The New Zealand Tour Commentary

By Peter Blakeborough

The author of The New Zealand Tour Commentary has researched far and wide, and delved into the history, legends and myths of every location along the main tourist routes. Word-by-word sample commentaries have been include for two major cities and, from these, new guides can develop their own personalized commentaries. This invaluable handbook has an easy to follow style and format, liberally sprinkled with entertaining anecdotes, and headings in geographical sequence. But, most of all, this book will make enjoyable reading for all with an interest in New Zealand.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter Blakeborough
• Release date: Mar 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311823892

Peter Blakeborough

About Peter BlakeboroughAuthor Peter Blakeborough was born in New Zealand in 1937, the eighth of eleven children.In 1954 he learned to fly with the Auckland Aero Club in de Havilland Tiger Moth open-cockpit biplanes and had completed several flying tours around New Zealand by the age of twenty-one.In 1958 he became a foundation member of the Piako Gliding Club, a volunteer glider tow-pilot, instructor, and chief flying instructor. He managed a fund-raising project that enabled the club to double its fleet size.Next, the author worked as an agricultural aviation loader driver in many parts of New Zealand before going to Australia, where he became a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman and sales manager.Back in Auckland in 1964, he drove buses, trucks, and taxis and started a business dealing in coins and stamps.His first non-fiction book, The Coinage of New Zealand, 1840-1967, was published in 1966 by Minerva. He was the founding editor of The New Zealand Coin Journal from 1966-1967, distributed nationally and internationally.The author joined the New Zealand National Party in 1970 and was a candidate in the 1972 general election. Later, he formed the New Zealand Liberal Party and was its leader in the 1975 general election. He joined the New Zealand Party and was a candidate again in 1984.Meanwhile, never afraid to rock the boat, the author operated a taxi business in South Auckland where, despite opposition, he is remembered as the person responsible for launching the first eight-passenger taxi-van service in New Zealand, a concept that changed passenger transport in New Zealand.Next, the author established Panorama Tours, a unique three-hour city tour with hourly departures throughout the day. He also escorted tours to Australia, Malaysia, and along the Silk Road from China to Pakistan.In 2001 and again in 2003, he went to America and drove long-haul trucks through forty states. From that experience, he published Highway America - the adventures of a Kiwi truck driver.Peter Blakeborough has flown more than fifty types of aircraft and, as a flight simulator enthusiast, has added another fifty virtual types. He has been an international yachtsman and has completed numerous walks in remote mountain areas of New Zealand.In 2009, he published the Asker Trilogy of Australian and New Zealand historical fiction. His most recent book is The New Zealand Tour Commentary – a handbook for tour drivers and guides. It has been revised and reprinted many times.The author has also had a long record of serving on committees, including being the founding chairman of Waikato Writers (a branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors) and recently the first president of the Thames Community Club. As a speaker, he frequently talks about writing and publishing, flying, travel and tourism, and climate change.

Book preview

The New Zealand Tour Commentary

Peter Blakeborough

Since it was first published in 2009, The New Zealand Tour Commentary has become the standard reference manual for New Zealand tour guides.

Copyright © 2022 Peter Blakeborough.

Smashwords Edition.

This eBook is licensed for your personal use only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE

CHRONOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND HISTORY

HISTORY DAY BY DAY

PART TWO

INDUSTRY AND THE NEW ZEALAND ECONOMY

PART THREE

THE TOUR COMMENTARY

THE SAMPLE AUCKLAND COMMENTARY

THE SAMPLE WELLINGTON COMMENTARY

PART FOUR

NORTH ISLAND TOURIST ROUTES

AUCKLAND-WAIPOUA FOREST-BAY OF ISLANDS

AUCKLAND-WAITOMO-ROTORUA

POKENO-ROTORUA VIA COROMANDEL

ROTORUA-WELLINGTON DIRECT

TAUPO-HAWKES BAY-WELLINGTON

GOVERNMENT IN NEW ZEALAND

PART FIVE

SOUTH ISLAND TOURIST ROUTES

PICTON-HOKITIKA

HOKITIKA-QUEENSTOWN

QUEENSTOWN-MILFORD SOUND

TE ANAU-INVERCARGILL-BALCLUTHA

TE ANAU-DUNEDIN

DUNEDIN-OMARAMA

QUEENSTOWN-CHRISTCHURCH

CHRISTCHURCH-PICTON

PART SIX

NOTABLE NEW ZEALANDERS

VITAL STATISTICS

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

The New Zealand Tour Commentary handbook had its beginnings in 2008 when I was commissioned to write a tour commentary for a North Island coach operator.

The task was completed within a few weeks, drawing on many years of tour driving experience, delivering commentaries, and some research. It was a small beginning and covered only part of the North Island.

In 2009 the commentary was updated, expanded, and made available to other drivers and guides. Copies were printed, bound at home, and sold as opportunities arose on tour. The book was updated again in 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016. Each edition sold out quickly, and sometimes buyers had to wait for reprints to become available. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on tourism and the need for this book.

However, The New Zealand Tour Commentary is back. The new 2022 edition represents a giant leap forward for the manual with a substantial revision and the addition of several new sections. All towns and communities along the main tourist routes are now covered with enough information, history, and data for tour guides to build their own personalised, exciting commentary.

I hope that tour drivers, tour directors, guides, and tour and coach operators, find the New Zealand Tour Commentary a practical manual and an entertaining read.

Peter Blakeborough

Ngatea, New Zealand.

September 2022

PART ONE

CHRONOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND HISTORY

80,000,000 BC The land mass that would become New Zealand started to separate from Gondwanaland.

65,000,000 BC New Zealand dinosaurs became extinct as the climate underwent rapid cooling.

60,000,000 BC The New Zealand tuatara is the sole survivor of a family that has become extinct.

5,000,000 BC Homo erectus evolves in Africa.

3,000,000 BC The New Zealand climate cools as Australia drifts north. Animals that had evolved in warmer temperatures became extinct.

1,800,000 BC Homo erectus reached Asia and Indonesia and became Java Man.

38,000 BC Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and the Middle East and started replacing Neanderthals as the dominant species.

30,000 BC A warmer climate allowed man to settle in Siberia and start using stone tools.

28,000 BC New Guinea was settled from Asia and Australia.

24,000 BC A major eruption occurred at Taupo covering large parts of the country with volcanic material and changing the course of the Waikato River.

18,000 BC The sea level was at its lowest level in more than 100,000 years (130 meters/426 feet below its current level). Ice sheets covered extensive parts of the earth’s surface. Many New Zealand glaciers extended to the sea, and a land bridge connected the North and South islands.

16,000 BC The Melanesian and Micronesian islands were settled from the west by crossing land bridges and island hopping. The Melanesian and Micronesian people were the probable ancestors of the Polynesian people, who would evolve later and become one of the world’s first major sea-going voyagers.

12,000 BC People reached North and South America before the Bering Strait land bridge was flooded.

11,000 BC A significant warming period began.

10,000 BC An intense cold period began. Glaciers re-formed in Britain. About this time, dogs and goats were domesticated for the first time. The land bridge connecting New Zealand’s main islands was flooded.

9,000 BC Another period of rapid warming and cooling takes place.

8,300 BC The Upper Dryas (Ice Age) ended with significant ecological changes and rapidly rising sea levels. Many land bridges and low-lying islands disappear.

4,000 BC The wheel, pottery, and bricks were invented in the Middle East.

2,000 BC The Lapita culture developed in the Solomon Islands and spread to Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji.

1,200 BC The Polynesian races evolved in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa and moved progressively eastward in a series of migrations.

700 BC The evolving Polynesian people reached the Marquesas Islands, Easter Island, and possibly the South American west coast. Meanwhile, people from South America travelled into the Pacific, bringing the South American sweet potato (kumara) with them.

500 BC From their Marquesas Islands base, Polynesians became serious ocean-going travellers, branched out, and settled in the Hawaiian Islands, Society Islands, Cook Islands, and numerous lesser island groups. The reason for these long ocean voyages is obscure but could have been because of overcrowding, war, famine, or curiosity. Most journeys were one way, and the crews were well prepared.

1 AD The kiore, or Polynesian rat, became established in New Zealand, according to recent carbon dating of bones. This may also indicate the presence of people at this time.

180 An eruption of Taupo resulted in 120 cu km of volcanic material being ejected, causing darker skies and lower temperatures around the world, again changing the course of the Waikato River.

900 From a new base in the Cook Islands, Polynesians settled the Tuamotu group to the east and the Austral Islands to the south.

950 This was the earliest believed arrival time of the legendary, perhaps mythical, Kupe. As the discoverer of New Zealand. It is said that when he came in sight of land (Great Barrier Island), his wife cried aotea, and later they discovered the mainland covered in cloud, tearoa, and from that came Aotearoa, or the land of the long white cloud.

According to legend, Kupe., accompanied by varying numbers of wives, slaves, and followers, travelled extensively, living in numerous places and leaving varying numbers of descendants before returning to Hawaiki. The Kupe legend varies from tribe to tribe, the only consistency being the name Kupe. The truth behind the legend of Kupe, now dimmed by the mists of time, may never be known. The absence of a written Maori language combined with unreliable early European-born historians has cast a shadow over New Zealand’s earliest history. However, recent research indicated that the late 13th century might be the time of the first Polynesian settlers in New Zealand.

1280 The migration of Polynesians through the Pacific was possibly one of the most hazardous sea voyages undertaken anywhere in the world up to that time. A voyage to New Zealand started in either the Cook Islands or the Marquesas group would have sailed southwest into the vast and empty South Pacific. It is unknown how many canoes sailed for the new land or if all arrived safely. New Zealand, even if they knew of its existence, would be a tiny target to aim for, even though it was the most significant South Pacific land mass after New Guinea and Australia, and, at best, the journey would have constituted a game of Russian roulette with the sea and a hostile southern climate. An average course variation of 10 degrees from the Cook Islands would have been enough for them to miss the new land.

1400-1500 This was a period of land cultivation and the evolution of a distinctive New Zealand Maori culture. Some Maori migrated to the Chatham Islands and evolved into Maoriori.

1500 A series of volcanic eruptions formed Rangitoto Island near Auckland. Moa became extinct due to hunting, fires, and their natural predator, the Haast’s eagle.

1520 Ferdinand Magellan became the first recorded European to sail into the Pacific Ocean. Still, the ocean’s vastness meant that he sailed northwest for many weeks, passing numerous island groups without sighting any of them until he reached Pukapuka Island in the central Pacific.

1576 Unconfirmed speculation has suggested that the Spanish explorer Juan Fernandez visited New Zealand about this time.

1642 The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited the South Island briefly, calling it Staten Landt and later Nieuw Zeeland.

1769 The British explorer James Cook made the first of his three visits to New Zealand and created New Zealand’s first almost complete map. Land was first sighted, near present-day Gisborne, by 12-year-old Nicholas Young.

1772 French explorers, unaware of the prior British claim, claimed New Zealand in the name of Louis XV. Had they succeeded (to quote Max Cryer in Day by Day), this book may have been written in French.

1788 Due to increased crime in England and prison overcrowding, Arthur Phillip arrived in Port Jackson to colonise Australia with eleven ships, 700 convicts, and 300 crew and military personnel. His colony included the eastern half of Australia, Tasmania, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and New Zealand.

1790 An outbreak of disease, possibly influenza, killed many Maori. About this time, convict ships returning to England from Australia called at northern harbours to load kauri logs, making timber one of New Zealand’s first export industries.

1792 A group of seal hunters were left at Dusky Sound to become the first known European settlers. They were picked up again in 1793. The seal hunters started building New Zealand’s first ocean-going ship, the Providence. It sailed from Dusky Sound in 1796.

1806 This is the approximate date when the village at Kororareka (later re-named Russell) became the first permanent European settlement on a site already occupied by local Maori. Kathleen Hagerty and Charlotte Edgar, escaped convicts from Australia, were the first European women in New Zealand.

1807 A period of inter-tribal battles (known as the Musket Wars) began between Ngapuhi and Ngati Whatua and spread to other tribes. Moehanga was believed to be the first Maori to visit England.

1809 The ship Boyd was burned at Whangaroa, and 25 crew were killed.

1814 The Reverend Samuel Marsden, a missionary from New South Wales, arrived at the Bay of Islands and delivered what may have been the first Christian sermon on New Zealand soil. Marsden also landed the country’s first horses.

1820 Maori chief Hongi Hika arrived in England and informed King George IV, who was having marital problems, that in New Zealand, he had five wives and would rather cut off their heads than put up with any problems. The Rev John Butler at Kerikeri was the first person to use a plough in New Zealand. Ka Mate Ka Mate was composed by Te Rauparaha.

1821 Hongi Hika returned to New Zealand with a large cache of muskets and other weapons possibly paid for by the self-styled baron, Charles de Thierry. 1807-1845 became known as the Musket Wars period when Hongi Hika’s warriors first used muskets, and 20,000 warriors died.

1822 Baron de Thierry arrived at the Hokianga Harbour to settle on land purchased from Hongi Hika and announced his plans to establish a settlement and declare himself Sovereign Chief, Lord, and Governor.

1823 New Zealand’s first Christian marriage service was held. The Battle of Mokoia Island took place between Ngapuhi and Arawa.

1827 The South Island was invaded from Kapiti Island by Te Rauparaha.

1831 Whaling stations were established in New Zealand. Whakarua-tapu became the first known person to swim Cook Strait.

1832 James Busby, a minor clerk in the New South Wales Government, was appointed British Resident in New Zealand. His status was less than that of a consul, and the appointment was regarded as a sideways shift rather than a promotion.

1833 Busby took up residence in the Bay of Islands.

1834 Without authority, Busby encouraged 25 northern chiefs to adopt the United Tribes flag.

1835 Again without authority, Busby encouraged 34 northern chiefs of the Confederation of United Tribes to sign the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand. Ngati Tama and Ngati Mutunga invaded the Chatham Islands, where they killed or enslaved local Maoriori. William Colenso landed New Zealand’s first printing press at the Bay of Islands and printed New Zealand’s first book, which was also the first book printed in Maori.

1836 The Confederation of United Tribes failed to meet in assembly or pass any laws, becoming defunct as tribal warfare continued.

1837 The first Australian possums were released in New Zealand to start a fur trade. Baron de Thierry returns to the Hokianga with 60 followers and declares himself the Sovereign King of New Zealand.

1838 Busby became increasingly isolated in his efforts to establish a form of self-government in New Zealand. He was regarded as irrelevant by the authorities in London and Sydney and by Maori and white settlers. Rabbits were first released in New Zealand.

1839 William Hobson was sent to New Zealand to establish British rule as a dependency of New South Wales. The first honeybees arrived with a Miss Bumby (Correct spelling).

1840 William Hobson, with assistance from his clerk James Freeman, and Busby, drafted the Treaty of Waitangi. Missionary Henry Williams translated the document into Maori. Hone Heke was the first chief to sign Hobson’s Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February. Three women also signed the Treaty. Eight copies of the Treaty were produced in Maori for signing in other parts of the country. The copies were not exact replicas of the original. The first New Zealand capital was established at Okiato near Opua, and named Russell. French colonists settled at Akaroa Rawiri Taiwhanga became New Zealand’s first dairy farmer near Kaikohe. The first bank, the New Zealand Banking Company, opened for business in Kororareka. The first New Zealand Company settlers arrived in Port Nicholson. The first newspaper, The New Zealand Gazette, was published at Petone. Petone carpenter Samuel Parnell declared he would not work more than eight hours daily.

1841 The capital was moved from Russell (Okiato) to Auckland. New Zealand was separated from New South Wales and became a separate British colony. Hobson’s status changed from Lieutenant-Governor to Governor. The first European settlers arrived at New Plymouth.

1842 Governor Hobson died, and Robert Fitzroy took his place. William Martin was appointed by the Colonial Office in London as New Zealand’s first Chief Justice and established the New Zealand Supreme Court New Zealand was no longer subject to the laws of New South Wales. Maketu Wharetotara was hanged in Auckland, witnessed by about 1,000 Europeans, for the murder of the Roberton family at the Bay of Islands. This was New Zealand’s first official execution and set a precedent in which British law applied to Maori too.

1843 Twenty-two European settlers and four Maori were killed in a land dispute at Wairau. The first thoroughbred horses were imported from Australia.

1844 The War in the North began led by Hone Heke.

1845 George Grey became governor.

1846 The War in the North ended at Ruapekapeka. The first Constitution Act was passed by the British Government, paving the way for New Zealand to be divided into the provinces of New Ulster and New Munster. Grey refused to implement the provisions of the Act. After disturbances at Porirua and Boulcott’s farm in the Hutt Valley, the rebel chief Te Rauparaha was captured. Surveyor Thomas Brunner set out from Nelson to explore a route to the West Coast.

1847 Wellington was granted a Lieutenant-Governor. Government House in Auckland was burnt to the ground.

1848 Scottish settlers founded Dunedin. Coal was discovered at Brunner. A major earthquake in Marlborough damaged most Wellington buildings. Land was set aside for the creation of Hagley Park in Christchurch and named after Hagley Hall, the home of Lord Lyttleton. With a party of four Maori, Thomas Brunner returned from the West Coast 18 months after setting out. Their struggle for survival was without equal in the history of New Zealand exploration.

1850 The first organised settlers arrived in Canterbury.

1851 The first deer were released near Nelson.

1852 Another New Zealand Constitution Act was passed, providing for an elected General Assembly and six provincial councils. The first navigation beacon in New Zealand was established at Pencarrow Head. Charles Ring discovered gold at Coromandel, but the gold rush soon ended.

1853 New Zealand’s first general election was held on 4 July with the voters including about 100 Maori. Only male landowners were permitted to vote. The first ministry (Cabinet) was led by James Fitzgerald (the office of premier had not yet been created) with Henry Sewell, Frederick Weld and Thomas Bartley as ministers.

1854 The first meeting of the General Assembly (parliament) took place in Auckland with 37 Members representing 24 electorates. The powers of the Assembly were severely limited by the appointed Legislative Council and the British Government.

1855 An 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck Wairarapa and Wellington, resulting in a ground movement of 17 meters. Adhesive postage stamps went on sale for the first time. Robert Wilkin introduced hedgehogs. James Mackenzie was jailed at Timaru for sheep stealing.

1856 Henry Sewell became the first Premier in the absence of Fitzgerald due to ill health.

1857 A Mr. McIntosh in Otago started the first recorded coach service.

1858 The first Maori King, Potatau I (Te Wherowhero), was installed. The New Zealand Insurance Company was formed in Auckland.

1859 Gold was discovered in the Buller River. The Pencarrow beacon became the first lighthouse, and Mary Jane Bennet was the first female lighthouse keeper.

1860 The First Taranaki War started at Waitara.

1861 New Zealand’s second gold rush started when Gabriel Read found gold in Gabriel’s Gully in Central Otago. The Bank of New Zealand was established in Auckland. Charles Cole began Cobb & Co coach services in Dunedin.

1862 New Zealand’s first telegraph line was established between Christchurch and Lyttleton. Gold was discovered at Dunstan and Arrowtown. The first New Zealand shipment of gold left Dunedin aboard the Chariot of Flame for London.

1863 War started in the Waikato. The first New Zealand steam railway opened at Ferrymead The HMS Orpheus sank at the entrance to the Manukau Harbour with the loss of 189 lives. Gas street lighting was first introduced in Dunedin. More than 100 gold miners died in blizzards and flooding in Otago.

1864 The Battle of Orakau ended the Waikato War. Maori lands in the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, and Waikato were confiscated. Gold was discovered in Marlborough and Westland. Canvastown, near Nelson, was established when 6,000 gold miners descended on the area.

1865 The New Zealand Capital was moved from Auckland to Wellington. The Native Land Court was established. Auckland streets were lit by gas. A high-powered meeting of the Middle Island Association in Dunedin called for separation from the rest of New Zealand.

1866 Cobb & Co operated the first coach from Canterbury to the West Coast. The first Cook Strait telegraph cable was laid. The Kelly Gang (no connection with Australia’s Ned Kelly) were hanged at Nelson. after murdering four men for their gold.

1867 Four Maori seats were created in the New Zealand Parliament. The Lyttleton. rail tunnel was completed. The Coromandel goldfields opened, and Grahamstown and Shortland (the two towns that merged to become Thames) quickly gained more people than Auckland. Brown trout, sparrows, and starlings were introduced to New Zealand.

1868 New Zealand Mean Time was set at 11 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich.

1869 Thomas Burns, a nephew of Robert Burns, established New Zealand’s first university at Dunedin. Because New Zealanders were not eligible for British military decorations, Governor Bowen created the New Zealand Cross and was reprimanded by the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Prince Alfred Duke of Edinburgh, was New Zealand’s first Royal visitor.

1870 Julius Vogel, after borrowing heavily in London, started an ambitious program of public works and immigration to boost the failing economy.

1871 New Zealand’s first university, Otago, opened in Dunedin. Ernest Rutherford was born at Brightwater near Nelson.

1872 Auckland, Wellington, and southern centres were linked by telegraph. Makereta Thom (also known as Maggie Papakura) was born and would become one of New Zealand’s most famous tour guides.

1873 New Zealand Shipping Company is established.

1874 New Zealand’s first steam engine was built in Invercargill. Governor Sir James Fergusson offended the people of Riverton by ignoring an elaborate reception they had planned for him in the town.

1875 The first athletics club in New Zealand was formed in Wellington.

1876 New Zealand-Australia telegraph cable was laid. The provinces were abolished and replaced by counties and boroughs. Thomas Bracken, an Irishman living in Dunedin, working for a newspaper, and writing as Paddy Murphy, penned God Defend New Zealand.

1877 The New Zealand Parliament passed the Education Act creating a national system of free and compulsory education. Rainbow trout were introduced to New Zealand.

1878 Gordon Coates, who would become the first New Zealand-born Prime Minister, was born at Matakohe, Northland.

1879 Manhood suffrage was extended to all males aged over 21. Previously, only property owners voted. A mine explosion at Kaitangata killed 34 miners. Property taxes were introduced. Electricity was first used in New Zealand at Wellington’s Basin Reserve. The term of the New Zealand Parliament was reduced from five years to three.

1880 Helen Connon became the first New Zealand woman to graduate Master of Arts. Donald Sutherland discovered the Sutherland Falls.

1881 The first telephone exchanges opened in Auckland and Christchurch. The Parihaka community, living on confiscated land, was broken up and the residents imprisoned. The SS Tararua was wrecked with the loss of 131 lives. After years of bitter protests against the introduction of trams, Dunedin became home to the first cable-driven tram in the Southern Hemisphere.

1882 The first shipment of frozen meat left Port Chalmers for England on the Dunedin.

1883 New Zealand Shipping Company was formed in Christchurch.

1884 The first overseas tour by a New Zealand rugby team went to New South Wales. King Tawhiao visited England to appeal to Queen Victoria about the Treaty of Waitangi, but she declined to see him.

1885 Men in Auckland started training to defend New Zealand against an expected Russian invasion. Construction began on the Auckland-Wellington railway.

1886 Rotorua’s Pink and White Terraces were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera, and 153 people were killed. Oil was discovered in Taranaki.

1887 Land gifted to the nation by Te Heuheu Tukino IV became the Tongariro National Park, New Zealand’s first such park. The Hermitage Hotel opened at Mount Cook.

1888 Writer Katherine Mansfield was born in Wellington. A scandal erupted in Dunedin over sweated labour.

1889 The first New Zealand-built locomotive was completed at Addington.

1890 The first one-man-one-vote general election was held in December. New Zealand’s first Arbor Day was held at Greytown.

1891 John Balance, the leader of New Zealand’s first organised political party, became Premier in the Liberal Government which would hold power for 22 years. John McKenzie introduced legislation to promote closer land settlement. The first Edison phonograph (music player) arrived in New Zealand. Bob Fitzsimmons, representing New Zealand, won the World Middleweight Boxing Championship in San Francisco. Income tax was introduced.

1892 The Employer’s Liability Act was passed. The first Maori Parliament (Kotahitanga) met.

1893 Richard Seddon succeeded Ballance as premier. New Zealand became the first nation to give women the vote. Elizabeth Yates became mayor of Onehunga, creating another women’s first for the British Empire.

1894 William Pember Reeves introduced legislation for compulsory arbitration of labour disputes. The Shop Assistants Act prohibited weekend trading. Clark, Fyfe and Graham made the first recorded climb of Mount Cook. The Wairarapa was wrecked on Great Barrier Island. Pigeon post was introduced between Auckland and Great Barrier Island.

1895 Minnie Dean, the so-called Winton baby farmer, became the first and only woman to be hanged in New Zealand. Years later, her guilt would be questioned. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) visited New Zealand and was fascinated by the oddities of life and customs Downunder.

1896 The first public screening of a motion picture took place in New Zealand. Jack Tuohy was born near Gisborne and, as Fintan Patrick Walsh, would rise to become the strong-arm leader of the Federation of Labour.

1897 Margaret Cruickshank was New Zealand’s first registered female doctor.

1898 The Old Age Pensions Act, the first in the world, became law. William McLean of Wellington became the first person to import, own, and legally drive a motorcar in New Zealand. His car was a Benz. William Lanarch shot himself in a committee room at Parliament.

1899 The first Labour Day was celebrated. A New Zealand force sailed for the South African War.

1900 The Public Health Act was passed to establish a Department of Public Health. Wellington’s Kelburn cable car started operating. New Zealand had 90,000 draught horses. Deserting husbands were required to pay for the support of their dependent children.

1901 New Zealand declined to join the new Commonwealth of Australia but annexed the Cook Islands and Niue Island.

1902 The trans-Tasman steamer SS Elingamite sank near the Three Kings Islands with the loss of 45 lives. The Automobile Association was formed and was one of the first such organisations in the world. The Minister of Marine gazetted a new official flag for New Zealand with a small Union Jack and four stars.

1903 About this time, Richard Pearce made a brief heavier-than-air flight near Timaru but crashed into a hedge. The New Zealand rugby team played the first rugby test against Australia to win 22-3. The first motorised fire appliance was used at Whanganui.

1904 Future Prime Minister and Governor-General Keith Holyoake was born at Mangamutu near Pahiatua.

1905 The New Zealand rugby team toured England and became known as the All Blacks, a misquote of ‘all backs.’ ’The postage stamp vending machine was invented in New Zealand by R.J. Dickie. White supremacist Lionel Terry was convicted of the murder of an elderly Chinese cripple.

1906 Richard Seddon died after a record 13 years as Premier and was succeeded by Joseph Ward. Australian William Ramsay created Kiwi shoe polish in Melbourne.

1907 New Zealand became a self-governing Dominion on 26 September. Parliament Buildings was destroyed by fire. A Mr. Leyland left Wellington in a Darracq motorcar to drive around the North Island. Frederick Truby King formed the Royal NZ Society for the Health of Women and Children (later known as the Plunket Society) in Dunedin. Menzies & Co started bottling Lemon & Paeroa at Paeroa. The first farm tractor arrived in New Zealand.

1908 The Auckland-Wellington. railway line was completed. New Zealanders competed in the