New Zealand was one of the last major landmasses settled by humans.

The first settlers were ancestors of Māori arrived from Polynesia between 1200 and 1300 AD. They discovered New Zealand as they explored the Pacific, navigating by ocean currents and developed a distinct Maori culture centred on kinship links and land.

The first European to arrive in New Zealand was the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642.  The Dutch were also the first non-natives to explore and chart New Zealand’s coastline. Captain James Cook who reached New Zealand in October 1769 on the first of his three voyages, was the first European explorer to circumnavigate and map New Zealand. From the late 18th century, the country was regularly visited by explorers and other sailors, missionaries, traders and adventurers. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British Crown and various Māori chiefs, bringing New Zealand into the British Empire and giving Māori the same rights as British subjects. There was extensive British settlement throughout the rest of the century and into the early part of the next century.

From the 1890s the New Zealand Parliament enacted a number of progressive initiatives, including women’s suffrage and old age pensions. The country remained an enthusiastic member of the British Empire, and 110,000 men fought in World War I. After the war New Zealand signed the Treaty of Versailles (1919), joined the League of Nations, and pursued an independent foreign policy, while its defence was still controlled by Britain.

When World War II broke out in 1939, New Zealanders contributed to the defence of the British Empire. From the 1930s the economy was highly regulated and an extensive welfare state was developed. Meanwhile, Māori culture underwent a renaissance, and from the 1950s Māori began moving to the cities in large numbers. This led to the development of a Māori protest movement which in turn led to greater recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi in the late 20th century.

The country’s economy suffered in the aftermath of the 1973 global energy crisis, the loss of New Zealand’s biggest export market upon Britain’s entry to the European Economic Community, and rampant inflation. In 1984, the Fourth Labour Government was elected amid a constitutional and economic crisis. The interventionist policies of the Third National Government were replaced by “Rogernomics”, a commitment to a free market economy. Foreign policy after 1980 became more independent especially in pushing for a nuclear-free zone. Subsequent governments have generally maintained these policies, although tempering the free market ethos somewhat.

Now days New Zealand retains strong but informal links to Britain, with many young New Zealanders travelling to Britain for their “OE” (overseas experience) due to favourable working visa arrangements with Britain.

Source: Wikipedia