The first humans are thought to have arrived in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

from

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

some time around 1300 AD. The people, who later became known as

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, eventually travelled to almost every part of the country. Their arrival had a significant impact on the local

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

, particularly the flightless birds such as

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refer ...

. The first recorded sighting of New Zealand by a European was by a crew-member of

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New Z ...

's ship in 1642, although no landing took place. Some of the crew were killed in

Golden Bay Golden Bay may refer to: * Golden Bay / Mohua, a bay at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island * Golden Bay (Malta), a bay and beach on the coastline of Malta * Golden Bay High School, a high school in Takaka, New Zealand * Golden Bay, Wes ...

and there was no other contact with local Māori. Tasman only visited and mapped the north and north-west coast of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

and part of the west coast of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

and remained unaware of the insularity of New Zealand. The next known visit by Europeans was in 1769 when

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

arrives. Cook

circumnavigated Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

the country mapping the majority of both islands and making only two erroneous assumptions, Banks Island (Peninsula) and South Cape (Stewart Island). Cook had numerous meetings with Māori, helped by having aboard a Tahitian, Tupaia, whose language has many similarities with that of the Māori. Cook returned on his second voyage in 1773 and late 1774, and on his third voyage in 1777. Although relations with Māori were generally friendly, with of course many misunderstandings on both sides, on one occasion a number of his crew were killed and eaten. At the same time that Cook made his first visit, Jean de Surville also briefly visited New Zealand. Surville's encounters with Māori were inconsistent and he kidnapped a chief on his departure. A few years later another Frenchman,

Marion du Fresne Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (22 May 1724 – 12 June 1772) was a French privateer, East India captain and explorer. The expedition he led to find the hypothetical '' Terra Australis'' in 1771 made important geographic discoveries in the sout ...

, arrived. His visit also ended badly as du Fresne and some of his crew were killed and the remaining crew retaliated by killing a considerable number of Māori. There are no more recorded visits for 20 years, although vessels unlicensed by the East India Company may have been deliberately vague about any activities in New Zealand waters. In the 1790s there were visits by scientists/explorers, sealers, flax/timber collectors and whalers. By 1800 the first pakeha were living in New Zealand and the first Māori to leave and return again were able to relate their experiences of lands and people from other countries.Salmond, Anne. ''Between Worlds''. 1997. Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd. .

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

Any reference to New Zealand in a legal rather than geographic sense before 1840 is complex and unclear. When the British colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 it nominally included New Zealand as far as 43°39'S (approximately halfway down the

). In the years before 1800 there was little interest shown in New Zealand except for the events of 1793 (see below). * Head of State – King George III *

Governors of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

#23 January 1788 - 10 December 1792 - Captain Arthur Phillip RN #11 September 1795 - 27 September 1800 - Captain John Hunter RNDictionary of Australian Biography: John Hunter
/ref>

Events

1300

*Approximate date of the arrival of Māori in New Zealand.

1642

* 13 December – Dutch explorer

sights the

. Initially he calls it Staten Landt but the following year this is changed to Nieuw Zeeland. * 18 December –

's expedition sails around

Farewell Spit Farewell Spit ( mi, Onetahua) is a narrow sand spit at the northern end of the Golden Bay, South Island of New Zealand. It runs eastwards from Cape Farewell, the island's northernmost point. Farewell Spit is a legally protected Nature Reserve ...

and into

. The next day four of Tasman's crew and several members of a

Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand, who arrived on the ''Kurahaupō'' waka. In the 1600s the iwi settled northwestern South Island, becoming a major power in the region until the 1800s. In 1642, members of Ngāti Tūmat ...

war party die in a skirmish resulting in Tasman naming the bay Murderer's Bay.

1643

*6 January – Tasman discovers and names the Three Kings Islands and then departs New Zealand waters.

1768

*26 August – First voyage of

departs England on .

1769

*6 October – Land sighted by the crew of ''Endeavour''.

Young Nick's Head Young Nick's Head is a headland at the southern end of Poverty Bay in New Zealand's North Island. The area is the landing place of the Horouta and Te Ikaroa-a-Rauru waka (canoe), waka which carried Māori people, Māori settlers to the region aroun ...

is named after Nicholas Young. *12 December – Jean-François-Marie de Surville in ''St Jean Baptiste'' sights the coastline of New Zealand. *25 December – The first Christian service in New Zealand is conducted in Doubtless Bay by Father

Paul-Antoine Léonard de Villefeix Paul-Antoine Léonard de Villefeix OP (born 1728 - 1780John Dunmore, "From Nieuw-Zeeland to Nouvelle-Zélande", ''Marist messenger'', February 2020, p. 16) was a French Dominican priest. He conducted the first Christian service in New Zealand. He ...

of the de Surville expedition.Michael King, ''God's Farthest Outpost: A History of Catholics in New Zealand'', Penguin Books, Auckland, 1997, p. 73.

1770

*1 April – Cook's first voyage departs New Zealand and heads towards

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

1772

*25 March – Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne in ''Mascarin'' and the ''Marquis de Castries'' sights Mount Taranaki *12 June: – Du Fresne and 26 of his crew killed and eaten by Māori warriors. In retaliation, the French burn down a village named Paeroa, killing 250 Māori

1773

*30 April – Cook arrives in Dusky Sound on his

second voyage The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

to New Zealand in HMS ''Resolution''. *7 May – The second ship on Cook's expedition, HMS ''Adventure'' under Tobias Furneaux, arrives in Queen Charlotte Sound. *17 May – The ''Resolution'' joins the ''Adventure'' at Queen Charlotte Sound.

1774

*14 July – ''HMS Adventure'' returns to England.

1775

*30 July – ''HMS Resolution'' returns to England ending Cook's second voyage.

1777

*12 February – James Cook arrives at Queen Charlotte Sound in and on his third voyage. *26 February – Cook's final departure from New Zealand.

1791

*2 – 22 November – Vancouver Expedition in HMS ''Discovery'' and HMS ''Chatham'' visits Dusky Sound. *19 December – The whaling ship '' William and Ann'', under the command of Eber Bunker, leaves

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

with instructions from Governor King to procure two "Natives" to teach the Norfolk Island convicts flax dressing. Although the ''William and Ann'' reaches Doubtless Bay early the following year they are unable to prevail upon any Māori to accompany them.

1792

*6 November – The '' Britannia'', under the command of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

William Raven, arrives at Dusky Sound from Port Jackson to drop off a sealing party. This is the first sealing gang to be landed in New Zealand.Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition: Raven, William (1756 - 1814)
/ref> *1 December – The ''Britannia'' leaves for to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

via Cape Horn. During its stay the crew have built several buildings, the first European buildings in New Zealand. On one occasion they sight some Māori who run away. Māori are not sighted in the area by any of the subsequent sealers who visit Dusky Sound in the next 20 years. The sealing party is left with tools and equipment to build a small ship. They are the first

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...

to stay in New Zealand.

1793

*25 February – The Malaspina Expedition, under Alessandro Malaspina, arrives in Dusky Sound. *c. March/April – The ''Daedalus'', Lieutenant James Hanson, anchors off the Cavalli Islands. Hanson has instructions to find 2 Māori to take to

to instruct the convicts in the production of

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

. He kidnaps Tuki(-tahua) and Huru(-kokoti) who are not only men (flax weaving is done by women) but also high-born. *20 April – The ''Daedalus'' arrives in Port Jackson. *24 April – Tuki and Huru are transferred to the ''Shaw Hormuzear'',

William Wright Bampton, which leaves for

where it arrives before the end of the month. *May – Having discovered that Tuki and Huru know virtually nothing about flax production Commandant King offers them the choice of leaving on the ''Shaw Hormuzear'' for England or staying on the island until they can be returned home. They choose to stay. *8 September – The ''Britannia'' and the ''

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

'',

House, leave Port Jackson to collect the sealing party at Dusky Sound. *27 September – The ''Britannia'' arrives at Dusky. *Approximately 11 October – The ''Francis'' arrives at Dusky. *20 October – The ''Britannia'' and ''Francis'' leave for

. *2 November – The ''Britannia'' and ''Francis'' arrive at Norfolk Island. Captain Raven reports enthusiastically about the prospects of settlement in New Zealand. Lieutenant-Governor King commandeers the ''Britannia'' to return Tuki and Huru. The ''Francis'' returns to Port Jackson where Captain House reports somewhat less than enthusiastically to Acting Governor Grose about New Zealand. *9 November – The ''Britannia'' leaves for New Zealand. During their stay King has learned much about New Zealand from Tuki and Huru, including a map of the country drawn by Tuki and some of the language. He draws up plans for settling New Zealand of which he hopes to be in charge. *12 November – The ''Britannia'' arrives at Muriwhenua ( North Cape). After greeting the local Māori, including relatives of Tuki, the ''Britannia'' attempts to sail for the Bay of Islands but is becalmed. *13 November – The ''Britannia'' leaves North Cape to return to Norfolk Island. King leaves gives gifts to Tuki and Huru including clothing, tools, potatoes and pigs. The latter 2 are the first in this part of New Zealand.

1794

*10 March – Samuel Marsden arrives at

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to become the assistant chaplain to Reverend Richard Johnson.Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: Samuel Marsden
/ref>New Zealand Encyclopaedia 1966: Samuel Marsden Biography
/ref> *4 July – Marsden moves to Parramatta. *October – Marsden buys 100 acres and starts his farm which is worked by convict labour. *12 – 14 November – The ''Fancy'',

Thomas Dell, visits Doubtless Bay in Northland. Captain Dell passes a message from Lieutenant-Governor King to Tuki (see 1793 above). *20 November – The ''Fancy'' arrives in Hauraki to collect spars and

1795

*21 February – The ''Fancy'' leaves Hauraki having felled far more timber than she can carry away. She also has a large quantity of dressed flax. *18 September – The ''Endeavour'', Captain William Brampton, and the ''Fancy'', Captain Dell, leave Port Jackson. There are fifty passengers (mostly freed convicts) aboard, including Elizabeth Heatherly (aka Bason) and her partner James Heatherly and their small son James. The ships plan to visit Dusky Sound and

en route to India. Shortly after leaving they discover 40 escaped convicts and deserters aboard (including 1 female, Ann Carey). *Before 12 October – The ''Endeavour'' and ''Fancy'' arrive at Dusky. Elizabeth Heatherly and Ann Carey are the first pakeha women known to have visited New Zealand. There are in all 244 people on the 2 vessels. Captain Brampton intends to hunt seals, finish the schooner left by the ''Britannia'' (see above) and load spars for Bombay. After a week the ''Endeavour'' is condemned as unseaworthy, it later is allowed to drift on to rocks and is beached. In addition to the unfinished boat left by the ''Britannia'', to be known as the ''Providence'', they decide to refit the ''Endeavours longboat into another seaworthy vessel. *Late in the year Samuel Marsden becomes a magistrate and the superintendent for government affairs.

1796

*7 January – The ''Fancy'' and the ''Providence'' sail from Dusky Sound for

, where the passengers (including Elizabeth Heatherly and her son) and some seamen are left before carrying on to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The convicts (including Ann Carey) and some ex-convicts (including shipwright James Heatherly) and seamen have been left at Dusky where they are still modifying the ''Endeavours longboat into an ocean-going vessel. *March – The ''Assistance'' (the Endeavour's longboat), having been made seaworthy (just), with a small crew of seamen and convicts, leaves Dusky for Norfolk Island. There are still 35 people left in Dusky.

1797

*May – The

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

snow ''Mercury'', Captain William Barnett, rescues the remaining survivors of the ''Endeavour'' and takes them to

. During their time in Dusky no Māori have been sighted.

1798

*20 August – The ''Hunterⁱ'', Captain James Fearn, leaves Port Jackson for

. En route she collects spars from Hauraki (possibly in early October). Some of the spars may have been those left by the ''Fancy'' in 1795 (see above). The loading is assisted by local Māori but there is no other information about contact between the ship and the locals. ;Undated *Samuel Marsden first comes into contact with London Missionary Society missionaries from Tahiti and starts his interests in missionary activity in the islands of the Pacific.

1799

*7 October – The ''Hunterⁱⁱ'',The ship may have been deliberately named after the ship that visited New Zealand the previous year in an attempt to avoid trading restrictions imposed by the East India Company. When the ship is later seized in Bengal 23 escaped convicts were found on board. Captain Hingston claimed he was on a legitimate trip under Governor Hunter’s authority. Before this could be verified he sold the ship and vanished with the proceeds. Captain William Hingston, leaves Port Jackson for Calcutta. She stops at Hauraki to collect spars. Thomas Taylor and 3 other seaman (possibly all 4 were escaped convicts from New South Wales) leave the ship and stay with local Māori (they can possibly be considered the first Pākehā Māori). Taylor later marries a local woman and meets the crews of 2 ships that arrive in

1801 Events January–March * January 1 ** The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland is completed under the Act of Union 1800, bringing about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the abolition of the Parliament of I ...

. His later fate is unknown as is that of the other 3. The ''Hunter'' continues to Bengal where it is seized by the authorities and the ship's log is lost.

Births

* 30 August 1790 –

Richard Barton Richard Barton (30 August 1790 – 20 August 1866) was the first European resident of Trentham, Upper Hutt, in New Zealand. He was born in Newport, Isle of Wight, England. He was a Justice of the Peace and Member of Provincial Council in Wel ...

, first European resident of Trentham, Upper Hutt (d.

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...

) * ''c''. 1790 – Te Mamaku, Māori chief (d.

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

) * ''c''. 1790 –

Te Kani-a-Takirau Te Kani-a-Takirau ( 1790s – 1856) was a notable New Zealand tribal leader. Of Māori descent, he identified with Hapu Matua of the Te Aitanga A Hauiti Iwi. He was born in on the East Coast of New Zealand. He is well known for having refus ...

, Māori chief (d.

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyag ...

) * ''c''. 1791 – Jeanie Collier, runholder (d.

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

) * 20 March 1796 – Edward Gibbon Wakefield, coloniser (d.

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

) * ''c''. 1797/98 – Alexander Shepherd, second

Colonial Treasurer Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

(d.

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final u ...

) * 27 February 1798 – Daniel Bell Wakefield, coloniser (d.

1858 Events January–March * January – **Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. **William I of Prussia becomes regent f ...

) * ''c''. 1798/99 – John Munro, politician (d.

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

) * 19 November 1799 – Arthur Wakefield, coloniser (d.

1843 Events January–March * January ** Serial publication of Charles Dickens's novel ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' begins in London; in the July chapters, he lands his hero in the United States. ** Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" ...

) * ''c''. 1790s – Moka Te Kainga-mataa, Māori chief (d. 1860s)

Deaths

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prior To 1800 in New Zealand History of New Zealand 18th century in New Zealand 17th century in Oceania 16th century in Oceania