History History

The discovery of Aotearoa is attributed to Kupe, a legendary explorer who left Hawaiki - the legendary ancestral homeland of all Polynesian peoples - to hunt a giant octopod (octopus) that was disrupting fishing around the island. The hunt was long and arduous, and took him as far as the New Zealand islands.
Approaching the land, Kupe's wife Kuramārōtini saw a long white expanse in the distance. "He ao! He ao!" - A cloud, a cloud! (a cloud indicated the presence of nearby land) - "He ao tea!" - A white cloud! - "He ao tea roa!" - A long white cloud!
This exclamation was what gave the then-discovered island its name.
These are obviously stories and legends, and the very existence of Kupe is difficult to verify. There is no doubt, however, that it points to a certain historical reality.
More than an octopus, it was probably whales and their migratory movements that launched the Polynesians onto the waters. As for the reasons why they set off in search of new territories, the story of the giant octopus disrupting fishing seems to point to problems of supply or scarcity of resources.

Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was sent by the Dutch East India Company on a mission to explore the South Seas, in search of a legendary "southern continent".
It was on this voyage that he discovered Tasmania, and as he continued eastward, he caught sight of New Zealand. However, an initial conflict with the Māoris dissuaded him from setting foot on land. A mutual misunderstanding of their welcoming rituals led to a confrontation at sea, which prompted Tasman to set sail again. He skirted the west coast of the North Island, making a first sketch of a map but having no idea whether it was an island or a continent.

Officially, James Cook was sent to the Pacific on a scientific mission: to observe the trajectory of Venus in an attempt to determine the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
Unofficially, and secretly, Cook was sent to discover the legendary southern continent, just as Tasman had done in the previous century.
The instructions he received specified that he should, "with the consent of the natives, take possession of strategic points in the country in the name of the King of Great Britain; or, if the country is uninhabited, take possession of it for His Majesty".

Cook travels with Tupaia, a Tahitian chief who speaks English and Māori, and will be of great help in establishing as friendly and peaceful relations as possible with the various iwi (tribes) he encounters.
During his travels, Cook introduced new food sources such as pork and potatoes, as well as new diseases such as tuberculosis, syphilis and gonorrhea.

A small number of Europeans gradually settled at key points along the Aotearoa coast. Whalers, sealers, fishermen, merchants, convicts who had escaped from Australia, but also a few Christian missionaries.
In the early 1820s, a significant number of whalers settled in Kororāreka (near present-day Russell), in the Bay of Islands, and the town soon became a major whaling port, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere for a time.
Kororāreka was an important point of contact between Māori and Europeans: some Māori worked on board ship, and the local hapu (clans) sold pork and potatoes to sailors. Less glamorous, Kororāreka was also known for its prostitution network, sexual services being just another way for the Māori to exchange goods. Between this and the high rate of alcoholism, Kororāreka inherited the nicknames of "scourge" or "Hellhole" of the Pacific.
But the town remained an important trading port. A trade line was set up between the local hapu and the colonies of New South Wales, Australia. The Māori sent pigs and potatoes, and in return received tobacco, alcohol, metal tools, cotton clothing and... muskets. muskets.
The discovery and access to firearms for the Māori was the starting point for a series of devastating wars that would affect the whole of Aotearoa.

Māori society is tribal; there has never been a central government, but a multitude ofiwi and hapu (tribe and sub-tribe) historically settled in different areas of the territory. Relations between iwi and hapu were not always peaceful and, in 1818, Chief Hongi Hika of the Ngāpuhiiwi (in Northland), newly armed with muskets, launched raids against neighboring tribes, equipped only with traditional weapons. Hongi Hika's success prompted other iwi to equip themselves with muskets, and the conflicts continued until all tribes had access to firearms.
It is estimated that 3,000 battles took place during this period, costing the lives of between 20,000 and 40,000 Māori.
In addition to muskets, the other major culprit in these conflicts was none other than... the potato. A reliable and easy-to-grow food source, the potato made it easier and longer to feed the warriors, which was such a determining factor that some historians refer to these wars as the "Potato Wars".

The Treaty of Waitangi is seen as the founding treaty of the New Zealand nation. It is via this treaty that Aotearoa is officially attached to the British crown, granting (on paper...) to the Maori the same rights as to the British settlers. However, translation errors were the source of many grievances and led to major conflicts.

Before the treaty was signed, the country's most important trading port was Kororāreka. Governor Wiliam Hobson was reluctant to locate the capital there, however, because of its reputation as the "Hellhole" of the Pacific and its less-than-virtuous mores. He first chose Okiato, slightly to the south of Kororāreka (today's Russell encompasses the two former towns of Okiato and Kororāreka), and then moved the capital to Auckland after purchasing the land in the area.
This move of the capital (and therefore of trade) further south was very badly received by the hapu of the Bay of Island, who felt aggrieved. This led to a conflict known as the Northern Wars, one of the sparks that ignited the New Zealand wars that ravaged the country in the decades that followed.

Following the signing of the treaty, huge waves of British settlers (called Pākehā by the Māori) came to New Zealand. Within 10 years, there were between 2,000 and 20,000 Pākehā living in the country.
The settlers were all promised the same thing: land. A vast campaign then began to buy land from the Māori, with exchanges often taking place to their detriment, through broken promises or totally undercutting prices, taking advantage of the fact that money remains a vague concept for the Māori. As a result, the Māori are increasingly reluctant to give up their land, but the number of settlers continues to grow, and the pressure is mounting.
Rising tensions will lead to clashes throughout the territory. The Māori are trying to defend their land, the Pākehā are trying to obtain/conquer it.
The situations are complex due to the tribal nature of Māori society. It's not a question of simple māori/pākehā opposition. Rivalries between iwi and hapu meant that certain clans sometimes decided to ally themselves with the Pākehā for certain campaigns.

Formation of the first New Zealand Parliament, which then sat in Auckland.
The right to vote was granted to British men over 21 years of age and landowners. The Māori were theoretically not excluded, since they had been subjects of the Crown since the treaty, but their system of communal land ownership prevented them from fulfilling the last condition.

By the end of the 1950s, over 60,000 Pākehā were living in the territory. For the first time, the Māori were outnumbered.
Pressure for land acquisition grew and conflict escalated.
In an attempt to unite the tribes against the uncontrolled sale of land, some iwi decided to establish a central authority figure to facilitate negotiations. A Māori "king", but one who was in no way intended to challenge the British Crown.
The Māori version of the Treaty of Waitangi stipulated that the Māori retained authority over their territory. But the British version specified that they ceded sovereignty to the Crown. The establishment of a king was therefore perceived as an act of rebellion, leading to the bloodiest episode of the New Zealand wars: the invasion and battle of the Waikato.

The invasion of the Waikato was the turning point in the New Zealand wars. The governor feared an increasingly significant rallying to Kīngitanga, so he requested reinforcements from the British Empire to crush the movement. 10,000 imperial soldiers were sent, 4,000 colonial soldiers mobilized, and a few hundred more Māori swelled the ranks.
Opposite, the 5,000 soldiers of Kīngitanga could do little.
After the New Zealand wars, 1.5 million hectares (5% of the country's land area) were confiscated from the Māori as punishment for "rebellion."

As the South Island became more and more populated, not least due to the gold rushes, the government moved the capital to Wellington for a more central location.

Four seats in Parliament are reserved for the Māori. The Māori then obtain the right to vote for their representatives.

It was no longer necessary to be a landowner to be able to vote; all men in the country over the age of 21 and subjects of the Crown could vote.

For the first time in the world, women were granted the right to vote, thanks to Kate Sheppard, who travelled the country with a petition that gathered the signatures of a quarter of the country's adult women!

The soldiers of the ANZAC, "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps", joined the war effort. The most prominent campaign in New Zealand's history was the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey, but it was on the Western Front (notably the Somme) that the New Zealand Corps suffered the greatest loss. These losses are commemorated on ANZAC Day, under the slogan "Lest we forget"

Once again, New Zealand joins the war effort and sends troops. The war in the Pacific raised fears of a direct attack on the territory, and defenses were built on the coasts, much like the Atlantic Wall in France.
American military bases were set up in the country, New Zealand being a good base for fighting in the Pacific.

40 years after being granted dominion status (independent colony), the country abandoned its colonial status and became fully sovereign.

New Zealand finds markets other than the British one and expands its export policies, giving them greater autonomy. Immigration policies open up.

Creation of the Waitangi Tribunal, a commission of inquiry is set up to investigate treaty violations and offer redress to aggrieved iwi and hapu. The Waitangi Tribunals are still active today. Land was restored and financial compensation awarded. Still too little according to some, but recognized as a step in the right direction.

New Zealand prohibits nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels from docking in its harbors, thus clouding diplomatic relations with the USA. However, the country is very proud of its "nuclear-free" status.

The French secret service sank the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship anchored in Auckland and about to set sail for the Pacific to protest against French nuclear testing there. Its sabotage was ordered by Foreign Minister Charles Hernu, with the authorization of President Mitterrand. One person was killed: photographer and crew member Fernando Pereira.

The case is dealt with by the United Nations Secretary General, who will grant New Zealand double reparation: France must formulate an official apology and pay $7 million in damages.
New Zealand is a young nation that has succeeded in opposing a major European power in this way, consolidating the country's independence and strengthening its sense of national identity: their ideals are distinct from those of the United Kingdom or neighboring powers, and they have the resources and the will to fight to assert them.

End of immigration restrictions based on ethnic origin. Since then, immigration has been based on skills, in an attempt to attract to the country the trades and skills it lacks.

Founding of the Māori Party. The Māori occupy an increasingly important place in the political and cultural landscape.

The country's third-largest city, Christchurch, saw its city center devastated by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that claimed 185 lives.

Legalization of same-sex marriage. A step in line with the country's progressive values. (Surprisingly, in contrast, abortion was not officially decriminalized until 2021).

Matariki, the Māori New Year, becomes a public holiday. With this political decision, New Zealand is taking a further step towards affirming its bi-culturality, giving Māori culture and language an increasingly important place in society.