1250 – 1642
Māori settlement and iwi
- Māori
- Iwi and hapū
Māori settled from Eastern Polynesia; iwi and hapū formed kinship and political ties with their own rohe and tikanga.
OceaniaCapital: Wellington
New Zealand
New Zealand comprises two main islands and smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific. Māori communities developed distinctive societies and traditions; European settlement, the Treaty of Waitangi, migration and urbanisation have shaped the modern country.
- Languages
- English, Māori (te reo Māori), New Zealand Sign Language, Samoan, Hindi
- Religions & worldviews
- Christianity, Māori spiritual traditions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Non-religious
Historical timeline
1250
Polynesian settlement
Ancestors of Māori settled Aotearoa; archaeological and oral evidence points to settlement in the 13th century.
1642
Abel Tasman reaches New Zealand
Dutch navigator Abel Tasman sighted the west coast; a violent encounter with Māori prevented a landing.
1769
Voyages of James Cook
Cook charted much of the coastline; European whalers and traders followed.
1840
Treaty of Waitangi
Māori rangatira and British representatives signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi; differences between Māori and English texts led to longstanding disputes.
1845 – 1872
New Zealand Wars
Armed conflicts between British colonial troops and Māori groups were accompanied by land confiscations.
1893
Women's suffrage
New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant women the national vote.
1907
Dominion status
New Zealand gained dominion status within the British Empire.
1947
Legislative independence
Parliament formally adopted full legislative autonomy within the Commonwealth.
1975
Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal was established to investigate claims of treaty breaches.
1987
Māori becomes an official language
Te Reo Māori became an official language alongside English; language revitalisation gained legal recognition.
2016
Kaikōura earthquake
A powerful earthquake damaged infrastructure and coastal areas and required extensive recovery work.
Historical context
The ancestors of Māori reached Aotearoa from East Polynesia, probably in the thirteenth century; oral traditions and archaeology complement one another but do not provide the same picture for every migration date. Iwi and hapū formed kinship and political networks with their own tikanga and territories. Te Reo Māori, genealogy and knowledge of land and sea transmit history; Māori societies were diverse and changed through regional contact and environmental conditions.
European seafarers, whalers and traders came more frequently to the islands from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in Māori and English in 1840, but the texts differed on important points, particularly sovereignty and authority. British colonisation, wars and land confiscations transformed Māori ownership and governance; the treaty’s effects and interpretation remain subjects of political and legal debate.
Self-government developed gradually within the British Empire, with women’s suffrage in 1893 and legislative independence in 1947. Urbanisation and migration from Europe, the Pacific and Asia accelerated after the Second World War. Māori language revitalisation and the Waitangi Tribunal have played a larger role in public life since the late twentieth century; contemporary Aotearoa is multilingual and multicultural, while the relationship between the Crown and Māori under the treaty remains central.
Peoples & cultural heritage through the ages
1642 – 1840
Early European contact
- Māori
- Pākehā (European settlers)
- Pacific Islander seafarers
Trade and contact increased with whalers, missionaries and settlers; relationships varied considerably by region.
1840 – 1947
Colonisation and treaty
- Māori
- Pākehā
- Chinese gold miners
- Pacific Islander communities
British colonisation, wars and confiscations led to land loss; immigration brought new communities.
1947 – 1987
Post-war migration
- Māori
- Pākehā
- Samoans
- Tongans and other Pacific Islander communities
- Chinese and Indian New Zealanders
Urbanisation and migration from Pacific islands and Asia changed the composition of cities.
1987
Contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand
- Māori
- Pākehā
- Pacific peoples
- Asian New Zealanders
- Migrants
Māori language and tikanga have become more visible; the country remains multi-ethnic, and interpretation of the treaty remains central to politics and law.
Religion, worldview & philosophy
Māori spiritual traditions encompass relationships among people, ancestors, land, sea and non-human beings, with concepts such as mana, tapu and mauri carrying context-specific meanings. Tikanga differs between iwi and hapū, and knowledge is transmitted through language, ritual and local authority. It is inaccurate to reduce these living traditions to a general ‘nature religion’ or a single uniform doctrine.
Christian missions from the nineteenth century changed religious relationships; Māori adopted Christianity in varied ways and also developed movements of their own. Today there are Christian churches, Māori spiritual traditions, other world religions and many non-religious people. The relationship between Christianity and tikanga varies by community and individual; migration and secularisation have further broadened the religious landscape.
Art movements
🎨 Whakairo: Māori carvinglong tradition–present
Carving in meeting houses, canoes and other objects often carries genealogical, political and community meanings. Motifs and interpretations belong to particular iwi and makers and should not be read outside their context. Contemporary artists continue this knowledge and technique while developing new applications.
🎨 Kapa haka and waiatalong tradition–present
Kapa haka brings together song, haka, dance and storytelling in group performance, with regional styles and repertoires. Waiata preserve and share language, history and feeling, while performances can also address contemporary political and community issues. The art form is passed on and renewed within Māori communities and national festivals.
🎨 Māori weavinglong tradition–present
Raranga and other fibre techniques use locally gathered plants to make mats, kete, clothing and ceremonial objects. Knowledge of materials, preparation and patterns is transmitted within communities and may follow specific tikanga. Weavers preserve techniques and apply them in contemporary art and everyday use.
🎨 Pākehā and contemporary literature and art19th–21st centuries
Writers and artists reflect on colonisation, landscape, migration and national identity from varied Māori and non-Māori perspectives. Painting, film, photography, fiction and architecture change through international contact and bicultural debates. No art form encompasses the whole society or replaces the distinct traditions of iwi and hapū.
Traditions & customs
MatarikiFestivalJune or July
Māori New Year is marked by the appearance of the Matariki star cluster and remembrance of the dead.
PōwhiriRitual
Māori protocol for welcoming visitors onto a marae, with song, speeches and hongi.
HakaMusic & dance
Powerful group performance with chant and gesture; many forms exist in varied contexts.
Kapa hakaMusic & dance
Māori performing arts combine waiata, haka, dance and storytelling.
WhakairoCraft
Māori carving carries genealogical and community meanings; symbols depend on context.
RugbySports & games
Rugby union is a prominent sport; Māori and Pacific Islander players have helped shape national sporting culture.
Cuisine & culinary history
New Zealand cuisine combines Māori food traditions, British influences, Pacific and Asian migration and local agricultural produce. Seafood, lamb, dairy and seasonal fruits feature prominently.
Culinary history
Māori food traditions, kai, were based on coastal and forest resources, the cultivation of crops including kūmara, and knowledge of seasons and place. Hāngī uses heated stones in an underground oven and has affinities with Polynesian cooking methods. European colonisation introduced potatoes, pigs, sheep, wheat and other products; Māori rapidly adopted some crops and adapted farming and trade.
Modern cuisine combines Māori kai with British colonial livestock farming, fishing and baking traditions, followed later by Pacific and Asian migration. Shared meals, marae gatherings and hāngī have social significance that is not contained in recipes alone. Urbanisation, commercial agriculture and changing access to traditional food sources influenced eating habits; contemporary cooks and communities are renewing Indigenous ingredients and knowledge.
- Māori kai and local plants and fish
- Polynesian exchange and hāngī cooking
- British colonial livestock farming and baking
- Pacific Islander and Asian migration
- Modern agriculture and coastal fishing
HāngīMain course
Meat and vegetables are slowly cooked in an underground oven with heated stones.
Origin: Māori cooking tradition with Polynesian connections
PavlovaDessert
Meringue with cream and fruit.
Origin: Australia and New Zealand dispute its origin; the dessert is established in both countries
Boil-upMain course
Pork, vegetables and dough knots are cooked together.
Origin: Māori home cooking, using ingredients from colonial agriculture
Whitebait fritterMain course
Small juvenile fish are fried in a thin egg batter.
Origin: West Coast and coastal fishing tradition; sustainability rules restrict the catch
Rewena breadBread
Māori sourdough bread leavened with fermented potato.
Origin: Māori innovation using the introduced potato
Hokey pokey ice creamDessert
Vanilla ice cream with pieces of honeycomb toffee.
Origin: New Zealand, 20th century
Wonders & heritage
No wonders in the database yet.
Historical figures
- Abel Tasman1603 – 1659
Events
- Tasman reaches New Zealand13 December 1642 · Exploration
- Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi6 February 1840 · Politics & state formation
- New Zealand introduces women's suffrage19 September 1893 · Politics & state formation
- Women first vote in New Zealand parliamentary elections28 November 1893 · Politics & state formation