explore the history of New Zealand's
culture and society,
politics and government,
and the impact of war
TODAY IN HISTORY
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/styles/bio_square_thumb_160x160/public/images/mt-cook-climb.jpg?itok=C6Onlx5v)
1970 Aoraki/Mt Cook face conquered by hippies
Long-haired Christchurch mountaineers John Glasgow and Peter Gough became the first to scale the 2000-m Caroline Face of Aoraki/Mt Cook, declaring it a ‘triumph for the hippies’
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/styles/bio_square_thumb_160x160/public/images/acheron_1.jpg?itok=g9d0yegB)
1848 The Acheron arrives to begin survey of NZ waters
Captained by John Lort Stokes, the paddle steamer Acheron spent four years charting the New Zealand coastline.
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/styles/bio_square_thumb_160x160/public/psa-event.jpg?itok=cTCYmX9Y)
1912 Public Service Act passed into law
The Public Service Act was passed into law, creating a framework for New Zealand’s bureaucracy that was to endure until 1988. The Act was the brainchild of lawyer Alexander Herdman, a senior minister in the new Reform Party government.
KIWI OF THE WEEK
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/styles/bio_square_thumb_160x160/public/griff-mclaurin-biography.jpg?itok=QdyWWg4U)
Griff Maclaurin
New Zealander Griff Maclaurin was one of the first international volunteers to be killed in the Spanish Civil War.
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New Zealand and the First World War
![New Zealand and the First World War New Zealand and the First World War](/web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/homepage-nz-and-first-world-war.png)
The First World War had a seismic impact on New Zealand, reshaping the country's perception of itself and its place in the world.
Women's Suffrage Petition
![Suffrage Petition Suffrage Petition](/web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/homepage-suffrage-petition-crop.jpg)
The 1893 Women's suffrage petition — signed by more than 25,000 women, about a fifth of the enture adult European female population — helped pave the way for the passage of New Zealand's world-leading Electoral Act in September 1893.
See the digitised version of the petitionMemorials Register
![Memorials Register Memorials Register](/web/20161107032648im_/http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/homepage-memorials-register-crop.jpg)
Find exact locations and further information for more than 900 memorials throughout New Zealand.
Explore the memorials