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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1986 | - 1 Oct 1986: Goods and Services Tax
New Zealand introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 1986, adding 10 per cent to the cost of most goods and services. GST was a key part of the economic reforms of the fourth Labour government – dubbed 'Rogernomics' after Minister of Finance Roger Douglas. This 'regressive' tax hit the poorest the hardest, because people on low incomes spend a higher proportion of their money on basic goods and services than the better-off. The rate of GST was increased to 12.5 per cent in 1989 and to 15 per cent in 2010.
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| 2 | 1988 | - 7 Mar 1988: Cyclone Bola
Cyclone Bola, one of the most damaging storms to hit New Zealand, struck Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne–East Cape in March 1988. The weather system slowed as it moved over the area, bringing torrential rain for more than three days. Worst affected was the hill country behind Gisborne, where warm moist air increased rainfall. In places, more than 900 mm of rain fell in 72 hours, and one area had 514 mm in a single day. Ensuing floods overwhelmed river stopbanks, damaged houses, swept away bridges and sections of roads and railway lines, and destroyed parts of Gisborne’s main water pipeline. Three people died in a car swept away by floodwaters, and thousands were evacuated from their homes. Farmers lost large tracts of grazing area, and thick sediment from floods smothered pastures, orchards and crops. The government repair bill for the cyclone was more than $111 million ($210 million).
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| 3 | 1995 | - 22 May 1995: Waikato-Tainui Settlement
Waikato-Tainui iwi signed Deed of Settlement with the Crown on 22 May 1995. Waikato–Tainui was the first iwi to reach an historical Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown for injustices that went back to the wars and land confiscations (raupatu) of the 1860s. The Deed of Settlement included cash and land valued at a total of $170 million. The agreement was a major landmark in New Zealand’s developing treaty settlements process. By 2014, Tainui Group Holdings and Waikato–Tainui Fisheries had assets of over $1 billion.
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| 4 | 1997 | - 20 Oct 1997: 'Black Tuesday' share-market crash
'Black Tuesday' share-market crash occurred when billions of dollars were wiped off the value of New Zealand shares in the weeks following 20 October, as the shock-waves of a sharp drop in New York’s Wall St stock market rippled around the world. Many investors lost everything as companies that had over-extended themselves with debt were dragged under. Small 'mum and dad' investors were also burned by the experience; many deserted the share market, which languished until the early 2000s in NZ.
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| 5 | 2003 | - 2003: NZ Population 4 million.
Population of New Zealand exceeds 4 million.
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| 6 | 2005 | - 26 Apr 2005: Civil unions in NZ
Civil unions come into effect on 26 April 2005 in New Zealand. Couples (heterosexual or homosexual) were now able to register their relationship as a civil union. The change meant that all couples in New Zealand, whether they were married, in a civil union or in a de facto partnership, now had the same legal rights and obligations. Marriage between two adults of the same sex was legalised in August 2013 by the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act.
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| 7 | 2010 | - 4 Sep 2010: Canterbury Earthquake
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes the Canterbury Region causing widespread damage to Christchurch and surrounding areas. The earthquake which struck at 4.35 a.m. on a Saturday morning was felt by many people in the South Island and southern North Island. There was considerable damage in central Canterbury, especially in Christchurch, but no loss of life. It was the largest earthquake to affect a major urban area since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake.
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| 8 | 2011 | - 22 Feb 2011: Christchurch Earthquake
The Christchurch Earthquake occurred at 12.51 p.m. on Tuesday 22 February 2011, magnitude 6.3, causing severe damage in Christchurch and Lyttelton, killing 185 people and injuring several thousand. The earthquake struck at lunchtime, when many people were on the city streets. More than 130 people lost their lives in the collapse of the Canterbury Television and Pyne Gould Corporation buildings. Falling bricks and masonry killed 11 people, and eight died in two city buses crushed by crumbling walls. Rock cliffs collapsed in the Sumner and Redcliffs area, and boulders tumbled down the Port Hills, with five people killed by falling rocks.
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Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1984 - 2017 (32 years)
