1917 Battle of Passchendaele

The Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres, Flandernschlacht and Deuxième Bataille des Flandres) was a major campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders. Matters of dispute by the participants, writers and historians since the war, have included the wisdom of pursuing an offensive strategy in the wake of the Nivelle Offensive, rather than waiting for the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France. 3,700 New Zealanders killed.

1912 Malcolm Champion

Malcolm Eadie Champion (1883 - 1939) was New Zealand's first Olympic gold medallist, and the first swimmer to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games. He won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden as part of a combined team with Australia, competing as Australasia. Between 1901 and 1914, Champion won thirty-two New Zealand national titles, at one point holding the titles for every distance between 220 yards (200 m) and one mile (1.6 km).

1907 Dominion of New Zealand declared

Following the 1907 Imperial Conference, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed a motion respectfully requesting to change the designation of New Zealand from the "Colony of New Zealand" to the "Dominion of New Zealand". Originally administered from New South Wales, New Zealand became a separate British Crown colony in 1841 and received a large measure of self-government following the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. New Zealand chose not to take part in Australian Federation and assumed complete self-government as the Dominion of New Zealand in 1907, Dominion Day, by proclamation of King Edward VII.

1903 New Zealand rugby team

Rugby is regarded the country's national sport. The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly called the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in men's rugby union. They have a 77% winning record in test match rugby, and are the only international side with a winning record against every opponent. The All Blacks statistically speaking are the best side to have played the game. The team's first true test match occurred against Australia's Wallabies in 1903 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and resulted in a 22–3 victory. A test match in rugby union is an international match, usually played between two senior national teams, that is recognized as such by one of the teams' national governing bodies.

1896 National Council of Women is founded

The National Council of Women of New Zealand is a lobbying group for women's rights. Women in New Zealand won the right to the vote in 1893. Three years later in 1896, the National Council of Women of New Zealand was established at a women's convention in Christchurch. Kate Sheppard, who had led the campaign for women's suffrage, was elected as the first President. Other founding members included: Anna Stout, Margaret Sievwright, Annie Schnackenberg, Wilhelmina Sherriff Bain, and Ada Wells. The Council went into recess in 1906.

1887 New Zealand's first national park

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island and the fourth national park established in the world. The active volcanic mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro are located in the centre of the park. The Tongariro National Park is home to the famed Tongariro Alpine Crossing, widely regarded as one of the world's best one-day hikes. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites.

1861 Gold Rush begins

The Otago Gold Rush was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area. The rush started at Gabriel's Gully but spread throughout much of Central Otago, leading to the rapid expansion and commercialization of the new colonial settlement of Dunedin, which quickly grew to be New Zealand's largest city. (Thomas) Gabriel Read (1824 - 1894) was a Tasmanian gold prospector born between 1824 - 1826. After working on the goldfields of California and Victoria, Australia, Read travelled to Otago, having heard rumours of gold being found in Mataura. In 1861 he discovered gold close to the banks of the Tuapeka River in Otago, at Gabriel's Gully, which is named after him.