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Saturday 10 September 2016

New Zealand

HISTORY

Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first sighted New Zealand in 1642. Four of Tasman's crew were killed by Maoris and the Europeans did not return until 1769.

Tasman called the land Staten Landt, supposing it was connected to Staten Island, Argentina.

Dutch map-makers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia three years later after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicized the name to New Zealand.

Detail from a 1657 map showing the western coastline of "Nova Zeelandia"

On October 6, 1769 Lieutenant James Cook sighted New Zealand for the first time. He landed at Poverty Bay two days later. thus setting the way for the colonization of the country. 

The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud'). It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the whole country before the arrival of Europeans (Aotearoa originally referred to just the North Island.)

James Cook brought the first sheep to New Zealand in 1773.

Captain Cook

The Reverend Samuel Marsden held the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay on December 25, 1814. Samuel Marsden (June 25, 1765 – May 12, 1838) was an English born Anglican cleric, who was a prominent figure in early Australian history, through his ecclesiastical offices as the colony's senior Anglican cleric. Though formally based in New South Wales, Marsden developed an interest in evangelizing New Zealand from the early 1800s onwards. and in late 1814 he took his brig, the "Active" on an exploratory journey to the Bay of Islands, during which time he conducted the first Christian service on New Zealand soil to a 400-strong Māori congregation.

The service from the Church of England Book of Common Prayer was read in English but it is thought that, having learnt the language from his friend the Māori chief Ruatara, Marsden likely preached his sermon in the Māori tongue.



The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Tiriti o Waitangi) is a treaty first signed on February 6, 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand. It resulted in the declaration of British sovereignty over New Zealand by Lieutenant Governor William Hobson in May 1840.

The Waitangi sheet from the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Treaty of Waitangi gave Britain control of New Zealand while recognizing the native inhabitants' land rights. However, the English and Maori texts differed, leading to many controversies over its stipulations.

In 1841, Treaty of Waitangi documents, housed in an iron box, narrowly escaped damage when the government offices at Official Bay in Auckland were destroyed by fire. They then were lost for decades, before being found in a damp basement heavily water damaged and chewed by rodents.

The ship John Wickliffe arrived at Port Chalmers on March 23, 1848 carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, the principal city of the Otago Region in New Zealand. Her sister ship, Philip Laing, arrived three weeks later.

Complete passenger list of the John Wickcliffe. By Archives New Zealand - Wikipedia 

Following the purchase of land at Putaringamotu (modern Riccarton) by the Weller brothers, whalers of Otago and Sydney, a party of European settlers established themselves in what is now Christchurch, early in 1840. The name "Christ Church" was decided prior to the ships' arrival, at the Association's first meeting, on March 27, 1848. 

Aiming to establish a Church of England colony in New Zealand, the Canterbury Association was founded in 1848 and was led by George William Lyttelton. Settlers of the Canterbury Association aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at Christchurch, New Zealand on December 16, 1850. Two more ships carrying the what was to be known as the 'Canterbury pilgrims', Cressy, Sir George Seymour, arrived shortly afterwards.

Recruitment poster for the Canterbury Association

Captain William Cargill, a veteran of the Peninsular War, was elected to the office of provincial Superintendent after the Otago provinces were created in 1852. The Otago Province was the whole of New Zealand from the Waitaki river south, including Stewart Island and the sub-Antarctic islands.

On November 28, 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the vote in a national election.

Brewers in New Zealand decided to abolish barmaids in 1909.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in the former North Shore City, New Zealand, was officially opened in 1959.

New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon called a snap election on national television on the night of June 14, 1984. Muldoon's motivation behind this move stemmed from a sense of weariness and frustration caused by a series of formidable challenges. These challenges included navigating through a recession, grappling with industrial unrest, and contending with a division within his own party.

Muldoon's choice to hold a snap election was a risky gamble, reflecting his desire to seek a fresh mandate and potentially regain political momentum. However, the outcome proved to be far from what he had anticipated. The election took place on July 14, 1984, and resulted in a victory for the New Zealand Labour Party, led by David Lange. This election marked a significant political shift in New Zealand, as it brought about major policy changes and the implementation of economic reforms known as Rogernomics.

The Sky Tower in Auckland, the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 328 m (1,076 ft), opened in 1997.

A 7.1 Mw earthquake struck 40 kilometers west of Christchurch on the South Island on September 4, 2010. The earthquake caused widespread damage in the Canterbury region, particularly in the city of Christchurch. There were two deaths and several injuries, but the death toll was relatively low due to the fact that the earthquake occurred early in the morning when most people were asleep. The damage bill was around $40 billion NZD, making it the fifth biggest insurance event in the world since 1953.

FUN NEW ZEALAND FACTS

New Zealand is part of a continent known as Zealandia. 94% of the continent is submerged underwater.

Nuclear arms and nuclear power are outlawed in New Zealand.

At Slope Point, the southernmost point of New Zealand. the wind is so strong that trees grow almost sideways.

New Zealand has 7.5 sheep and 2.3 cows for every person in the country.


111 is the emergency telephone number in New Zealand.

We could fit the entire human race in New Zealand if we lived as dense as Manhattan.

1 out of every 160 New Zealanders were involved in the production of the Lord of the Rings franchise.

In 2006, an Australian man tried to sell New Zealand on eBay. The price rose to $3,000 before eBay shut it down.

Source Daily Express

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