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| 1983 |
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| The Closer Economic Relations (CER) Agreement was signed with Australia. CER was designed to strengthen economic ties and to lower trade barriers between the two countries. | 1 |
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| 1984 |
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| A Labour government was elected under David Lange. This government deregulated the economy, transformed the civil service, and enacted a radical foreign policy program. These were the most significant reforms of New Zealand institutions since those of the 1935 Labour government. The Labour government empowered the Waitangi Tribunal, a legal body, to investigate Maori land claims dating back to 1840. | 2 |
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| 1985 |
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| The policy of refusing entry to nuclear-powered or armed vessels, which enjoyed broad domestic support, caused diplomatic tension with the U.S. The ANZUS alliance ceased to function as a result. | 3 |
| French government agents bombed the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbor, leading to tensions with France. | 4 |
| Paul Reeves was appointed New Zealand's first Maori governor-general. | 5 |
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| 1986 |
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| The State-Owned Enterprises Bill established principles of free market management for government enterprises, including the need to make a profit. Post and telephone services, airlines, and forestry and coal were organized into corporations. | 6 |
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| 1987 |
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| Labour was reelected under David Lange's leadership. The government pressed ahead with deregulation, including the sale of state-owned assets and cuts in welfare funding. Economic conditions, particularly unemployment, remained bad. | 7 |
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| 1989 |
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| Catherine Tizard was appointed New Zealand's first woman governor-general. | 8 |
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| 1990 |
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| Lange resigned as prime minister. In a general election, National under Jim Bolger won a landslide victory, reflecting public discontent with Labour's deregulatory policies. | 9 |
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| 1991 |
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| Despite public opposition, National continued with radical economic deregulation and instituted changes in health care and industrial relations. Charges for hospital care were introduced, and wage awards were replaced with a system of individual contracts between employer and employees. Welfare benefits were reduced, and unemployment levels remained high. | 10 |
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| 1992 |
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| The government and some Maori tribes negotiated an agreement to establish Maori ownership of commercial fishing enterprises in response to claims for fishing rights under the Treaty of Waitangi. This was hailed as a potential solution to other Maori claims. | 11 |
| Public discontent with the political system was manifested in a referendum to change the electoral system to incorporate proportional representation. This referendum was not binding, being subject to reconfirmation in a plebiscite to be held in 1993. | 12 |
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| 1993, Nov. 6 |
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| In one of the most closely contested elections in New Zealand history, Jim Bolger's National Party was returned to power with a narrow majority. The electorate also voted (53.8 percent of the vote) to replace the British-style first-past-the-post electoral system with a mixed-member proportional representation system, similar to the one used in Germany. | 13 |
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| 1994, Feb. 18 |
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| The U.S. restored ties with New Zealand; relations had been curbed in 1987 because of a ban on U.S. nuclear-powered armed ships docking there, since New Zealand is a nuclear-free zone. | 14 |
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| 1997, Nov. 3 |
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| The prime minister of New Zealand, Jim Bolger of the National Party, was forced to resign due to pressure from within his party. | 15 |
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| Dec. 8 |
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| Jenny Shipley became New Zealand's first female prime minister. | 16 |
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