New Zealand History and Politics

20th Century Conflicts, Social Reforms and Nationhood

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

Practise 20th Century Conflicts, Social Reforms and Nationhood now

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

All 58 questions

  1. In which year did New Zealand become a Dominion?
  2. On what date is Anzac Day observed in New Zealand?
  3. Which campaign of 1915 is remembered each Anzac Day?
  4. On 12 October 1917, which battle caused the greatest number of New Zealand deaths in one day?
  5. Which Maori unit served in the Second World War as the 28th Battalion?
  6. In which year did New Zealand adopt the Statute of Westminster, gaining full legislative independence?
  7. In which year did New Zealand's Parliament become a single chamber?
  8. What is the name of the elected chamber of New Zealand's Parliament?
  9. What nickname is given to the executive wing of Parliament buildings in Wellington?
  10. Who represents the monarch in New Zealand?
  11. Which voting system was adopted after a 1993 referendum and first used at the 1996 election?
  12. How long is the usual maximum term of New Zealand's Parliament?
  13. Which law of 1938 set up a wide welfare system, including pensions and free hospital care?
  14. Which law introduced a no-fault scheme for compensating accidents, in force from 1974?
  15. In which year was the Waitangi Tribunal established to hear Treaty claims?
  16. Which law of 1987 made New Zealand a nuclear-free zone?
  17. Which Greenpeace ship was bombed in Auckland Harbour in 1985?
  18. In which year did te reo Maori become an official language of New Zealand?
  19. Who was the first woman elected to New Zealand's Parliament, in 1933?
  20. Which suffrage leader appears on the ten-dollar note and led the campaign for women's votes?
  21. Which court replaced the Privy Council as New Zealand's final court of appeal in 2004?
  22. Which defence pact of 1951 linked New Zealand, Australia and the United States?
  23. Which Maori seats were first set up in Parliament in 1867?
  24. Which Maori leader of the 20th century led the Land March of 1975 to Parliament?
  25. In which year were women first allowed to stand for election to New Zealand's Parliament?
  26. In which overseas conflict did New Zealand dispatch its first military contingent in 1899?
  27. What was the significance of the 1905-1906 'Originals' rugby tour of Britain and North America?
  28. On which date did New Zealand formally become a Dominion of the British Empire?
  29. What was the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, and why was it gifted to the Royal Navy in 1909?
  30. What did the 1908 Blackball coal miners' strike in Westland successfully achieve?
  31. What tragic event occurred during the 1912 Waihi miners' strike in the Coromandel?
  32. Where and when was the New Zealand Labour Party formally established?
  33. What was New Zealand's first military action of the First World War in August 1914?
  34. Who commanded the Wellington Battalion in the heroic assault on Chunuk Bair at Gallipoli in August 1915?
  35. How did New Zealand troops capture the fortress town of Le Quesnoy in France on 4 November 1918?
  36. What tragic event in Apia, Western Samoa, is remembered as 'Black Saturday' on 28 December 1929?
  37. What catastrophic natural disaster devastated Napier and Hastings on 3 February 1931?
  38. What triggered the severe urban riots in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin in 1932 during the Great Depression?
  39. What was the first major social program launched by John A. Lee and the First Labour Government in 1937?
  40. What cultural and economic revitalization initiatives were championed by Sir Apirana Ngata in the 1920s and 1930s?
  41. Which New Zealand naval light cruiser helped trap the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in December 1939?
  42. Why is Captain Charles Upham unique among all military service personnel of the British Commonwealth?
  43. What was the duration and nature of the 1951 Waterfront Dispute under Prime Minister Sidney Holland?
  44. What caused the Tangiwai rail disaster on Christmas Eve 1953, killing 151 people?
  45. What maritime disaster occurred in Wellington Harbour on 10 April 1968, claiming 53 lives?
  46. On which date did New Zealand introduce decimal currency, replacing pounds, shillings, and pence?
  47. What occurred during the Mount Erebus disaster on 28 November 1979 in Antarctica?
  48. What French intelligence agency carried out the bombing of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour in July 1985?
  49. What was the 506-day occupation of Bastion Point (Takaparawhau) in Auckland (1977-1978) fighting against?
  50. What was the historic Te Reo Maori petition presented to Parliament on 14 September 1972?
  51. Where was the first Kohanga Reo (Maori language 'language nest' preschool) established in 1982?
  52. What historic milestone was achieved by the Waikato Raupatu Claims Settlement Act in 1995?
  53. What international expedition departed from Lyttelton aboard the Terra Nova in November 1910?
  54. What was the role of the 28th (Maori) Battalion during the Second World War?
  55. Which New Zealand pilot and military commander served as Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain in 1940?
  56. What did the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947 achieve for New Zealand?
  57. What caused the 1960 'No Maoris, No Tour' protest campaign in New Zealand?
  58. What was the impact of Britain joining the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 on New Zealand?

Keep practising

More general knowledge topics

All general knowledge →

Ready for more general knowledge?

Play the GK ChallengeGeneral knowledge hub