Colony of New Zealand

Origins

After the Treaty of Waitangi was signed with Māori chiefs in 1840, ending the United Tribes of New Zealand, Britain proclaimed sovereignty and governed New Zealand briefly as part of the Colony of New South Wales. It became a separate colony in 1841 under Governor William Hobson, with Auckland as capital until Wellington replaced it in 1865.

Rule and society

The New Zealand Company and church settlements brought British migrants, and the Constitution Act of 1852 created a parliament and provinces. Disputes over land led to the New Zealand Wars from 1845 to 1872, followed by confiscations and the Native Land Court, which transferred most Māori land to settlers. Wool, gold from Otago and, after 1882, refrigerated meat drove the economy. In 1893 it became the first self-governing country to give women the vote.

Decline and legacy

Richard Seddon's Liberal government, in office from 1893, pioneered old-age pensions, compulsory labour arbitration and the purchase of large estates for small farmers. New Zealand declined to join the Australian federation and in 1907 became the Dominion of New Zealand.