Early Naval Vessels of New Zealand - Timeline

Timeline

• c. 1300: War canoes or waka taua of the Māori
• 1642: Abel Tasman visits in his ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen
• 1769: James Cook visits in his barque HM Bark Endeavour
• 1788: The colony of New South Wales is founded with a technical responsibility for New Zealand. In practice they had little interest and the responsibility was withdrawn in 1841
• 1790s: British, French and American whaling, sealing and trading ships start arriving in numbers.
• 1840: The Treaty of Waitangi is signed bringing New Zealand into the British Empire and giving Māori equal rights with British citizens.
• 1840: Auckland becomes the capital
• 1840: Captain Owen Stanley on HMS Britomart draws up an Admiralty Chart of the Waitemata Harbour
• 1840s: The rate of European settlement, primarily from the United Kingdom, becomes considerable.
• 1841: New Zealand is proclaimed a colony, independent of New South Wales, and divided into provinces.
• 1846: First steam warship to visit New Zealand, HMS Driver, 20 Jan 1846
• 1846: First gunboat purchased by a governing authority in New Zealand
• 1848: HMS Acheron, a steam paddle sloop, begins the "Great Survey" of the New Zealand coast
• 1852: The New Zealand Constitution Act is passed establishing a colonial government.
• 1856: First detailed hydrographic survey of New Zealand ports and the coastline completed.
• 1859: The number of white settlers (Pākehā) exceeds the number of Māori.
• 1860: Naval help is sought from Australia as land wars escalate.
• 1862–1870: To assist in the land wars a temporary navy is established. This is the Waikato flotilla, New Zealand's first de facto navy, comprising eight river boats, four armoured barges, five coastal boats and a naval dockyard.
• 1863: The 300 ton stern wheel gunboat Pioneer, built in Sydney, is the first warship purpose-built for the New Zealand Government. She is followed by two sister ships, Koheroa and Rangiriri.
• 1880s: In response to Russian scares coastal defences are established in the main ports.
• 1882: The first submarine mining steamer is ordered.
• 1884: A spar torpedo boat is attached to each of the main ports.
• 1885–88: Calliope Dock, 500 feet (150 m) long, is constructed. It is the largest in the southern hemisphere.
• 1887: The Imperial Conference in London establishes the Australasian Auxiliary Squadron. New Zealand agrees to pay an annual subsidy of £20,000.
• 1904: The Imperial Conference in London increases the annual subsidy to £40,000.
• 1907: New Zealand changes from being a colony to a separate dominion within the commonwealth.
• 1907: The Marine Department acquires an 800 ton gun boat and converts her to the New Zealand's first training ship, NZS Amokura.
• 1908: The dreadnought battleship race with Germany starts and the Imperial Conference in London increases the annual subsidy to £100,000.
• 1908: Construction of a naval wharf and workshops at Calliope Point begins, funded by the Admiralty.
• 1911: New Zealand gives the battlecruiser, HMS New Zealand, to Britain.
• 1911: The number of white settlers (Pākehā) reaches one million
• 1913: New Zealand Naval Forces are created as a separate division within the Royal Navy and the history of the naval forces of New Zealand is continued in that article.