History of New Zealand

New Zealand is one of the last major islands to be settled. The Polynesians arrived in New Zealand from about the 6th century AD to the 14th century AD to settle on the islands and created a unique Maori culture. The first Europeans arrived in New Zealand in 1642, led by Dutchman Abel Janszoon Tasman. He thought New Zealand was a coherent island and named it "Nieuw Zeeland". In 1769, James Cook began a detailed survey of the island. This initiative led to a series of European whaling expeditions and eventually a wave of European colonialism. In 1840, New Zealand officially became a British colony. On September 26, 1907, New Zealand declared its independence and became a British Dominion. Complete independence in 1947.

Polynesian settlers first came to New Zealand around the 10th century AD (called the Land of the Long White Cloud in Maori). By around the twelfth century AD, strongholds had been established across the country. In 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman discovered the land of the Long White Cloud and named the land Nieuw Zeeland after a region in the Netherlands. He drew a map of part of the west coast, but did not land here; in 1769 , British naval captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to set foot on New Zealand. Later, seal and whale fishermen also came here, missionaries soon followed, and settlements began to be gradually established. .

By 1840, the Maori population was estimated at 100,000, with approximately 2,000 European settlers (called "Pakeha" whites by Maori) scattered along the coast. New Zealand had no national government or national leadership at that time Maori and Pakeha groups requested certain protections and law and order from the British; on February 6, 1840, Maori and the British Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi in the town of Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. Waitangi, which made New Zealand a colony under the Crown. This treaty is considered New Zealand's founding document. The treaty gave early settlers the right to settle in New Zealand and promised Maori to continue to own their land, forests and fisheries as they wished. The treaty stated that Maori would control the land and way of life themselves. made a decision and promised to establish a government that would enable all people to live a life of peace and rule of law. The treaty also established the rights of New Zealanders to British citizenship. The treaty is still a "living document" and is New Zealand's most important aspect of ethnic relations. A very controversial topic.

After the signing of this treaty, more people began to come to New Zealand and settle here. Most of them went to the South Island to settle because the land there was suitable for farming. Gold was also discovered in Otago and the west coast. mine. However, since this century, more people have settled in the North Island than in the South. By the 1880s, the country's population had increased to half a million, railways and roads had begun to be built, and settlers established farms that had become the backbone of New Zealand's economy. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote. At that time, Britain was still an important part of New Zealand culture and was often referred to as "home". Thousands of New Zealanders represented Britain in the First World War. By 1918, half of the combatants died in the war or were killed in the war. Wounded in war.

In 1935, New Zealand elected a Labor government, which implemented a series of social reforms, including a 40-hour work week and a state-funded health and welfare system. After the start of World War II, New Zealand once again sent troops, and about 10% of the country's population went abroad to fight. After the war, demand for New Zealand's agricultural products increased, and the 1950s saw rapid growth in overall employment and unprecedented industrial prosperity.

New Zealand's economy began to deteriorate in the 1970s and 1980s due to its long-term dependence on imports (especially oil) and exports of meat, dairy products and wool. After the United Kingdom joined the European Union in the early 1970s, New Zealand began to lose its traditional export markets, and unemployment and social problems subsequently emerged. In the mid-to-late 1980s, the Labor government began to implement a wide range of reforms, including new monetary policies, lifting industrial restrictions, abolishing subsidies, and expanding the privatization of government departments. Since then, the economy has gradually improved and the number of unemployed people has begun to fall.

Further sources of information:

www.natlib.govt.nz (National Library information on New Zealand history)

www.tpk.org.nz ( The Department of Maori Development provides information on Crown-Māori relations)

www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz (Treaty of Waitangi website)