Editing Terra nullius (section)

==== South Island of New Zealand ====
In 1840, the newly appointed [[lieutenant governor|Lieutenant-Governor]] of [[New Zealand]], Captain [[William Hobson]] of the [[Royal Navy]], following instructions from the British government, declared sovereignty over the Middle Island (later called the [[South Island]]) and [[Stewart Island]] on the basis they were ''terra nullius''.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}