Who First Settled In New Zealand?

New Zealand is an island nation situated in the south western part of the Pacific Ocean; the nation comprises of two main islands the North Island and the South Island along with several small islands.

New Zealand as compared to other places on Earth does not have records of human settlements dating thousands of years; the earliest accounts of the land mass being settled date from the 8th century AD when it is supposed that Polynesian people migrated from the islands to the north and north east of New Zealand and established a distinct culture subsequently known along with the people as Maori which means 'normal' in the indigenous language.

The first European to sight the islands is considered to be the famous Dutch explorer and navigator Abel Tasman when he anchored off the coast of South Island in 1642; the subsequent European visits were of the British explorer James Cook in 1769 well over a century after Tasman followed by whaling ships and seal hunters.

The islands became a British colony after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the Maori tribal chiefs and the British Resident James Busby on February 6, 1840. New Zealand became independent in 1931 a status subsequently confirmed in 1947 when the Parliament became fully autonomous.