Nation Dates interactive preview
Big thanks to Mike Crean for reviewing our Second Edition for The Press and the Dominion Post. It was a great review – and I have taken on board his comments regarding the 2011 Rugby World Cup. I actually attended the final in Auckland, and should have known better! The Third Edition will definitely include this date. Sometimes I feel guilty that only mine and Miriam’s names appear on the front of this book because in reality it is New Zealand’s book, and we have benefited enormously from public feedback. So please keep it coming – we really appreciate it.
Have a happy and productive year, lets make the 2013 entries something to celebrate.
Wendy (and Miriam)
We are proud to announce the publication of the second edition of Nation Dates! After receiving a lot of great feedback from those who loved the first edition, we have added 85 new significant dates, and two new chapters (Peace Support Operations and Treaty Settlements).
We’ve also updated the cover, which now folds out to show New Zealand’s ‘genetic code’ – a visualisation of the historic threads. At the back we’ve presented infographics showing the evolution of New Zealand’s land cover and seabed.
Some new additions to our timeline include:
• 1867 – British Victoria Cross awarded to a New Zealander
• 1878 – Land tax introduced
• 1890 – Labour Day established
• 1898 – First New Zealand film
• 1904 – First use of the kiwi as a symbol of the nation
• 1923 – First conservation organisation established
• 2011 – Rena oil spill
• 2012 – Waitangi Tribunal report on the Wai 262 claim released
Genetic Code of New Zealand’s Past
To purchase a copy, visit Unity books Wellington, or shop online at www.nationdates.org
RRP $35 (GST inclusive)
Wendy and Miriam
The second edition of Nation Dates is under way! We want the book to be the best reflection of our history and identity as a nation. Therefore, we are eager to hear your thoughts on other dates and events that are significant to the shaping of New Zealand.
Some of the suggestions we have already received include;
1777 – Rabbits introduced
1809 – Boyd incident
1904 – First use of the kiwi as an unofficial symbol of the nation
1944 – Annual leave introduced
2011 – Rena oil spill
Any new dates will be most welcome. Please post suggestions on the feedback page. We look forward to hearing from you!
Wendy McGuinness and Miriam White
We recently donated a copy of Nation Dates to every public secondary and intermediate school in New Zealand – 650 copies in total. We have gratefully received some lovely thank you letters from a number of schools around New Zealand.
“Many thanks for the copy of Nation Dates. It’s a little gem and will, no doubt, prove to be a useful resource here at school.” – from Rosey Mabin, Principal of Inglewood High School, Taranaki
“Thank you so much for your gift to our College students of your comprehensive book, ‘Nation Dates’. It is very clearly laid out and I am sure the students will find it easy to access the information.” – from Margaret Paiti, Principal of Linwood College, Christchurch
“Thank you for the copy of your book that you have kindly donated to our school library. This is a great addition to our resources that I am sure will be well utilized; empowering young people to shape a long-term future.” – from Rose Sawaya, Principle of Sacred Heart Girls’ College, New Plymouth
Posted by: Niki Lomax
Paul Little reviews Nation Dates in the March edition of North & South calling it ‘hours of stimulating fun.’
He also comments that ‘Nation Dates is simple in concept and structure: a timeline of 440 significant events since Cook’s arrival occupies most of it, but each event is connected to one of 65 historical threads, such as flags, currency or local governance.’ Thanks for your comments Paul!
On Thursday 24 November, the Auckland launch of Nation Dates was held at the Auckland District Law Society in Chancery St. It was a fantastic evening with Jennie Vickers and Wendy both speaking about the book, and we hope that those who attended enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
A big thank you to Jennie who put a huge amount of effort into organizing the event, as well as Marcus Martin and Dan Suciu of the Auckland District Law Society who were wonderful hosts. We were also lucky enough to have wine sponsored by No1Family Estate.
Below is a picture of Wendy speaking at the event. To see a full gallery of images click on the one below.
www.EmpowerNZ.co.nz Project Launch
Nation Dates informs the research for our latest project, Project Constitutional Review. Chapter 9 of Nation Dates discusses the current constitutional review and thread 2 on pages 144 – 146 tracks constitutional developments throughout the history of our nation.
Today is three years since the Relationship and Confidence and Supply Agreement between the National Party and the Māori Party (16 November 2008) agreed to establish a group to consider constitutional issues, including Māori representation. The EmpowerNZ website is launched today as part of the Sustainable Future Institute’sProject Constitutional Review. This website aims to create awareness and spark discussion around the current constitutional review so that all New Zealanders, and in particular 18‐ to 25‐year‐olds, can engage with the Constitutional Advisory Panel in an informed and considered manner.
Project Constitutional Review was established in mid‐2011 in response to the government’s announcement in December 2010 of a wide‐ranging review of New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements. The initial idea for the project came out of an event the Sustainable Future Institute hosted in March 2011, called StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future. Wendy McGuinness, chief executive of the Institute, notes, ‘There was a clear appetite from participants to develop youth forums and find ways in which youth can become part of the solution. Participants clearly believed a national conversation on our constitution is a great place to start exploring our country’s long‐term future.’ McGuinness continues, ‘This is a very important matter for New Zealanders to address; it is the first time in our nation’s history that we have had an opportunity to treat our constitution as a blank canvas.’
‘New Zealand needs to start thinking about this review now in order to achieve tangible outcomes before the Panel reports back to Cabinet in 2013. After the 2011 General Election and Referendum, there will need to be a large drive to get New Zealanders interested and engaged in the constitutional review.’
EmpowerNZ and Project Constitutional Review will be closely following the progress of the review, with the aim of adding support to a debate that is vital for New Zealand’s long‐term future. By providing a place for public engagement in a new media format McGuinness hopes that ‘the project will have particular appeal to young New Zealanders, ensuring they are not only part of the conversation but actively leading it.’
Constitutional change results from a societal groundswell pushing strongly for improvements to existing arrangements. The Institute wants to help facilitate that groundswell by helping New Zealanders become more informed and engaged with the issues, to ensure this rare opportunity to shape our constitution is not missed. The Institute will also be launching an EmpowerNZ Facebook and Twitter presence to coincide with the launch of the website.
For further information on Project Constitutional Review and the Sustainable Future Institute see the Institute’s website www.sustainablefuture.info
For more information on the Sustainable Future Institute, contact Wendy McGuinness:
t: +64 4 499 8888
f: +64 4 385 9884
Mobile: 021 781 200
e: wmcg@sustainablefuture.info
Download the Media Release at www.sustainablefuture.info
We now have a new ‘feedback’ tab on this website. This is where you can go to give us your thoughts and reflections on Nation Dates and contribute to future editions. In the back of the book you will see there is a space to jot down dates you feel are missing, our feedback tab is where you can let us know what you have come up with. We are also interested in any events you would like to see happen in the future, if we wrote Nation Dates in 50 years how would we like it to look?
To contribute to the conversation go here, or click on the feedback tab above.
Wendy was invited to join Chris Laidlaw on yesterday’s Sunday programme on Radio New Zealand to discuss Nation Dates.
Chris and Wendy had a lively discussion about the significance of New Zealand’s history to our future. Chris also quizzed Wendy about her passion for the constitutional review and the opportunity it represents for New Zealanders to participate in shaping their future. Wendy shared her vision for providing a copy of Nation Dates to every secondary school in the country free of charge with the assistance of a commercial sponsorship partner.
The interview closed with Chris’s wonderful quote from Tawhiao the third Maori King in 1894: “I know lots of missionaries. They ver’ nice men, ver’ good men, make Maori do what they please. When miss’n’ries come first Maori’s have plenty of land everywhere. They say ‘Let us pra ay, let us pra ay.’ We pray and shut our eyes so we see nothing at all. When we open dem again the land had gone!’. To view the full article, click here.
Listen to the full interview
Earlier this month Nation Dates was reviewed by Unity Book’s Lily Richards on Auckland’s 95bFM. Lily has a great perspective on the book:
‘This isn’t dry or boring, or it doesn’t make me feel like I’m at school – it makes me feel like this is the kind of book that everyone should have in their library. Something that you can reference, but also something that’s really inspiring……..it’s very, very informative, but for some reason quite pleasing in the same breath.’
Thanks Lily for your positive feedback! We agree and really want to see Nation Dates become a handbook for everyone who has an interest in New Zealand’s past and future – and from our perspective that should be all of us! It’s amazing the things we have learnt while working on this project – it’s all the little details that surprise and excite. Did you know that it wasn’t until 1977 that automatic dual citizenship with Britain was abolished and those born in New Zealand became simply New Zealanders? And were you aware that in 1886, non-Maori born in New Zealand outnumbered those who had immigrated here for the first time? In her review Lily picks out a few dates that really interest her too.
You can listen to the full review here
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