Events In History
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20 August 1904First use of kiwi as unofficial national symbol?
The New Zealand Free Lance printed a J.C. Blomfield cartoon in which a plucky kiwi morphed into a moa as the All Blacks defeated Great Britain 9–3 in the first rugby test between Motherland and colony. This may have been the first use of a kiwi to symbolise the nation in a cartoon. Read more...
Articles
First World War - overview
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. This was a key event in sparking the Great War of 1914–18.
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Page 6 – The legacy of war
The war had a major impact on constitutional arrangements within the British Empire, and it affected New Zealand's international status.
Anzac Day
First observed in 1916, Anzac Day - 25 April - commemorates those killed in war and honours returned servicemen and women. The ceremonies held at war memorials around the country, and in places overseas where New Zealanders gather, are rich in tradition and ritual.
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Page 7 – Modern Anzac Day
Each generation of New Zealanders redefines Anzac Day to suit the mood of the times, and the last 50 years has seen much redefinition.
Waitangi Day
Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. For most people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is a time for reflecting on the Treaty and its place in modern New Zealand.
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Page 5 – Waitangi Day 1970s
Waitangi Day, a public holiday from 1974, briefly became New Zealand Day in the 1970s. Increasingly, it became a focus for Māori protest activities.
History of the Governor-General
New Zealand has had a governor or (from 1917) a Governor-General since 1840. The work of these men and women has reflected the constitutional and political history of New Zealand in many ways.
- Page 8 - Uber diplomat? From 1926, in accordance with decisions taken as a consequence of the Balfour Declaration, Governors-General merely represented the sovereign in New
Biographies
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Kirk, Norman Eric
In 1972 Norman Kirk broke National’s 12-year-long grip on the Treasury benches and became Labour’s first New Zealand-born PM.
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Clark, Helen Elizabeth
Jenny Shipley may have been our first female PM, but Helen Clark was the first elected one. In 2008 she became our fifth longest-serving PM and Labour’s first to win three consecutive elections.
Read more...
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