New Zealand Civics, Economics, Wars, and Global Resistance Movements

Practice flashcards covering New Zealand political systems, economic history, the New Zealand Wars, Kingitanga, Raupatu, Indian Independence movements, and the 1975 Māori Land March.

What is democracy as defined in the notes?

A system of government where power is held by the people, and citizens vote in regular elections to choose representatives who make laws on their behalf.

How many Members of Parliament (MPs) usually make up the New Zealand Parliament, and where do they meet?

It is usually made up of 120 MPs who meet in the debating chamber at Parliament House / The Beehive in Wellington.

What are the three voter eligibility criteria in New Zealand?

A person must be at least 18 years old, be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand continuously for at least 1 year.

When was the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system introduced in New Zealand, and how many votes does each voter receive?

MMP was introduced in 1996, and every voter receives two votes on election day: the Party Vote and the Electorate Vote.

What is the difference between the Party Vote and the Electorate Vote under MMP?

The Party Vote decides the total percentage of seats each political party wins in Parliament (filled via ranked party lists), whereas the Electorate Vote elects one local candidate to represent a geographic electorate or district.

What is the Executive in New Zealand's government system?

The group chosen from Parliament that actually 'runs the country', consisting of the Prime Minister ('Captain of the ship' and chair of Cabinet) and Cabinet Ministers.

What is the Cabinet and what are its primary responsibilities?

A committee of senior government ministers who meet regularly in the Beehive to decide government policy, draft laws, and manage spending.

What is the constitutional role of the Opposition in Parliament?

To scrutinise, question, and hold ministers accountable for their decisions.

How is a Coalition Government formed under MMP?

Because it is rare for one party to win an outright majority (61+ seats), two or more parties join together to secure a majority and govern.

What defines a marginalised group in society?

Any group within a society that has historically been excluded from decision-making and pushed to the outer edges of power.

What is the difference between imports and exports?

Imports are goods or services purchased from abroad and brought into a country, while exports are goods or services produced within a country and sold to another country.

What is economic dependency, and how can nations reduce this risk?

Economic dependency occurs when a country relies overwhelmingly on a single trading partner for its economic survival; nations reduce it by diversifying exports through creating new products and finding multiple trade partners worldwide.

How are High-Income Countries (HICs) differentiated from Low-Income Countries (LICs)?

HICs are wealthier, industrialised nations with high GDP per capita, advanced technology, high living standards, and widespread access to education and healthcare; LICs have lower levels of industrialisation, lower average incomes, and developing infrastructure.

What sparked the Great Depression in the 1930s, and how did it affect New Zealand?

It was sparked by the 1929 Wall Street Stock Market Crash in the United States; international demand and prices for New Zealand's agricultural exports collapsed, causing business closures, wage cuts, and mass unemployment.

How did the First Labour Government under Michael Joseph Savage respond to the Great Depression in 1935?

They created New Zealand's modern welfare state, which included the Social Security Act 1938 (universal pensions and unemployment support), state housing for working families, and government-subsidised healthcare and hospital services.

What happened to New Zealand's trade in 1973 when Britain joined the European Economic Community (EEC)?

New Zealand lost its guaranteed, duty-free sheltered trade access to Britain overnight, forcing the nation to rapidly diversify its export markets into Asia, North America, and the Pacific.

What were the core policies of Rogernomics introduced in 1984 by Minister of Finance Roger Douglas?

Radical free-market economic reforms including deregulation, opening the economy to international competition, removing price controls, privatising state assets, and removing government subsidies for farming and agriculture.

What core issues caused the New Zealand Wars (1845–1872)?

Land alienation, legal authority, and Tino Rangatiratanga (self-determination / sovereignty) between the colonial government / British Crown and Māori.

Name five key battle sites of the New Zealand Wars.

Ruapekapeka (Northland), Rangiriri (Waikato), Ōrākau (Waikato), Gate Pā / Pukehinahina (Tauranga), and Te Ngutu o te Manu (Taranaki).

When was the Kingitanga movement established, who was the first Māori King, and what was its purpose?

Established in 1858 with Pōtatau Te Wherowhero as the first Māori King; its purpose was to unite Māori tribes under a single sovereign, end land sales, preserve Māori autonomy, and stand equal alongside Queen Victoria.

What three innovations made the Gunfighter Pā effective against British artillery bombardments?

Underground bomb-proof bunkers (rua) with covered zigzag trenches, flax-padded palisades (harakeke) that absorbed shockwaves without splintering, and concealed ground-level firing slits.

What authority was granted by the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863, and how much land was confiscated?

It authorised the Crown to confiscate land from any hapū or iwi judged to have been in 'rebellion' against the Queen, resulting in over 3 million acres confiscated, primarily across Waikato and Taranaki.

How did the Native Land Court and the 10-Owner Rule of 1865 undermine Māori communal land ownership?

They abolished customary communal ownership by placing titles in the hands of ten individuals who were treated legally as absolute owners rather than collective trustees, which accelerated individual land sales and loss.

What is Tūrangawaewae, and what were the consequences of its loss for Māori?

Tūrangawaewae is a 'place to stand' representing ancestral roots, economic livelihood, and cultural connection; its loss resulted in widespread poverty, dispossession, and cultural displacement.

What was the British Raj and what was its timeframe?

The period of direct British Crown colonial rule over India between 1858 and 1947.

What is Satyagraha?

A philosophy and method of peaceful, non-violent resistance developed by Mahatma Gandhi, meaning 'truth-force'.

What were the key details and purpose of the 1930 Salt March (Salt Satyagraha)?

Gandhi and 78 followers marched 240 miles to Dandi to protest British laws making it illegal for Indians to collect, produce, or sell natural salt; it concluded on April 6, 1930, marking the anniversary of the 1919 Amritsar Massacre and sparking mass civil disobedience.

What were the roles of the AISF and the RIN Mutiny in India's path to independence?

The All-India Students' Federation (AISF, 1936) mobilised student protest across India, and the RIN Mutiny (1946) involved 20,000 sailors on 78 naval ships mutinying against British officers, leading up to independence on August 15, 1947.

Who led the 1975 Māori Land March (Te Hīkoi mō te Whenua), under what organisation, and along what route?

Led by 79-year-old Dame Whina Cooper under Te Ropü o Te Matakite ('Those with Foresight'), marching over 1,000 km from Te Hapua in the Far North (September 14, 1975) to Parliament in Wellington (October 13, 1975).

What were the primary causes and the central slogan of the 1975 Māori Land March?

Causes included over a century of land loss via confiscations, the Native Land Court, and Public Works Act acquisitions leaving Māori with under 3 million acres; the key slogan was 'Not one more acre of Mãori land' ('Monorehu').

What cultural meaning did the route of the 1975 Māori Land March hold?

In the tradition of Te Ika-a-Māui, the North Island is the fish of Māui and Wellington is Te Upoko o te Ika (the Head of the Fish); the marchers journeyed south to present their concerns directly to the head of government.

What was the legislative impact of the 1975 Māori Land March?

It brought land grievances into public view, strengthened Māori unity, and pressured Parliament to pass the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, which created the Waitangi Tribunal.