MAPS OF HISTORY · HISTORY OF · New Zealand
ONE LAND · 3 ATLASES
New Zealand, on the map of history
What was New Zealand before it was New Zealand? Below, every era of this land in the Maps of History collection — 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 · The Great War, 1914–1918
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.
| NOV 1914 | Entente-aligned & imperial territories — the opening position |
New Zealand · The War Room — WW2, 1936–1945
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.
| JUL 1937 | Western Allies — the opening position |
New Zealand · The Cold War, 1945–1991
| AUG 1945 | NATO & core Western allies — the opening position |
OPEN THE COLD WAR ON THE LIVING MAP →
THE DISPATCH
One short letter when a new atlas opens — and a printable atlas study guide of your choice is yours now, free.
NO TRACKING · YOUR ADDRESS IS USED FOR THE DISPATCH AND NOTHING ELSE · UNSUBSCRIBE ANYTIME