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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1947 | - Jul 1947—1975: Assisted Immigration
The Immigration Assistance Scheme, introduced in July 1947, was designed to bring skilled workers into New Zealand. Unlike earlier schemes, the focus was on attracting single people with practical skills. There was an initial preference for 20 to 35-year-olds, but the upper age limit was extended to 45 in 1950. While assistance went primarily to white British citizens, the country also sought other European groups who could easily assimilate into post-war New Zealand. The most favoured were the Dutch – over 6000 arrived in the 1950s as part of an assisted passage scheme from the Netherlands. Most assisted immigrants travelled by ship and docked at Wellington, but in later years many arrived by plane at Auckland's Whenuapai Airport.
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| 2 | 1964 | - 1 Jun 1964—30 Apr 1975: Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; South Vietnam was supported by the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and other anti-communist allies.
New Zealand's involvement in the Vietnam War was from 1964 until 1975 was modest, involving approximately 3,800 military personnel, with 37 killed and approximately 187 injured.
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| 3 | 1973 | - 31 Oct 1973: Colour TV
Colour TV. On Wednesday 31 October 1973, colour television using the Phase Alternating Line (PAL) system was introduced in NZ, in readiness for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, which were to be held in Christchurch in January and February 1974. The final switchover for colour from black and white television was in December 1975.
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| 4 | 1975 | - 10 Oct 1975: Waitangi Tribunal
The government created the Waitangi Tribunal to hear Maori claims of breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi. It has evolved ever since, adapting to the demands of claimants, government and public. The Tribunal reports on and suggests settlement for contemporary Maori claims to the government, and ensures that future legislation was consistent with the treaty. In 1985, the government extended its jurisdiction to claims about any alleged breach of the treaty since 1840. This resulted in a huge increase in the number of claims and an expansion of the Tribunal’s activities.
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| 5 | 1979 | - 28 Nov 1979: Mt Erebus air crash
On 28 November an Air New Zealand DC-10 airliner, on a sightseeing flight to Antarctica, crashed into Mt Erebus. All 257 passengers and crew were killed in New Zealand’s worst air disaster.
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| 6 | 1983 | - 28 Mar 1983: CER Agreement
The Australia–New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement, better known as CER, was New Zealand’s first comprehensive bilateral trade agreement. CER came into force on 1 January 1983, but the agreement was not formally signed until 28 March, by New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Canberra, Laurie Francis, and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Lionel Bowen. By 1990, there was free trade in goods and nearly all services between the two countries. In recent years NZ and Australia have moved towards even closer cooperation in policies, laws and regulatory regimes.
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| 7 | 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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| 8 | 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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| 9 | 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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| 10 | 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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| 11 | 2003 | - 2003: NZ Population 4 million.
Population of New Zealand exceeds 4 million.
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| 12 | 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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| 13 | 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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| 14 | 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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| 15 | 2019 | - 15 Mar 2019: Christchurch mosque shootings
Christchurch mosque shootings involved two consecutive terrorist shooting attacks at mosques in Christchurch during Friday Prayer on 15 March 2019. The attacks began at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton at 1:40 p.m. and continued at Linwood Islamic Centre at about 1:55 p.m. The gunman live-streamed the first attack on Facebook. The attacks killed 51 people and injured 49. Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old man from Grafton, New South Wales, Australia, described in media reports as a white supremacist and part of the alt-right, was arrested and charged with 51 murders, 40 attempted murders, and engaging in a terrorist act. Gun laws in NZ were tightened after the shootings.
- Dec 2019—2022: COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding COVID-19 on 30 January 2020, and later declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 17 May 2021, more than 163 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 3.38 million deaths attributed to COVID-19, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history. Australia and NZ closed their borders and had lock downs that limited COVID, there being 910 and 26 deaths respectively by 17 May 2021.
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| 16 | 2020 | - Mar 2020: NZ population 5 million
Population of New Zealand 5 million. New Zealand's resident population provisionally reached 5 million in March 2020, Stats NZ said. It was also the fastest million in NZ history, taking 17 years after reaching 4 million in 2003.
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| 17 | 2023 | - 12 Feb 2023—19 Feb 2023: Cyclone Gabrielle
Ex-tropical cyclone Gabrielle struck the north and east of the North Island, resulting in 11 deaths. An estimated 10,000 people were displaced as a result of the cyclone. 1,720 claims of injuries were accepted by ACC. Treasury estimated the total damage from Gabrielle and the earlier Auckland Anniversary floods to properties and transport infrastructure at between $9 billion and $14.5 billion. The total cost in the Hastings District alone is estimated to surpass NZ$2 billion.
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Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1973 - 2024 (51 years)
