Nation Dates signature book

Hindsight and foresight
In future studies, three perspectives shape the dialogue: hindsight, insight, and foresight. The Nation Dates series seeks to strengthen our collective hindsight, identifying historical patterns and lessons that support the development of foresight and the navigation of future challenges. The cone of plausibility (see below) is a strategic foresight framework that illustrates how the future expands into a widening range of potential outcomes, as well as a corresponding hindsight cone. The framework depicts the relationship between multiple perceived pasts and multiple potential futures, and can help leaders learn from the past and better navigate probable, plausible, possible, and preferable futures. The more we know about our past, the more we can improve foresight over the future.

The cone of plausibility

Frequently asked questions

Nation Dates is a book founded on our belief that, to understand where we are heading, we need to know where we have been. History cannot be separated from the future and the idea of threads running through time is central to our work. Accordingly, the book is the result of several years of research trying to answer the question ‘where is New Zealand going?’. We first put a timeline together when working on Project 2058 and soon appreciated the value in linking similar events through time with what we have called ‘threads’. Mark Twain’s famous line ‘history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme’ continues to resonate, so Nation Dates lists the rhymes that have occurred in the past, and are likely to propel us into the future.

Selecting the dates for inclusion was not always an easy task. Sometimes a significant date was determined by the establishment of a committee, a royal commission, a publication, a national tragedy or triumph, and sometimes just a moment of interest. There are also events that have a ripple effect, and at times we have noted both prior and subsequent related dates within a single entry in order to be concise. While writing the first edition, we distributed the first draft to the participants, consultants and speakers at our StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future event. We received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions for inclusions.

In the fifth edition, each of the 732 entries in Timeline 1: Historical Events is grouped thematically, under one of nine domains and 70 threads. Our nine domains are inspired by the ‘12 domains of wellbeing’ that form part of the New Zealand Treasury’s Living Standards Framework; the threads are based on entries sharing a common context or characteristic.

The timelines can be accessed in four ways: by chronological order, by domain, by thread, and through the index.

Although New Zealand has a rich history that predates 1769, this date was selected for the beginning of Timeline 1 as the symbolic birth of New Zealand as a bicultural nation. The date is the first recorded meeting between Māori and Pākehā when James Cook landed the Endeavour at Tūranganui River. This meeting marked the beginning of the relationship between the British Crown and Māori that would later be formalised by the Treaty of Waitangi. 

The fifth edition contains 17 timelines. It gives a detailed timeline of 857 historical events from 1769 to 2023, supported by 16 chapters: Heads of State, Governors and Governors‑General, Premiers and Prime Ministers, Political Parties, Political Agreements, Political Referenda, Royal Commissions, Treaty Settlements, New Zealand Wars, Peace Support Operations, States of Emergency, Pandemics, Governance Boundaries, Government Net Worth and Net Debt 1990–2023, Government Revenue and Expenses 1899–2023, and Exports and Imports 1898–2023. In addition, the inside back cover features three graphs illustrating changes in Aotearoa New Zealand’s population, land cover use and marine boundaries over the long term. We have included all this information because we think it is an important record of our nation’s history and is not easily accessible in one place.

We follow the example of the Māori Language Commission, which was established by the Māori Language Act 1987 to act as the authority on Māori spelling and orthography. The Māori Language Commission favours the use of macrons to stress long vowels in the Māori language. However, we have not introduced macrons where they were clearly not used in the original text such as in historical quotes and the titles of Acts and the names of Ministries.

The first edition, along with all subsequent editions (except 2012), was published in an election year. This is why we chose orange for the cover design; orange is the colour of the elections as a whole and is not associated with a specific New Zealand political party. As the McGuinness Institute is a non-partisan think tank, this is very important.

The book will appeal to anyone with an interest in New Zealand’s rich history. The book is data heavy, but is designed to be easy to digest and dip in and out of, highlighting linkages and patterns.

‘To understand present-day Aotearoa New Zealand, it is necessary to know something about how our nation has developed and changed over time. Nation Dates has become the go-to reference for anyone seeking such an overview of significant milestones in our nation’s history. Amongst the new entries in the 2020 edition is the decision to introduce New Zealand history as part of the core curriculum. It is a welcome milestone indeed, and I have no doubt that our students will regularly turn to Nation Dates during their studies, and in the years following their departure from school. Future generations of New Zealanders will be better informed about who we are as a people and as a nation, and better placed to confidently assume the responsibilities and privileges of citizens.’

— The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, GNZM, QSO

‘Anyone who wants to shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s future must start with our past. This book looks back over 250 years of our nation’s history, and it is my hope that it inspires New Zealanders to think about our long-term future.’

— Professor Sir Mason Durie

‘This meticulously researched book embodies the commitment and passion of
Wendy McGuinness’ work through the McGuinness Institute. Nation Dates includes events of real significance to New Zealand’s past and will become a key text for libraries, schools, universities and anyone with an interest in this country’s past and future.’

— Dame Dr Claudia Orange

‘In this book we can see the broad sweep of events that have contributed to our collective sense of identity as a nation. Charting the remarkable developments provides hope and inspiration to the reader for the social and constitutional change that lies in our future.’

— Dr Carwyn Jones

‘Nation Dates is an accessible and wonderful collation of important events in the history of Aotearoa New Zealand. To paraphrase a historical tourism marketing campaign from the 1980s, don’t leave home until you’ve read the country.’

— Roger Dennis

We endeavoured to find up to three sources that all verified the same information, then we used the best source in the references. In selecting the best source, we privileged NZ History online and Te Ara; these are both Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH) sites. We found both websites to be invaluable independent bodies for verifying facts and providing consistent and concise references; we wish to support these valuable resources and encourage our readers to use them.

We also used the James Duncan Reference Library, which is owned and operated by the McGuinness Institute. Just like Nation Dates, our library is designed to preserve a record of the past in order to set the context for thinking about New Zealand’s long-term future.

Yes. We will continue to update future editions to reflect events as they take place, as well as to capture any historical events that are brought to our attention after publication. The fifth edition was published in December 2023, the fourth edition was published on 2 December 2020, the third edition was published in October 2017, the second in 2012 and the first in 2011. We are currently working on a sixth edition that we hope to publish in late 2026. 

We welcome your feedback, including suggestions of dates to add to future editions; please email us at [email protected]. With past editions the feedback has been critically important. Thank you to all those who have contributed to making every edition of the book better, stronger and more dynamic.  

Acknowledgements

Many people have contributed to the publication of Nation Dates – too many to acknowledge individually. However, some deserve special mention. We are particularly grateful to one of the Institute’s patrons, Dame Dr Claudia Orange. Her expertise was invaluable, particularly when reviewing the events either side of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Her absolute commitment to accurate data, historical context and historians is breathtaking. Claudia’s work reminds me of the importance of investing in our future by recording our past and that our future will be all the better if we understand the intricacies of our shared past and work together to craft our vision for our shared future.

First edition

Special thanks go to participants of the StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future workshop held in March 2011, as well as to Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, Hon Peter Dunne, Professor Sir Mason Durie, Professor Philip Joseph, Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Professor Maurice P. K. Sorrenson and Dr Ranginui Walker, all of whom helped directly or indirectly in supporting the purpose and content of this book. Important contributions were made by McGuinness Institute staff and interns, including Liz Allan, Mahina-a-rangi Baker, Dr Felicity Barnes, Lisa Bazalo, Maria English, Penny Garty, Mia Gaudin, Perrine Gilkison, Louise Grace-Pickering, Willow Henderson, Rhett Goodley-Hornblow, Niki Lomax, Angus McBryde, Jessica Prendergast, Lara Rapson, Rory Sarten, Ella Spittle, Stephanie Versteeg, Hayley Vujcich, Diane White, Grace White and Jamie Winiata.

Second edition

The book was further improved with feedback from the following people: Paul Corliss, John Crawford, Roger Dennis, Leo Donnelly, Norman Gemmell, Hon Paul Goldsmith, Murray Gribben, Glenn Hardingham, Janine Haywood, Shaun Killerby, Murray Lynch, Keith Quinn and Phil Whittington. I am also extremely thankful to Phil Crown for allowing us to publish the Rangawhenua Tawhaki whakataukī (found on p. 7 in this edition). We were fortunate to have the same staff for the second edition, thereby ensuring continuity with the first edition.

Third edition

The following people, external to the Institute, provided us with important information for this edition: Hon Jim Anderton, Rebecca Barclay, John Brinsley-Pirie, Zak Brown, Claire Callaghan, Leigh Coleman, John Crawford, Penny Griffith, Timothy Grigg, Glenn Hardingham, Matanuku Mahuika, Jeanette McLennan, Samuel Mellor, Ken Miller, Mark Nicholson, Andrew Paul, Elizabeth Radford, Kirsten Rei, Hamish Rennie, Danae Smith, Lee Smith and Mere Wilson Tuala-Fata. Staff working on this edition included: Wei Kai Chen, Madeleine Foreman, Ashley Kate Hall, Lachlan McGuinness, Sophie Peat, Daniela Rodriguez, Nicholas Shackleton, Karri Shaw, Isabella Smith and Hannah Steiner-Mitchell. All made vital contributions to the third edition’s preparation.

Fourth edition

The book was further improved with assistance from Jonathan Boston, David Green, Rodney Scott, Rachel Hayward and Vincent O’Malley. Special thanks must also go to the NZDF and the NZ Police for their help with updating the Peace Support Operations timeline, Professor Ian Ball for his help on the Government net worth timeline, and the Electoral Commission for the image of the 2020 referendum voting paper (p. 322). Research assistance was provided by Anna Broom, Reuben Brady, Holly Diepraam, Jacob Flanagan, Anna Higgins, Eleanor Merton, Arne Larsen, Angus Shaw, Paddy Shonakan, Isabella Smith, Madison Crisp and Lucy Witkowski.

Fifth edition

The book was further improved by Professor Ian Ball, Nick Mortimer, James Picker, Ella Reilly and David Williams. We particularly want to acknowledge the descendants of Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, in particular Challen Wilson, for allowing us to reprint her photo (p. 97). We appreciated the opportunity to share Farid Ahmed’s important words and image (p. 258); thank you Abbas Nazari for helping make this happen. A special thank you to Jim Bolger for allowing us to publish his photo with the Queen (p. 344). Dr Nigel Isaacs’ gift of a series of editions of Datus: A Chronology of New Zealand from the Time of the Moa, by George Finn, continues to inspire further editions of Nation Dates (see the cover of the book on p. 380 in this edition). While researching Nation Dates we found the Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s NZHistory and Te Ara websites to be invaluable; thank you for keeping such an exemplary record of our history. The Parliamentary Library, the Turnbull Library and the Waitangi Tribunal have also been essential for our work in terms of gathering images, collecting data and verifying information. Thank you also to Joanne Ichimura, special collections archivist at the University of London, for her very timely research and photography, which enabled the missionaries’ journal to be included (p. 51). Staff working on this edition were Lucy Witkowski and Sophora Peat, with additional research and verification provided by Reuben Brady, Eilish Cartysquires, Dana King, Arne Larsen, Mani McDougall, Josie McGuinness, Helena Palmer, Sorcha Ruth, Paddy Shonakan and Molly Woods.

General acknowledgements

Our patrons are phenomenal; we are proud to be associated with the following individuals: Roger Dennis, Sue Elliott, Dr Bronwyn Hayward, Professor Mark Henaghan, Dr Carwyn Jones, Dr Girol Karacaoglu, Hon Nikki Kaye, Elaina Lauaki-Vea, Dr Ella Lawton, Trevor Moeke, Bill Moran, Lay Wee Ng, Dame Dr Claudia Orange, Michelle Pawson, Neville Peat, Jessica Prendergast, Mike Reid, Lachlan Rule, Dame Diane Robertson, Conal Smith and Dr Morgan Williams. We would also like to acknowledge the past work of Sir Paul Callaghan, Jan Lee Martin, Kevin Simpkins and Peter Rankin. We would like to thank Gerald Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald Legal) and Rachel Farrant (BDO) for their ongoing support of the Institute. We also had help from friends and family, in particular Elizabeth Radford, Cheryl McGuinness, Paul and Isabel White, Louise and John Shackleton, Colin Radford, and Peter McGuinness. Thank you to our many family and friends who often debated, discussed and negotiated over dinner what makes a significant date in New Zealand’s history. It should be acknowledged that the significant events we have chosen have already been selected and written about by those before us. Our challenge has been to ensure we honour the work of the many historians who have committed their working lives to understanding our past, and then presenting it so that it is accessible to all. Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the team at Willis Bond. Without their hard work and support, we would not be able to bring this sort of detailed work to fruition.