By the late 1830s there were more than 2,000 British subjects living in New Zealand, which the British considered to be part of the colony of New South Wales.

On 6 February 1840, Captain William Hobson and about forty Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Treaty established a British governor in New Zealand, recognised Maori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave the Maori people the rights of British subjects. According to the British, however, (the Maori seem to have had a range of understandings) the Treaty also gave Britain sovereignty over New Zealand and the Governor the right to run the country.

Today the Treaty it is generally considered to be the founding document of New Zealand as a nation; though it is often the subject of heated debate. New Zealand became a colony in its own right on 3 May 1841.

In 1893 the New Zealand government extended voting rights to women, making New Zealand the first country in the world to enact universal female suffrage.

New Zealand decided against joining the Commonwealth of Australia and in 1907, the country became an independent Dominion, equal in political status to Australia and Canada.

Image: The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Marcus King, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand