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History of New Zealand

Can you answer these questions from New Zealand history?
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Aaron197
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Last updated: May 15, 2026
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First submittedFebruary 24, 2020
Times taken717
Average score68.2%
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Question
Answer
The Polynesian people settled in the New Zealand between 1250-1300 and developed a distinctive culture. Who did they become?
Māori
The population of what animal reached a peak of 70 million in 1982?
Sheep
Who was the first European explorer to reach New Zealand in 1642?
Abel Tasman
Which captain circumnavigated and mapped New Zealand for the first time in 1769?
James Cook
What treaty was signed in 1840 in the Bay of Islands and was the first attempt from the British to establish colonies in New Zealand?
Treaty of Waitangi
Which New Zealand city was devastated by an earthquake in 2011?
Christchurch
What type of gigantic flightless bird was hunted to extinction around 1400 AD?
Moa
What famous film trilogy was mainly filmed in New Zealand between 1999-2003?
The Lord of the Rings
Who was the director of the above throughout the triology?
Peter Jackson
What mountain climber, alongside Tenzing Norgay, became the first to have reached the summit of Mount Everest?
Edmund Hillary
What South Island city was named after Edinburgh and has the nation's oldest university?
Dunedin
Who, a first in world history, gained the right to vote in New Zealand in 1893?
Women
The Oruanui eruption of what volcano was the most recent supereruption in the world?
Taupo Volcano
What Polynesian god has supposedly pulled the North Island out of the sea with his legendary fishing hook?
Māui
What New Zealand physicist came to be known as the father of nuclear physics?
Ernest Rutherford
To what organization did the ship "Rainbow Warrior" belong, that protested nuclear testing and was sunk by French operatives in the Port of Auckland?
Greenpeace
What political parties has dominated New Zealand politics since the independence?
Labour
National
Who was the prime minister of New Zealand between 2017–2023?
Jacinda Ardern
In what sport is Jonah Lomu considered the world's first global superstar of?
Rugby union
What was discovered in Central Otago in 1861?
Gold
What New Zealand actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001?
Russell Crowe
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5 Comments
Jerry928
+1
Level 76
Feb 24, 2020
Nelson (in 1858) became a city before Dunedin (in 1865).
Aaron197
+1
Level 76
Feb 25, 2020
Didn't factcheck that one. Fixed it now.
casiopea
+1
Level 54
Apr 12, 2023
Not sure that knowing the director of the lotr trilogy should be considered "New Zealand trivia"...
Kahikatea
+2
Level 74
Sep 28, 2023
How is a question about a New Zealander who directed a movie in New Zealand not New Zealand trivia?
FurSeal
+1
Level 78
May 16, 2026
I did not know that Dunedin was named after Edinburgh (I got it correct, but it was an educated guess). There's my new fact for today.
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