New Zealand History and Politics

Early Settlement, Explorers and 19th Century History

58 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 58 questions

  1. What is the Maori name for New Zealand, often translated as land of the long white cloud?
  2. In which century did Polynesian voyagers first settle New Zealand, according to the archaeological evidence?
  3. Which Polynesian navigator is credited in Maori tradition with finding Aotearoa?
  4. Which type of vessel did the first Polynesian settlers use to reach New Zealand?
  5. Which Dutch explorer sighted the west coast of New Zealand in 1642?
  6. Which Dutch province gave New Zealand its European name?
  7. In which year did James Cook first reach New Zealand aboard the Endeavour?
  8. What did James Cook establish about New Zealand in 1769 and 1770?
  9. Which 1835 document, signed by northern chiefs, declared the independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand?
  10. On which date was the Treaty of Waitangi first signed in 1840?
  11. Who signed the Treaty of Waitangi on behalf of the British Crown?
  12. What is a key difference between the English and Maori versions of the Treaty of Waitangi?
  13. Which settlement was the capital of New Zealand from 1841 until 1865?
  14. In which year did Wellington become the capital of New Zealand?
  15. The inter-tribal conflicts from about 1807 to 1837, in which muskets were used, are known as what?
  16. Which chief cut down the flagstaff at Kororareka in the war of 1845-46?
  17. Which movement was established in 1858 to unite Maori tribes under a single ruler?
  18. Which campaign of 1863 to 1864 saw British troops invade the lands of the Kingitanga in the Waikato?
  19. Which non-violent Maori community was occupied by the Crown in 1881, led by Te Whiti and Tohu?
  20. Which discovery in 1861 drew thousands of people to Otago?
  21. Which group founded the city of Dunedin in 1848?
  22. Which year did New Zealand become a separate colony from New South Wales?
  23. What did the New Zealand Constitution Act of 1852 introduce?
  24. In which year did New Zealand abolish its provincial governments?
  25. In which year did New Zealand become the first self-governing country to give women the vote?
  26. Who was appointed as the first British Resident in New Zealand in 1833, based at Waitangi?
  27. What occurred during the Boyd incident in Whangaroa Harbour in 1809?
  28. Where did Samuel Marsden preach the first Christian sermon in New Zealand on Christmas Day 1814?
  29. Why did the Ngapuhi chief Hongi Hika travel to England in 1820?
  30. What colonization theory did Edward Gibbon Wakefield advocate through the New Zealand Company?
  31. What triggered the Wairau Affray (Wairau incident) in Marlborough in June 1843?
  32. What innovative military fortification did Kawiti construct at Ohaeawai in 1845?
  33. What occurred at Ruapekapeka Pa in January 1846 to conclude the Northern War?
  34. What major constitutional change occurred in New Zealand in 1856 under Henry Sewell?
  35. What land transaction at Waitara in 1860 ignited the First Taranaki War?
  36. At the Battle of Gate Pa (Pukehinahina) in 1864, why were British imperial forces heavily defeated?
  37. What humanitarian code of conduct was drafted by Heni Pore and Rawiri Puhirake before the battle of Gate Pa?
  38. What religious movement was founded by Te Ua Haumene in Taranaki in 1862?
  39. How did Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki escape from the Chatham Islands in July 1868?
  40. What distinguished the military campaign of Riwha Titokowaru in South Taranaki in 1868-1869?
  41. What was the cornerstone of Julius Vogel's 'Great Public Works Policy' introduced in 1870?
  42. What major legislative reform did the Education Act 1877 introduce across New Zealand?
  43. What issue was investigated by the Sweating Commission in Dunedin in 1890?
  44. What pioneering labor legislation was passed in New Zealand under William Pember Reeves in 1894?
  45. What did the Old Age Pensions Act 1898, introduced by Richard Seddon's Liberal Government, establish?
  46. Which British monarch signed the Royal Charter granting New Zealand separation from New South Wales in 1840?
  47. What was the main purpose of the Native Schools Act 1867?
  48. Who was the first Premier of New Zealand to form a party-based administration, inaugurating the Liberal Party in 1891?
  49. What was the effect of the Bank of New Zealand Share Guarantee Act 1894?
  50. What was the original capital of the Canterbury settlement founded in 1850 by John Robert Godley?
  51. Which French naval captain arrived in Akaroa in August 1840, only to discover the British flag already flying?
  52. What role did Wiremu Tamihana (Tarapipipi Te Waharoa) play in the Kingitanga movement?
  53. What was the outcome of the 1846 Hutt Valley campaign near Wellington?
  54. What did the Gold Fields Act 1858 establish in colonial New Zealand?
  55. Who was the prominent Scottish surveyor who founded and laid out the town of Dunedin in 1846?
  56. What was the purpose of the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863?
  57. Which British Governor served two separate terms in New Zealand (1845-1853 and 1861-1868)?
  58. What was the 'Taranaki Land League' formed by Maori chiefs in 1854?

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