The ENTIRE History of New Zealand in 22 Minutes

People had lived on every other big land on Earth for thousands of years. Then, around 1280, the first footprints appeared on two islands at the bottom of the world. And a single sheet of paper signed in 1840 is still being argued over today, weeks before an election. This is the whole history of New Zealand in one sitting. It runs from the sunken continent of Zealandia and the rat-gnawed seeds that dated the first arrival, through the myth of the Great Fleet, the extinction of the moa, the Moriori of the Chatham Islands and Abel Tasman's Murderers' Bay. It follows James Cook and the navigator Tupaia, the Musket Wars, the Treaty of Waitangi and what each text really said, and the Waikato war and land confiscations. Then come the frozen-meat ship Dunedin, the first national vote for women, Gallipoli, and Britain walking away to join Europe. It ends with Whina Cooper's land march, the nuclear-free stand, the Rainbow Warrior bombing and the 2024 hīkoi. Finally, it explains why New Zealand First's plan to abolish the Waitangi Tribunal puts the oldest question in the country's history on the ballot in November. Chapters: 00:00 Zealandia: the hidden continent 02:15 The rat that tells time 03:08 The Great Fleet myth and the moa 04:31 Moa hunters and the Moriori 05:28 Abel Tasman and Murderers' Bay 06:21 James Cook and Tupaia 07:18 Hongi Hika and the Musket Wars 08:37 The Chatham Islands, 1835 09:37 The Treaty of Waitangi 11:20 The Waikato war and confiscation 12:28 The frozen ship and women's vote 14:32 Gallipoli 15:19 Britain walks away 15:59 Whina Cooper and the Tribunal 16:44 Nuclear-free and the Rainbow Warrior 17:49 From 1995 to the 2026 election This documentary is based on archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed research and primary historical sources, and it stays faithful to the historical record. Which country or city should we cover next? Tell us in the comments.