explore the history of New Zealand's
culture and society,
politics and government,
and the impact of war
TODAY IN HISTORY
1970 Aoraki/Mt Cook face conquered by hippies
Long-haired Christchurch mountaineers John Glasgow and Peter Gough became the first to scale the 2000-m Caroline Face of Aoraki/Mt Cook, declaring it a ‘triumph for the hippies’
1848 The Acheron arrives to begin survey of NZ waters
Captained by John Lort Stokes, the paddle steamer Acheron spent four years charting the New Zealand coastline.
1912 Public Service Act passed into law
The Public Service Act was passed into law, creating a framework for New Zealand’s bureaucracy that was to endure until 1988. The Act was the brainchild of lawyer Alexander Herdman, a senior minister in the new Reform Party government.
KIWI OF THE WEEK
Griff Maclaurin
New Zealander Griff Maclaurin was one of the first international volunteers to be killed in the Spanish Civil War.
Latest Images and Media
George French Angas
Margaret Cruickshank
Robert Logan
Len Lye
Charles Munro
Charles HeaphyNew Zealand and the First World War
The First World War had a seismic impact on New Zealand, reshaping the country's perception of itself and its place in the world.
Women's Suffrage Petition
The 1893 Women's suffrage petition — signed by more than 25,000 women, about a fifth of the enture adult European female population — helped pave the way for the passage of New Zealand's world-leading Electoral Act in September 1893.
See the digitised version of the petitionMemorials Register
Find exact locations and further information for more than 900 memorials throughout New Zealand.
Explore the memorials