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Timeline of the New Zealand environment

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates

This is a timeline of environmental history of New Zealand. It includes notable events affecting the natural environment of New Zealand as a result of human activity.

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Pre 1700sEdit

14th century-

16th century

  • Final extinction of all eleven species of moa.

1642

  • Tasman is first European to reach New Zealand.

1760sEdit

1769

1790sEdit

1800sEdit

1830sEdit

1837

1840sEdit

1840

1860sEdit

  • Ship rat spreads throughout North Island.

1860

1861

  • The Protection of Certain Animals Act passed - legislated that: "No Deer of any kind, Hare, Swan, Partridge, English Plover, Rook, Starling, Thrush or Blackbird" could be shot for the rest of the decade.<ref name=SoE>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1864

  • Wild Birds Protection Act - legislated that: "No Wild Duck, Paradise Duck, or Pigeon indigenous in the colony shall be hunted, taken, or killed except during the months of April, May, June, and July in any year".<ref name = SoE/>

1867

  • Trout and Salmon Protection Act passed - made provision for "the preservation and propagation of Salmon and Trout in this Colony".<ref name = SoE/>

1870sEdit

1870

1875

  • Seal hunting restricted to a short annual season.<ref name = SoE/>

1876

  • Rabbit Nuisance Act passed.<ref name = SoE/>

1879

  • Ferrets introduced to control rabbits even after warnings were made of their effects on bird life.

1880sEdit

1882

  • Small Birds Nuisance Act passed.<ref name = SoE/>

1884

  • One hundred stoat and weasel were caught in Lincolnshire, England for shipment to New Zealand. The passage is expected to take 45 days and 1,500 live pigeons were also shipped for their consumption.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1885

  • Stoats and weasels are liberated as a misguided attempt to control rabbits.

1887

1890sEdit

1890

  • An area of land, that will become the Trounson Kauri Park, is set aside by the Government. [1]

1893

  • Rainbow trout successfully introduced by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society.

1894

1897

1900sEdit

1900

1901

  • Noxious Weeds Act passed

1903

1904

  • Scenery Preservation Commission appointed.

1907

1907

  • Population reached one million.<ref name="stats2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1920sEdit

1921

  • Herbert Guthrie-Smiths Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station is published.
  • Animals Protection and Game Act 1921-22

1923

1929

1930sEdit

1936

1940sEdit

1941

  • Soil and Rivers Control Act was enforced. This was the first piece of coordinated environmental legislation in New Zealand.

1942

1946

1948

1949

1950sEdit

1952

1953

1954

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1960sEdit

1964

1965

  • Hydro dam proposed at Tuapeka River mouth is opposed by local residents.

1967

1967

1970sEdit

1970

1971

1972

1973

  • Government decides to put South Island beech forests up for tender for chipping.
  • Population reaches three million.<ref name=stats2003/>

1974

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1975

1976

1977

  • The "Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone Act" is passed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Queen Elizabeth II National Trust Act set up to encourage the protection of private land from development.
  • 20 July — The Maruia Declaration with a 341,159 signature petition is presented to Government.
  • 23 December — The Reserves Act is passed (includes provision for Wilderness Areas).<ref name=autogenerated2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1978

  • Tree top protest in Pureora Forest to halt the logging of native forest.
  • 1 April — The Reserves Act 1977 comes into force.

1979

1980sEdit

1980

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1982

  • The approval of the water rights necessary for the high Clyde Dam is overturned on appeal in Gilmore v. National Water and Soil Conservation Authority (1982)<ref name="wheen">Wheen, N. (2002) A history of New Zealand environmental law. pp 261-274, In Environmental histories of New Zealand, edited by Pawson, E. and Brooking, T. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, page 268.</ref>
  • The National Government enacts the Clutha Development (Clyde Dam Empowering) Act 1982 to overturn the High Court case refusing water rights.<ref name="wheen"/>

1983

1984

1985

1986

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1987

1989

1990sEdit

1990

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  • Establishment of the Forest Heritage Fund (later renamed "Nature Heritage Fund").
  • Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Award established<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1991

1993

1994

1996

1997

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  • Wild Greens group formed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Zerowaste Trust established.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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1998

  • Creation of New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands World Heritage site.<ref name=autogenerated3 />
  • 22 May — New Zealand signs the Kyoto Protocol.

1999

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2000sEdit

2000

2001

  • Moratorium on new marine farming applications, initially for two years.
  • Forest restoration on the Kāpiti Coast.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2002

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  • Ferrets no longer able to be legally bred, sold or distributed.
  • 25 January — New Zealand Environment magazine launched.
  • 22 December — New Zealand ratifies the Kyoto Protocol.

2003

  • Govt3, a sustainability programme for government department, is established
  • YHA NZ started a Young Environmentalist programme.
  • The WWF Living Planet report ranks New Zealand fourteenth largest per capita ecological footprint.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 24 April — New Zealand population is estimated to top 4,000,000.<ref name=stats2003/>
  • 26 May — Campbell Island declared rat free.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • June — Consultation is sought on an Agricultural emissions research levy (commonly called the "flatulence tax" or "fart tax").
  • 5 September — New Zealand Environment magazine discontinued.
  • 11 September — Environment Minister addresses pollution in the Rotorua lakes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 31 October — Businessman jailed for clearing native bush (this has set a legal precedent)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2004

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  • 20 January — Two Czech visitors fined for plant smuggling.
  • 8 February — 13,000-litre diesel spill in Milford Sound.
  • 12 March — Mount Burnett mining road application turned down.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 10 May — Kaikōura Island protected. [3]
  • 17 May — Montréal Protocol comes into force. [4]
  • 18 October — More invasive plants discovered in Auckland [5]
  • 3 November — PCE releases report on the environmental effects of farming. [6]
  • 31 December — Moratorium on marine farms lifted after the passing of the Aquaculture Reform Bill. [7]

2005

  • Non-toxic shot only is to be used for waterfowl hunting from the 2005 season onwards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 14 March — Application lodged for mining black sands off the west coast of the North Island.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 1 April - The Income Tax Act 2004, which makes it easier to claim environmental expenditure, comes into force.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 22 April — Landsborough Station purchased.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 1 May — Pesticides blamed for killing native frogs.
  • 26 May — Environment Court rules in favour of Solid Energy for the Cypress mine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 28 July — First criminal conviction for killing a fur seal is handed down.
  • September — Rock snot found in the Buller River.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • November — Last remaining use of reusable glass milk bottles will end.
  • 18 November — Cavers protest about potential damage to Te Tahi Cave when used for adventure racing.
  • 20 December — A tunnel is proposed to link Queenstown and the Milford Sound road.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2006

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2007

  • January — DoC considers that almost half of the native plants and animals are threatened.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 30 May — Government gives $9.88 million to clean up the Tui mine tailings site.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 30 November — The orange roughy fishery is closed to allow stocks of the fish to recover.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2008

  • The Waste Minimisation Act 2008 is passed.
  • 31 January — Environment New Zealand 2007, a State of the Environment report, is released.
  • 10 February — The Green Party leak Chapter 13 of Environment New Zealand 2007 State of the environment report, which slates the dairy industry and the high level of consumption in New Zealand.
  • 20 February — A survey shows that 53% of New Zealanders' are deeply concerned that we are not doing enough to protect the environment.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2009

2010sEdit

2010
2011
  • June — The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommends against a moratorium on 1080, citing the ensuing damage to native forests and animals if such a ban went ahead.
  • 1 July — the Environmental Protection Authority begins operation.
  • 5 October — the container ship Rena runs aground on Astrolabe Reef, 12 nautical miles off Tauranga, resulting in New Zealand's worst oil spill.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2012

2013

  • Department of Conservation publishes findings raising concerns about the impact of introduced trout on native fish.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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2014

  • West Coast Wind-blown Timber (Conservation Lands) Act 2014 passed


See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Further readingEdit

  • Bührs, T. and Bartlett, R.V.; (1993) Environmental policy in New Zealand: The politics of clean & green?. Auckland: Oxford University Press. Template:ISBN
  • Cant, Garth and Kirkpatrick, Russell (eds.); (2001) Rural Canterbury: Celebrating its History. Wellington: Daphne Brasell Associates Ltd. Template:ISBN
  • King, Carolyn; (1984) Immigrant Killers. Auckland: Oxford University Press. Template:ISBN
  • Knight, Catherine (2014) Ravaged Beauty: An Environmental History of the Manawatu. Auckland: Dunmore Press. Template:ISBN
  • Knight, Catherine (2016) New Zealand's Rivers: An Environmental History. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. Template:ISBN
  • Pawson, Eric and Booking, Tom (eds.); (2002) Environmental Histories of New Zealand. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Template:ISBN
  • Young, David; (2004) Our Islands, Our Selves. Dunedin: University of Otago Press. Template:ISBN
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