Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

A map of the Ross Dependency, the part of Antarctica claimed by New Zealand.

This is a timeline of the history of New Zealand's involvement with Antarctica.

Pre 1900s

1838–1840
  • French and American expeditions, led by Jules Dumont d'Urville and Charles Wilkes. John Sac, a Māori travelling with Wilkes, becomes the first New Zealander to cross the Antarctic Circle.
1895
1899
  • February British expedition led by Carstens Borchgrevink, including several New Zealanders, establishes first base in Antarctica, at Cape Adare. This expedition becomes the first to winter over on the continent.

1900s

1902

1910s

1910
  • Robert Falcon Scott leaves for Antarctica from Port Chalmers. Scott's party later died on the return journey after being delayed by a blizzard.[citation needed]
1911–1914
  • Four New Zealanders (H Hamilton, AJ Sawyer, EN Webb, and LA Webber) are members of Douglas Mawson's Australian Antarctic expedition.

1920s

1923
  • Ross Dependency proclaimed on 30 July as a British Territory entrusted to New Zealand.
1928
  • US Navy Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd leaves Dunedin for the first sea-air exploration expedition to the Antarctic. Byrd overflew the South Pole with pilot Bernt Balchen on 28 and 29 November 1929, to match his overflight of the North Pole in 1926.[clarification needed]
1929
  • Combined UK-Australia-NZ expedition led by Douglas Mawson; New Zealand members include RA Falla and RG Simmers.

1930s

1933

1940s

1946
1949

1950s

1955
  • In August, The New Zealand Government decide to establish an Antarctic base as part of its contribution to International Geophysical Year (1957–58).
1956
1957
1958
1959

1960s

1964
1965
  • The first flight from New Zealand to Antarctica made by a Royal New Zealand Air Force C130 (Hercules) aircraft[citation needed]
1968
  • Marie Darby becomes first New Zealand woman to visit the Antarctic
1969

1970s

1970
  • Antarctic Amendment Act comes into force.[relevant?]
1972–1974
  • First solo voyage to Antarctica, by New Zealand-born yachtsman and author David Lewis
1974
1975
  • Prime Minister Bill Rowling had a formal proposal made at the Oslo Meeting for Antarctic to be declared a World Park.[citation needed]
1976
  • Thelma Rogers, of New Zealand's DSIR, becomes the first woman to winter over on Antarctica.
1977
  • New Zealand proclaims Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles (370 km), which provides for the zone to also include Ross Dependency's waters.
1978
  • 21st Anniversary of Scott Base[relevant?]
1979

1980s

1980
1982
1987
  • Closure of Scott Base Post Office (reopened in 1994)[relevant?]

1990s

1995
1996

2000s

2006
  • October (to January 2007): New Zealanders Kevin Biggar and Jamie Fitzgerald become the first people to walk to the South Pole without the aid of any supply dumps. Their plan to parasail back is abandoned.
2007

This page was last updated at 2023-10-28 22:08 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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