Growth of Australia and New Zealand

1. Growth of Australia and New Zealand Chapter 14 Section 2

2. The First Migrations • Two major migrations of people in Australia • The first occurred 40,000 years ago • The second over 200 years ago • The Aborigines were nomadic hunters and gatherers • They lived in small groups and spoke almost 250 languages • Aborigines recorded history through oral tradition and held a deep religious bond with nature.

3. Migration of New Zealand • The Maoris are seafaring people from southeast Asia who arrived about 800 years ago • They used 100 ft. long canoes to navigate the ocean • The Maoris were farmers and lived in villages unlike the Aborigines • A Marae was their ceremonial gathering place and was usually decorated with woodcarvings.

4. The First European Settlers • 1769 – Captain James Cook landed in New Zealand, the following year he claimed Australia for Great Britain. • Britain used Australia as a penal colony, a place where they could send people who committed crimes. • 1787 – the first convicts arrived which was called the First Fleet

5. Condemned to Transportation • The First Fleet consisted of 776 men, women, and children • More than 160,000 would following ranging from crimes such as murder to petty theft • Most prisoners died in the hold of the ships during the 8 month voyage. • The convicts were forced into laborious chain gangs • Upon completion of their sentence most became settlers on the eastern coastal rim.

6. Impact of European Settlement • Most settlers herded merino sheep and sold their wool. • 1851 – Australian gold rush led to thousands of new settlers • People began to settle the west coast along the city of Perth. • The settlers brought the English language over along with ideas of government and customs

7. Impact on the Aborigines and Maoris • The Aborigines easily lost to the English because they used stone age weapons. • Most died from smallpox and measles • Today only 200,000 Aborigines exist which is about 1% of the Australian population. • Wars in New Zealand between settlers and Maoris also led to a dramatic reduction in their population

8. Political Development • Australia and New Zealand had gained independence by the early 1900s • Both countries are part of the British Commonwealth of Nations • Australia and New Zealand borrowed government ideas from the US and England • They have a Prime Minister and Parliament but refer to their bicameral houses as the Senate and House of Representatives • Australia and New Zealand invented the secret ballot and were the first nations to grant women suffrage

9. Economic Development • Australia is a leader in the production of wool, coal, and iron ore • Both nations have a high standard of living • Australia faces the problem of overgrazing • Water is scarce and causes frequent shortages • Mining has caused pollution, loss of resources, and the destruction of Aborigines homes

10. Regional and Global Issues • Australia and New Zealand fought along the British in WWI and WWII • During the cold war they sided with the United States. • Australia has fought against the communists in Korea and in Vietnam • Today, their biggest trading partner is Japan • Despite discrimination many Southeastern Asian immigrants (Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia) are settling Australia • New Zealand has adopted a nuclear free zone which has caused friction with the US; no US warship with nuclear weapons may dock at a New Zealand port