| Timeline |
| 1350 | Supposed year of the 'Great Migration' in which a large fleet of Maori arrived in NZ from Hawaiki. |
| 1642 | Naming it Staten Landt, Abel Tasman discovers and claims New Zealand for Holland. |
| 1769 | Captain James Cook lands at Gisborne and claims New Zealand for Britain. |
| 1772 | Marion du Fresne lands in the Bay of Islands and, yet again, claims the country for France, calling it France Australe (South France) |
| 1837 | The colonization of New Zealand Begins. |
| 1840 | The Treaty of Waitangi
is signed on February 6th. |
| 1840's | The Maori rebel against the British, lead by Hone Heke. |
| 1841 | New Zealand officially declared a crown colony. |
| 1842 | Settlement at Nelson formed. Auckland proclaimed capital city. |
| 1846 | The country is divided into two provinces. |
| 1850 | Christchurch settled and port of Lyttleton formed nearby. |
| 1857 | Potatau I becomes the first Maori King. |
| 1858 | New provinces Act passed. |
| 1859 | Gold discovered in Buller. |
| 1860 | Second of the Maori wars fought at Waireki. |
| 1861 | Truce arranged with Taranaki Maori. More gold discovered in Central Otago |
| 1863 | Waikato Wars rage until 1864. |
| 1868 | New Zealand becomes first country in the world to let its native people vote. |
| 1876 | Provinces abolished. |
| 1893 | NZ becomes first country in the world to give women the vote. |
| 1899 | NZ is the first country to give the elderly the pension. |
| 1907 | New Zealand constituted as a Dominion. |
| 1914 | WWI - New Zealand troops land at Anzac Cove in Turkey to try and knock the Turkish out of the war. |
| 1931 | Napier earthquake hits, killing 255 people. |
| 1950 | British Empire Games held in Auckland. |
| 1951 | ANZUS Pact established between NZ, Australia and the US. |
| 1951 | The watersiders' strike, where union workers went on strike for 151 days. Over 1000 workers attacked a group of police who were trying to disperse them. |
| 1953 | Sherpa Tenzing and New Zealander Edmund Hilary conquer Mt Everest. |
| 1974 | Xth Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch. |
| 1981 | The South African rugby tour goes ahead, despite much protest. Riots break out all over the country, and the nation is divided. Described as the worst 56 days in New Zealand's history. |
| 1985 | The world watches NZ as it refuses port entry to a US Nuclear Warship, breaking the ANZUS Pact, and establishing itself as the world's first Anti-Nuclear country. |
| 1985 | Greenpeace vessel, the Rainbow Warrior
is sunk by French agents at Auckland, leaving New Zealanders forever sour at the French. |
| 1990 | XIVth Commonwealth Games held in Auckland. |
| 1995 | New Zealand and the Black Magic
boat, beat the USA to win the America's Cup (Yachting), the world's oldest sporting trophy. |
| 1999 | A female protester dies of brain injuries after being run over in the picket line at Lyttelton Harbour. |
| 2000 | New Zealand successfully defends the Amercica's Cup, making NZ the only country to do so outside of the US. |
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New Zealand has accomplished much in its short history. The timeline below gives a brief outline of the history of a unique country.