Culture and Society

What was the state of relations between Maori and Europeans in the unstable years before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed?

Explore the background to the holidays and anniversaries that stand out on today's calendar and those that loomed large in times past.

Playing pop records, watching TV or curling up with a good book are activities at the heart of NZ life, especially when the sounds and words tell stories with a Kiwi accent

Explore some of the natural disasters, shipwrecks, train crashes and other tragedies that caused major loss of life and shocked New Zealand.

A transport revolution, spearheaded by shipping and railways, has transformed New Zealand over the past 150 years.

The achievement of better health care and more affordable housing for New Zealanders has not come without sacrifice and often painful struggle.

Key events in New Zealand history broken down by decade

Discover how New Zealanders have played, watched and even protested at sports events over a century and a half. What does it say about our cultural identity?

Discover how the New Zealand justice system has dealt with some of its most notorious criminals, and how it has, at times, dished out the ultimate penalty.

Read, watch and listen to stories of European immigration out to New Zealand over two centuries.

Why do the ways New Zealanders eat, play, exercise and dress provide colourful and important cultural markers?

While many New Zealand communities have thrived, others have become ghost towns, victims of changing economic and social forces.

Natural landscapes – picturesque, challenging, often dangerous – have inspired explorers and adventurers, as well as those seeking to protect the environment.

A look at how New Zealand and New Zealanders have memorialised the past.