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Comprising two main islands and a number of small islands, New Zealand is a remote country in the South Pacific Ocean, lying more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Australia. It was annexed by Great Britain in 1840 and did not become fully independent until 1947.
On 26 September 1907 the United Kingdom granted New Zealand (along with Newfoundland, which later became a part of Canada) "Dominion" status within the British Empire. New Zealand became known as the Dominion of New Zealand. The date was declared Dominion Day, but never reached any popularity as a day of independence.
Its first colonies were in North America, and it later stretched into Asia, Africa and the Pacific, including New Zealand from 1840. The empire ended – mainly peacefully – in the half-century after the Second World War, as former colonies became independent.
After the war New Zealand signed the Treaty of Versailles (1919), joined the League of Nations and pursued an independent foreign policy, while its defence was still controlled by Britain. New Zealand depended on Britain's Royal Navy for its military security during the 1920s and 1930s.
In response to the New Zealand Company's attempts to establish an independent settlement in Wellington, [64] [65] Hobson declared British sovereignty over all of New Zealand on 21 May 1840, even though copies of the treaty were still circulating throughout the country for Māori to sign. [66]
New Zealand reaffirmed its independence in 1947, signed the Australia, New Zealand, and US (ANZUS) Treaty, and militarily supported the US in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Beginning in 1984, New Zealand began to adopt nuclear-free policies, contributing to a dispute with the US over naval ship visits that led the US to suspend its defense ...
In 1948 New Zealanders became New Zealand citizens – before that they had been British citizens. New Zealand gained full legal independence when Parliament passed the Constitution Act 1986. In 2003 a new Supreme Court was created, replacing Britain’s Privy Council as New Zealand’s final court of appeal.
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