2022 Tier 1 event
- 50th anniversary of the presentation of the Māori language petition and first Māori Language Day
Find out more about Te 50 tau o te Petihana mō te reo Māori
2022 Tier 2 events
- 25th anniversaries of Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language and Dictionary of New Zealand English
- 50th anniversary of equal pay legislation
- 75th anniversary of Ballantyne’s fire
- 50th anniversary of first national kapa haka competition (now known as Te Matatini)
- 75th anniversary of the formation of the National Symphony Orchestra (now New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)
- 100th anniversary of radio broadcasting
2021 Tier 2 events
- 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka, during the Northern War.
- 125th anniversary of the Brunner mine disaster, New Zealand’s deadliest industrial accident.
- 75th anniversary of the arrival of Jayforce in Japan.
- 50th anniversary of the establishment of the South Pacific Forum, now the Pacific Islands Forum.
- 25th anniversary of the first MMP election.
2020 Tier 1 event
2020 Tier 2 events
- 175th anniversary of the start of the Northern War
- 100th anniversary of New Zealand sending its first official team to the Olympics
- 100th anniversary of New Zealand attending the League of Nations and the 75th anniversary of signing the United Nations Charter
- 100th anniversary of the opening of the Alexander Turnbull Library
- 25th anniversary of New Zealand joining the World Trade Organisation
2019 Tier 1 events
- 250th anniversary of the first meetings of Māori and Europeans between James Cook and Tahitian chief and navigator Tupaia. Visit our Tuia - Encounters 250 website for more details.
- 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Versailles and peace celebrations
2019 Tier 2 events
- 200th anniversary of the first planting of fruit frees and wine grapes
- 150th anniversary of the founding of New Zealand's first university - University of Otago
- 100th anniversary of New Zealand joining the International Labour Organisaton
- 75th anniversary of the abolition of the poll tax on Chinese migrants
2018 Tier 1 events
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125th anniversary of women's suffrage (1893)
On 19 September 1893 the Electoral Act 1893 was passed, giving all women in New Zealand the right to vote. As a result of this landmark legislation, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world in which all women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections. - 100th anniversary of the battle at Le Quesnoy - National Commemoration held in France (1918)
- 100th anniversary of Armistice - National Commemoration held at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park (1918)
2018 Tier 2 events
- 175th anniversary of the Wairau incident
- 150th anniversary of the start of the fighting between Crown forces and the forces of Titokowaru and Te Kooti
- 150th anniversary of New Zealand becoming the first country to introduce nationwide standard time
- 100th anniversary of the influenza pandemic
- 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Wahine. The Wahine 50 Trust organised a number of events for the commemoration on 10 April 2018.
2017 Tier 1 Event
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100th anniversary of the war in Belgium and Sinai/Palestine (1917)
NZHistory - Passchendaele: fighting for Belgium
Te Ara feature on the war in Belgium
NZHistory - The Sinai campaign
2017 Tier 2 events
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150th anniversary of the Māori Representation Act establishing Māori seats in Parliament
NZHistory - Māori and the vote
Te Ara feature on Māori representation -
150th anniversary of the creation of the Native School system
Te Ara feature on the Native School system -
100th anniversary of the introduction and 50th anniversary of the end of 6 o'clock closing in bars
NZHistory - 'Six o'clock swill' begins
NZHistory - The end of the '6 o'clock swill'
Te Ara feature on the beer swill -
50th anniversary of the adoption of the decimal currency
NZHistory - New Zealand adopts decimal currency
Te Ara feature on the decimal currency (view the 1967 decimal currency song here)
Decimal currency move a defining moment
2016 Tier 1 event
- 100th anniversary of the War in France (1916)
2016 Tier 2 events
- 200th anniversary of New Zealand's first school
- 150th anniversary of the Cook Strait undersea telegraph cable and the 140th anniversary of the trans-Tasman undersea telegraph cable
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120th anniversary of the first public film screening, 100th anniversary of the introduction of film censorship and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the National Film Unit
Listen to a Radio New Zealand feature about the history of the National Film Unit here and a second part which first aired in July and August 2016. - 75th anniversary of the founding of the Royal New Zealand Navy
- 50th anniversary of Vietnam War (Battle of Long Tan)
2015 Tier 1 events
- 175th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi (1840)
- 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign (1915)
2015 Tier 2 events
- 150th anniversary of Wellington becoming the capital of New Zealand
- 150th anniversary of the creation of the Native Land Court
- 75th anniversary of the start of regular trans-Tasman air services
- 70th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day
- 50th anniversary of the Cook Islands self-government
2014 Tier 1 event
- 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and occupation of Samoa (1914)
2014 Tier 2 events
- 200th anniversary of the first mission station
- 75th anniversary of the Battle of River Plate
Updated on 12th January 2023