New Zealand became a separate British colony when it was detached from New South Wales and given its own governor, William Hobson. The step followed the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the Crown and many Maori chiefs, whose English and Maori versions differed in important ways. Growing numbers of settlers, many of them brought by the New Zealand Company, arrived during the 1840s, and disputes over land led to the New Zealand Wars of the following decades. Colonial self-government came in 1852, the country became a dominion in 1907, and it gained full legislative independence by adopting the Statute of Westminster in 1947. The meaning of the treaty remains central to the nation's law and politics today.
Before and after
- 26 January 1841Founding of Hong Kong
- from 30 January 1841 to 1 July 1962Belgian Empire
- 25 February 1841Birth of Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- 4 April 1841Death of William Henry Harrison
- 3 May 1841Founding of New Zealand
- 8 September 1841Birth of Antonín Dvořák
- 28 September 1841Birth of Georges Clemenceau
- 5 October 1841Publication of Deutschlandlied
- 9 November 1841Birth of Edward VII
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- from 18 May 1804 to 7 July 1815First French Empire
- from 1815 to 1871Unification of Italy
- from 1837 to 1901Victorian era
- from 1 March 1867 to 28 October 1918Austria–Hungary
- from 1 January 1871 to 9 November 1918German Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.