine Mansfield (writer) born.

1889

Abolition of non-residential or property qualification to vote.
First New Zealand-built locomotive completed at Addington.

1890s

1890

Maritime Strike involves 8000 unionists.
"Sweating" Commission reports on employment conditions.
First election on a one-man one-vote basis.
December 5: New Zealand general election 1890 .

1891

John McKenzie introduces the first of a series of measures to promote closer land settlement.
John Ballance becomes Premier of first Liberal Government.

1892

First Kotahitanga Mäori Parliament meets.

1893

Franchise extended to women.
April 27: John Ballance dies
John Ballance succeeded as premier by Richard Seddon.
June 23: Wiliam Fox dies
Liquor licensing poll introduced.
Elizabeth Yates becomes first woman mayor, of Onehunga .
Banknotes become legal tender.
Birth of Sidney Holland.
November 28: New Zealand general election 1893 .

1894

Compulsory arbitration of industrial disputes and reform of employment laws.
Advances to Settlers Act.
Clark, Fyfe and Graham become the first peopleto climb Mt Cook.
Wreck of SS "Wairarapa".

1895

Ngaio Marsh (writer) born.

1896

National Council of Women is founded.
Brunner Mine explosion, 67 people killed.
Census measures national population as 743,214.
Death of former premier Harry Atkinson.
December 4: New Zealand general election 1896 .

1897

First of series of colonial and later imperial conferences held in London.
Apirana Ngata and others form Te Aute College Students' Association.

1898

Old Age Pensions Act.
First cars imported to New Zealand.
September 19: Death of George Grey.

1899

New Zealand army contingent is sent to the South African war.
First celebration of Labour Day.
March 12: Julius Vogel dies.
July 26: Bill Hamilton born.
December 6: New Zealand general election 1899 .

1900s

1900

Mäori Councils Act passed.
Public Health Act passed setting up Department of Public Health in 1901.

1901

Cook and other Pacific Islands annexed.
Penny postage first used.
February 14: Edward Stafford dies.
July 5: Len Lye born.

1902

Pacific cable begins operating between New Zealand, Australia and Fiji.
Wreck of SS "Elingamite".
November 25: New Zealand general election 1902 .

1903
1904

Richard Pearse achieves semi-controlled flight near Timaru.
February 11: Birth of Keith Holyoake.

1905

New Zealand rugby team tours England and becomes known as the All Blacks.
Old Age Pension increases to £26 per year; however, eligibility tightened.
December 6: New Zealand general election 1905 .

1906

June 10: Richard Seddon dies and is succeeded by Joseph Ward as Premier.

1907

New Zealand constituted as a Dominion.
Fire destroys Parliament buildings.

1908

Auckland to Wellington main trunk railway line opens.
Blackball coal miner strike lasts 11 weeks .
Ernest Rutherford is awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
New Zealand's population reaches one million.
November 17,November 24 and 1 December: New Zealand general election 1908 .

1909

"Red" Federation of Labour formed.
SS "Penguin" wrecked in Cook Strait, 75 people die.
Compulsory military training introduced.
Stamp–vending machine invented and manufactured in New Zealand.

1910s

1910

Halley's Comet sighted in New Zealand.

1911

December 7,December 14: New Zealand general election 1911 .

1912

William Massey wins vote in the House and becomes first Reform Party Prime Minister.
Waihi miners strike.
March 5: Birth of Jack Marshall.

1913

Waterfront strikes in Auckland and Wellington.

1914

World War I begins and German Samoa is occupied.
New Zealand Expeditionary Force are despatched to Egypt.
Huntly coal mine disaster, 43 people die.
August 15: Troops depart for Samoa.
August 29: New Zealand troops land unopposed in Apia.
October: 8427 toops leave New Zeland for Europe.
December 10: New Zealand general election 1914 .

1915

New Zealand forces take part in Gallipoli campaign.
Reform and Liberal parties form National War Cabinet.
Britain announces its intention to purchase all New Zealand meat exports during war.
April 25: First landings at Gaba Tepe and Cape Hellas on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
April 27: Counterattack launched by Turkesh forces under the command of Mustafa Kemal.
November 2: Douglas Lilburn (composer) born.
December 20: Final withdraw of all troops from Anzac Cove.

1916

New Zealand troops transfer from Western Front.
Conscription introduced.
Labour Party formed.
Lake Coleridge electricity supply scheme opened.
Selwyn Toogood born.
June 10: Passing of the Military Services Bill introduces conscription.
July: Battle of Romani defaults Turkish force advancing towards the Suez Canal.

1917

Battle of Passchendaele, 3,700 New Zealanders killed.
Six o'clock public house closing introduced.
Lord Liverpool becomes first Governor-General.

1918

New Zealand Division in the Battle of the Somme.
End of World War I.
Influenza epidemic in which an estimated 8,500 die.
Creation of power boards for electricity distribution.
Prohibition petition with 242,001 signatures presented to Parliament.

1919

Women eligible for election to Parliament.
Massey signs Treaty of Versailles.
First official airmail flight from Auckland to Dargaville.
July 26: Angus Tait born.
December 17: New Zealand general election 1919 .

1920s

1920

Anzac Day established.
New Zealand gets League of Nations mandate to govern Western Samoa.
First aeroplane flight across Cook Strait.

1921

New Zealand Division of Royal Navy established.
September 25: Birth of Robert Muldoon.

1922

Meat Producers' Board placed in control of meat exports.
December 7: New Zealand general election 1922 .

1923

Otira tunnel opens. Ross Dependency proclaimed. Death of Katherine Mansfield.
January 6: Birth of Norman Kirk.
January 9: Death of Katherine Mansfield (writer).

1924

All Black 'Invincibles' tour of Britain and France.
August 28: Janet Frame (writer) born.

1925

May 10: Death of William Massey.
November 4: New Zealand general election 1925 won by thr Reform party under Gordon Coates .

1926

National public broadcasting begins under auspices of Radio Broadcasting Co. Ltd.
June 29: James K. Baxter (writer) born.

1927

November 15: Birth of Bill Rowling.

1928

New Zealand Summer Time introduced.
General election won by new United Party.
Charles Kingsford Smith completes first flight across Tasman Sea.
December 14: New Zealand general election 1928

1929

Economic depression worsens.
Severe earthquake in Murchison-Karamea district, 17 people die.
First health stamps issued.

1930s

1930

Unemployment Board set up to provide relief work.
February 14: Death of Thomas Mackenzie, former Prime Minister.
September 3: Cherry Wilder born Cherry Barbara Grimm.

1931

Newly formed Coalition Government under George Forbes wins general election.
Hawke's Bay earthquake, 256 die.
Substantial percentage reductions in public service wages and salaries.
Airmail postage stamps introduced.
December 2: New Zealand general election 1931 .

1932

Compulsory arbitration of industrial disputes abolished.
Unemployed riots in Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch.
Reductions in old-age and other pensions.
June 4: Birth of Maurice Shadbolt (writer).
October 17: Birth of C. K. Stead (writer).

1933

Elizabeth McCombs becomes first woman MP.
Distinctive New Zealand coins first issued.

1934

Reserve Bank and Mortgage Corporation established.
First trans-Tasman airmail.
Peter Arnett born.
February 10: Fleur Adcock born.

1935

First Labour Government elected under Michael Joseph Savage.
Air services begin across Cook Strait.
May 21: Birth of Jim Bolger, Future Prime Minister.
November 24: New Zealand Post office jams 1ZB radio broadcast by Colin Scrimgeour (Uncle Scrim).
November 27: New Zealand general election 1935 .

1936

Reserve Bank taken over by state.
State housing programme launched.
Guaranteed prices for dairy products introduced.
National Party formed from former Coalition MPs.
Inter-island trunk air services introduced.
Jack Lovelock wins New Zealand's first Olympic gold.
Jean Batten's record flight from England.
Working week reduced from 44 to 40 hours.

1937

April: Federation of Labour unifies trade union movement.
RNZAF set up as separate branch of armed forces.
March: Free Milk in schools introduced.
Murray Ball born.

1938

Social Security Act establishes revised pensions structure and the basis of a national health service.
Import and exchange controls are introduced.
Birth of Jim Anderton , future political leader.
October 15: New Zealand general election 1938 .

1939

Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force formed.
Bulk purchases of farm products by Great Britain.
September 3: War declared on Germany
September 7: First New Zealander (An officer flying with the RAF) taken prisoner of war.
September 12: Enlistment in the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force begins.
October 4: Government announces the formation of a Maori battalion for 2 NZEF
November 23: Bernard Freyberg is appointed to commander of 2 NZEF
December 13: HMNZS Achilles takes part in The Battle of the River Plate.

1940 to 1946

1940

January 5: First Echelon of the 2NZEF leaves New Zealand for the Middle East.
Feburary 12: The main body of the First Echelon of the 2NZEF, arrives at Maadi Camp in Egypt.
March 27: Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage dies
April 1: Peter Fraser becomes Prime Minister.
April 1: Formation of No. 75 (NZ) Squadron of the RAF
June 11: New Zealand declares war on Italy.
August 2: Home Guard established.
August 20: German raider Orion sinks the steamer Turakina off Cape Egmont .
October: Stanley Graham kills 7 in shooting spree near Hokitika
November 25: Steamer Holmwood sunk by German raiders off the Chatham Islands.
November 27: Rangitane sunk by German raiders 480km from East Cape
December 8: New Zealand steamer Komata sunk by German raiders off Nauru
Sidney Holland becomes Leader of Opposition.
Conscription for military service.
German mines laid across Hauraki Gulf.

1941

Mäori War Effort Organisation set up.
Pharmaceutical and general practitioner medical benefits introduced.
Ian Mune born.

1942

Economic stabilisation.
New Zealand troops in Battle of El Alamein.
Food rationing introduced.
Mobilisation of women foressential work.
April 21: Birth of Geoffrey Palmer.
June 12: First 5 ships of American troops from the 37th US Army Division land in Auckland.
June 14: First American Marines from the 1st Corps Division land in Wellington.
August 4: Birth of David Lange.

1943

New Zealand troops take part in invasion of Italy.
February: Mutiny by Japanese prisoners of war in Featherston camp results in 48 Japanese dead, 61 wounded, plus one dead and 11 injured guards.
April 3: Battle of Manners Street between American and New Zealand servicemen
June 20: Several Marines drown during landing excercies at Paekakariki .
August 28: Eleanor Roosevelt arrives in New Zealand for visit.
September 3: Eleanor Roosevelt flys out from Auckland.
September 25: New Zealand general election 1943 .
July 20: Chris Amon born.

1944

Australia-New Zealand Agreement provides for co-operation in the South Pacific.
March 6: Kiri Te Kanawa born.
Jack Body born.
Witi Ihimaera born.

1945

New Zealand signs United Nations charter.
Mäori Social and Economic Advancement Act passed.
National Airways Corporation founded.
February 5: Michael Cullen born
November 15: Roger Donaldson born
December 15: Michael King born

1946

Family benefit of £1 per week becomes universal.
Bank of New Zealand nationalised.
November 24: New Zealand general election 1946 .

Full Independence ( 1947 to 1983 )

1947 to 1949

1947

Statute of Westminster adopted by New Zealand Parliament.
First public performance by National Orchestra.
Mabel Howard becomes first woman cabinet minister.
Fire in Ballantyne's department store, Christchurch, 41 people die.
May 17: George Forbes dies.
July 11: Charles Goldie dies.
September 14: Sam Neill born

1948

Protest campaign against exclusion of Maori players from rugby tour of South Africa.
Polio epidemic closes schools.
Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoe erupt.
Meat rationing ends.
July 29: John Clarke born.
Billy T. James born, as William Taitoko.

1949

Referendum agrees to compulsory military training.
National Government elected.
New Zealand gets first four navy frigates.
Mike Moore born.
November 30: New Zealand general election 1949 .

1950s

1950

Naval and ground forces sent to Korean War.
Legislative Council abolished.
Wool boom.
February 26: Birth of Helen Clark, Future Prime Minister.
August 1: John Britten born.
December 12: Peter Fraser dies.

1951

Prolonged waterfront dispute, state of emergency proclaimed.
ANZUS treaty signed between United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Mäori Women's Welfare League established.
December 27: New Zealand general election 1951

1952

Population reaches over two million.
January 12: Birth of John Walker (runner).
February 4: Birth of Jenny Shipley, future Prime Minister.
June 25: Birth of Tim Finn (singer).
September 2: Birth of Chris Knox (entertainer).

1953

First tour by a reigning monarch.
Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first to climb Mount Everest.
Railway disaster at Tangiwai, 151 people die.
World sheep-shearing record set by Godfrey Bowen .
July 29: Richard Pearse dies.

1954

New Zealand signs South East Asia Collective Defence Treaty.
Gains seat on United Nations Security Council.
April 30: Jane Campion.
May 11: Murray Haszard born.
November 13: New Zealand general election 1954 .
Social Credit gets 10 percent of vote in general election, but no seat in Parliament.

1955

Pulp and paper mill opens at Kawerau.
Rimutaka rail tunnel opened.

1956

New Zealand troops sent to Malaya.
Roxburgh and Whakamaru power stations in operation.

1957

National loses election; Walter Nash leads second Labour Government.
Last hanging.
Scott Base established in Ross Dependency.
Court of Appeal constituted.
Dairy products gain 10 years of unrestricted access to Britain.
January 3: Dave Dobbyn born.
November 30: New Zealand general election 1957 .

1958

PAYE tax introduced.
Arnold Nordmeyer's "Black Budget".
First geothermal electricity generated at Wairakei.
First heart-lung machine used at Greenlane Hospital, Auckland.
May 27: Neil Finn born.

1959

Antarctic Treaty signed with other countries involved in scientific exploration in Antarctica.
Auckland harbour bridge opened.

1960s

1960

Regular television programmes begin in Auckland.
National Government elected.
Government Service Equal Pay Act passed.
November 26: New Zealand general election 1960 .

1961

New Zealand joins the International Monetary Fund.
Capital punishment abolished.
Death of Sidney Holland.
October 31: Peter Jackson (filmmaker) born.
Temuera Morrison (actor) born.

1962

New Zealand troops sent to Malaysia during confrontation with Indonesia.
Western Samoa becomes independent.
Sir Guy Powles becomes first Ombudsman.
New Zealand Maori Council established.
Cook Strait rail ferry service begins.
Taranaki gas well opens.
Peter Snell establishes mile and half-mile world running records.

1963

November 30: New Zealand general election 1963 .

1964

Marsden Point oil refinery opens at Whangarei.
Cook Strait power cables laid.
Auckland's population reaches half a million.
March 24: Russell Crowe (actor) born.
Andrew Niccol {filmmaker) born.

1965

NAFTA agreement negotiated with Australia.
Support for United States in Vietnam; New Zealand combat force sent, protest movement begins.
Cook Islands becomes self-governing.

1966

International airport officially opens at Auckland.
New Zealand labour force reaches one million.
National Library of New Zealand created.
Te Ata-i-rangi-kaahu becomes first Maori Queen.
November 26: New Zealand general election 1966 .

1967

Referendum extends hotel closing hours to 10pm.
Decimal currency introduced.
Lord Arthur Porritt becomes first New Zealand-born Governor-General.
Breath and blood tests introduced for suspected drinking drivers.
May 31: Phil Keoghan born.

1968

Inter-island ferry Wahine sinks in severe storm in Wellington Harbour, 51 people die.
Three die in Inangahua earthquake.
March 29: Lucy Lawless (actress) born Lucille Frances Ryan.
June 4: Walter Nash dies.

1969

Vote extended to 20-year-olds.
National Government wins fourth election in a row.
First output from Glenbrook Steel Mill .
November 29: New Zealand general election 1969.

1970s

1970

Natural gas from Kapuni supplied to Auckland.

1971

New Zealand secures continued access of butter and cheese to the United Kingdom.
Nga Tamatoa protest at Waitangi celebrations.
Tiwai Point aluminium smelter begins operating.
Warkworth satellite station begins operation.

1972

Labour Government led by Norman Kirk elected.
Values Party is formed.
Equal Pay Act passed.
June 7: Karl Urban (actor) born.
October 22: James K. Baxter (author) born.
November 25: New Zealand general election 1972

1973

Great Britain becomes a member of the EEC.
Naval frigate despatched in protest against French nuclear testing in the Pacific.
New Zealand's population reaches three million.
Rugby tour of South Africa cancelled.
Oil price hike means worst terms of trade in 30 years.
Colour TV introduced.

1974

August 31: Prime Minister Norman Kirk dies.
Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch.

1975

January 4: Lynne Cox became the first woman to swim across Cook Strait.
Robert Muldoon becomes Prime Minister after National election victory.
Mäori land march protests against land loss.
The Waitangi Tribunal is established.
Second TV channel starts broadcasting.
November 29: New Zealand general election 1975.

1976

Matrimonial Property Act passed.
Pacific Islands "overstayers" deported.
EEC import quotas for New Zealand butter set until 1980.
Introduction of metric system of weights and measures.
Subscriber toll dialling introduced.
January 13: Bic Runga (singer) born.

1977

National Superannuation scheme begins.
New Zealand signs the Gleneagles Agreement.
The 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is established.
Bastion Point occupied by protesters.

1978

Registered unemployed reaches 25,000.
National Government re-elected.
March 30: Bill Hamilton dies.
November 25: New Zealand general election 1978.

1979

Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashes on Mount Erebus, Antarctica, 257 people die.
Carless days introduced to reduce petrol consumption.

1980s

1980

Social Credit wins East Coast Bays by-election.
Saturday trading partially legalised.
Eighty-day strike at Kinleith Mill .
May 15: Len Lye dies.

1981

South African rugby team's tour brings widespread disruption.
November 28: New Zealand general election 1981.

1982

CER agreement signed with Australia.
First köhanga reo established.
Year-long wage, price and rent freeze imposed lasts until 1984.
February 18: Ngaio Marsh (writer) dies.
March 1: Frank Sargeson (writer) dies.
July 24: Anna Paquin (actress) born.

1983

Visit by nuclear-powered United States Navy frigate "Texas" sparks protests.
Official Information Act replaces Official Secrecy Act .
New Zealand Party founded.
December 8: Death of Keith Holyoake.

Restructuring ( after 1984 )

1984 to 1989

1984

Labour Party wins snap general election.
Finance Minister Roger Douglas begins deregulating the economy.
New Zealand ratifies the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Te Hikoi ki Waitangi march and disruption of Waitangi Day celebrations.
Auckland's population exceeds that of the South Island.
Government devalues New Zealand dollar by 20 percent.
July 14: New Zealand general election 1984.

1985

Anti-nuclear policy leads to refusal of a visit by the American warship, the USS "Buchanan".
Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior bombed and sunk by French agents in Auckland harbour.
New Zealand dollar floated.
Keri Hulme wins Booker Prize for "The Bone People".
First case of locally-contracted AIDS is reported.
Waitangi Tribunal given power to hear grievances arising since 1840.

1986

Homosexual Law Reform Bill passed.
Royal Commission reports in favour of MMP electoral system.
Jim Bolger becomes National Party leader.
Soviet cruise ship, the Mikhail Lermontov, sinks in Marlborough Sounds.
Goods and Services Tax introduced.
First visit to New Zealand by the Pope.

1987

Share prices plummet by 59 percent in four months.
Labour wins general election.
Māori Language Act making Māori an official language passed.
Anti-nuclear legislation enacted.
First lotto draw.
New Zealand's first heart transplant is performed.
New Zealand wins Rugby World Cup.
Significant earthquake in the Bay of Plenty.
April 10: Hayley Westenra (singer) born.
Auguest 15 : New Zealand general election 1997 .

1988

Number of unemployed exceeds 100,000.
Bastion Point land returned to Mäori ownership.
Combined Council of Trade Unions formed. Royal Commission on Social Policy issues April Report.
Gibbs Report on hospital services and Picot Report on education published.
State Sector Act passed.
Cyclone Bola strikes northern North Island.
Electrification of North Island's main trunk line completed.
New Zealand Post closes 432 post offices.
Fisheries quota package announced for Mäori iwi.

1989

Prime Minister David Lange suggests formal withdrawal from ANZUS.
Jim Anderton founds New Labour Party.
Lange resigns and Geoffrey Palmer becomes Prime Minister.
First annual balance of payments surplus since 1973.
Reserve Bank Act sets bank's role as one of maintaining price stability.
First school board elections under Tomorrow's Schools reforms.
First elections under revised local government structure.
Sunday trading begins.
Third TV channel begins.
Mäori Fisheries Act passed.

1990s

1990

New Zealand celebrates its sesquicentennial.
Maori leaders inaugurate National Congress of Tribes.
Dame Catherine Tizard becomes first woman Governor-General.
Geoffrey Palmer resigns as Prime Minister and is replaced by Mike Moore.
National Party has landslide victory. Jim Bolger becomes Prime Minister.
One and two cent coins are no longer legal tender.
Commonwealth Games are held in Auckland.
Telecom sold for $4.25 billion.
Welfare payments cut.
Big earthquake in Hawke's Bay
March 24: Keisha Castle-Hughes (actress) born.
October 27: New Zealand general election 1990.

1991

First budget of new Finance Minister, Ruth Richardson. Welfare payments further reduced.
The Alliance Party is formed.
Employment Contracts Act passed.
Consumers Price Index has lowest quarterly increase for 25 years.
Number of unemployed exceeds 200,000 for the first time.
New Zealand troops join multi-national force in the Gulf War.
An avalanche on Mount Cook reduces its height by 10.5 metres.
August 7: Billy T. James dies.

1992

Government and Maori interests negotiate Sealords fisheries deal.
Public health system reforms.
State housing commercialised.
Watties Foods is bought by American company, Heinz.
New Zealand gets seat on United Nations Security Council.
August 5: Robert Muldoon dies.

1993

Centennial of women's suffrage celebrated.
New Zealand First Party launched by Winston Peters.
National wins election without majority.
Opposition MP Peter Tapsell becomes Speaker of the House, thus giving the government a majority.
Referendum favours MMP electoral system.
New Zealand film The Piano has international success.
November 6: New Zealand general election 1993.

1994

Government commits 250 soldiers to front-line duty in Bosnia.
Government proposes $1 billion cap in plan for final settlement of Treaty of Waitangi claims.
Sharemarket reaches highest level since 1987 crash.
New Zealand's first casino opens in Christchurch.
First fast-ferry passenger service begins operation across Cook Strait.

1995

Team New Zealand wins America's Cup.
Occupation of Moutua Gardens , Wanganui.
Waikato Raupatu Claims Settlement Act passed.
New political parties form: the Conservative, Christian Heritage and United New Zealand.
Renewal of French nuclear tests results in New Zealand protest flotilla and navy ship "Tui" sailing for Moruroa Atoll.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Auckland, Nelson Mandela visits.
New Zealand contingent returns from Bosnia.
September 5: John Britten dies.
October 31: Bill Rowling dies.

1996

Imported pests Mediterranean fruit flies and white-spotted tussock moths cause disruption to export trade and to Aucklanders.
Kahurangi National Park, the thirteenth National Park,is opened in north-west Nelson.
Waitangi Tribunal recommends generous settlement of Taranaki land claims.
First legal sports betting at TAB.
$170 million Ngai Tahu settlement proposed, $40 million Whakatohea settlement announced.
First MMP election brings National/New Zealand First coalition government.
October 12: New Zealand general election 1996.

1997

America's Cup damaged in attack by a Maori activist.
TV4 begins daily broadcasts.
Customs Service cracks down on imported Japanese used cars following claims of odometer fraud.
Auckland's Sky Tower is opened.
Beatrice Faumuina wins gold for discus at the World Track and Field championships in Athens.
Auckland band OMC's album "How Bizarre" goes gold in the United States.
Compulsory superannuation is rejected by a margin of more than 9 to 1 in New Zealand's first postal referendum.
Jim Bolger resigns as Prime Minister after a National Party coup; he is replaced by New Zealand's first woman Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley.

1998

Auckland city businesses hit by a power cut lasting several weeks. The crisis continues for over a month and results in an inquiry into Mercury Energy.
The women's rugby team, the Black Ferns , become the world champions.
Mortgage rates and the New Zealand dollar both take a slide leaving NZ$1 below the US50c mark for the first time in 12 years.
The Coalition Government is dissolved leaving the Jenny Shipley-led National party as a minority government.
Several cases of tuberculosis discovered in South Auckland in the worst outbreak for a decade.
The Hikoi of Hope marches to Parliament calling for more support for the poor.
The government announces plans to lease 28 new fighter aircraft but says no to a new naval frigate.
Road toll 514