ONE LAND · 3 ATLASES
History of New Zealand in maps
New Zealand as it appears in 3 interactive history atlases, from 1914 to 1991: New Zealand. Each era below lists who ruled the land and when control changed, linked to the dated map that shows it.
WW2 is free — every chapter. Try chapters 1–2 of any 2 other atlases (3 with a free account). Opening a new atlas uses one of them. Membership opens all 21 — Join.
What was New Zealand before it was New Zealand? Below, every era of this land in the Maps of History atlases — who ruled it, what it was called, and when control changed — each line linked to the dated map that shows it. Modern borders stand in as an honest approximation; every atlas says so on the map itself.
New Zealand · WWI
New Zealand put a tenth of its entire population in uniform — proportionally among the heaviest contributions of the war — from Gallipoli to Passchendaele, where one October day in 1917 remains its deadliest ever. Anzac Day binds it to Australia’s memory of the same beaches.
| Entente-aligned & imperial territories — the opening position |
New Zealand · WW2
Sent a higher share of its population to war than almost any Allied nation; its division fought at Crete, El Alamein and Cassino, while the Pacific war redefined its security — like Australia’s — around the United States.
| Western Allies — the opening position |
New Zealand · Cold War
| NATO & core Western allies — the opening position |
COLD WAR: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
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