New Zealand

Aotearoa, often known in English as New Zealand, is an island country in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists primarily of 3 islands - Te Ika-a-Māui (The North Island), Te Waipounamu (The South Island), and Rakiura - but in total there are more than 700 islands.

Aotearoa is part of the Global North and as such contributes to and benefits from the process of imperialism. It is a member of the Five Eyes, the British Commonwealth, the OECD and of ANZUS. Aotearoa sent troops to fight for the allies in the two world wars, for the British in the Boer Wars and the Malayan Emergency, and for the Americans in the Korean War, the Gulf War, and the Afghanistan War.

History

Pre-colonization

Archaic period (1200–1500)

Migration of Austronesian people across the Pacific

The Austronesians are an ethnic group that originated in the Taiwan province of China. They broke off into many groups around the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Polynesians. The Polynesian people have been in Polynesia for more than 3000 years, but they discovered Aotearoa some time after 1200 AD. The descendants of those people are known today as the Maori, which means ordinary.

Classic period (1500–1642)

Around the year 1500, a group of Māori migrated east to Rēkohu.

Early European contact (1642–1840)

The first Europeans to make contact with the Maori people were Abel Tasman and his crew in 1642.

Post-colonization

Colony of New Zealand (1840–1907)

After the Treaty of Waitangi, Aotearoa came under the control of the British.

Dominion of New Zealand (1907–1947)

Aotearoa became a dominion after the 1907 Imperial Conference, where the United Kingdom decided to make many of its colonies into dominions.

Realm of New Zealand (1947-present)

Aotearoa lost its dominion status due to the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947, and has since been known as the Realm of New Zealand in official sources.