HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and then developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which in its English version declared British sovereignty over the islands. At first New Zealand was part of the colony of New South Wales (Australia). By letters patent, the British Government issued the Charter for Erecting the Colony of New Zealand on 16 November 1840. The Charter stated that the Colony of New Zealand would be established as a Crown colony separate from New South Wales on 3 May 1841. ___________________ MONARCHS OF NEW ZEALAND: Queen Victoria (1837–1901) King Edward VII (1901–1910) King George V (1910–1936) King Edward VIII (1936) King George VI (1936–1952) Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022) King Charles III (since 2022 ) ___________________ PRIME MINISTERS OF NEW ZEALAND: Henry Sewell (1856) William Fox (1856; 1st time) Edward William Stafford (1856–1861; 1st time) William Fox (1861–1862; 2nd time) Alfred Domett (1862–63) Frederick Whitaker (1863–1864; 1st time) Frederick Aloysius Weld (1864–1865) Edward William Stafford (1865–1869; 2nd time) William Fox (1869–1872; 3rd time) Edward William Stafford (1872; 3rd time) George Marsden Waterhouse (1872–1873) William Fox (1873; 4th time) Julius Vogel (1873–1875; 1st time) Daniel Pollen (1875–1876) Sir Julius Vogel (1876; 2nd time) Harry Atkinson (1876–1877; 1st time) Sir George Grey (1877–1879) John Hall (1879–1882) Frederick Whitaker (1882–1883; 2nd time) Harry Atkinson (1883–1884; 2nd time) Robert Stout (1884–1887) Harry Atkinson (1887–1891; 3rd time) John Ballance (1891–1893) Richard John Seddon (1893–1906) Joseph Ward (1906–1912; 1st time) William Ferguson Massey (1912–1925) Joseph Gordon Coates (1925–1928) Sir Joseph Ward (1928–1930; 2nd time) George William Forbes (1930–1935) Michael Joseph Savage (1935–1940) Peter Fraser (1940–1949) Sidney Holland (1949–1957) Walter Nash (1957–1960) Keith Jacka Holyoake (1960–1972) John Marshall (1972) Norman E. Kirk (1972–1974) Wallace Edward Rowling (1974–1975) Robert Muldoon (1975–1984) David Lange (1984–1989) Geoffrey Palmer (1989–1990) Mike Moore (1990) James Bolger (1990–1997) Jennifer Shipley (1997–99) Helen Clark (1999–2008) John Key (2008–2016) Bill English (2016–2017) Jacinda Ardern (2017–2023) Chris Hipkins (since 2023)