History (all dates common era)
1300 East Polynesian people arrive. Now known as Maori, they did not
identify themselves by this collective name until the arrival of European
people.
1642 Abel Tasman first European to see New Zealand
1769 James Cook arrives in New Zealand and claims if for Great Britain (the North Island 1769, the South Island 1770)
1835 Declaration of Independence signed by 34 Maori chiefs.
1840 Treaty of Waitangi signed.
1865 Wellington replaces Auckland as New Zealand's capital.
1882 First shipment of frozen meat leaves for Europe
1893 New Zealand becomes the first country to give women the vote.
1907 New Zealand becomes a dominion.
1908 New Zealand population reaches 1 million.
1933 New Zealand adopts own currency, the New Zealand pound.
1947 New Zealand Parliament adopts the Statute of Westminster (1931) and become independent from Great Britain.
1952 New Zealand population reaches 2 million.
1967 Decimalization of currency sees the New Zealand dollar introduced.
1973 New Zealand population reaches 3 million.
1983 Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement signed with Australia.
1985 Waitangi Tribunal given power to hear historic Maori land grievances going back to 1840).
1987 Maori declared official language alongside English.
1987 New Zealand becomes nuclear free.
2003 New Zealand population reaches 4 million.
