<P> New Zealand was first mentioned in British statute in the Murders Abroad Act 1817 . It made it easier for a court to punish "murders or manslaughters committed in places not within His Majesty's dominions", and the Governor of New South Wales was given increased legal authority over New Zealand . The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of New South Wales over New Zealand was initiated in the New South Wales Act 1823, and lesser offences were included at that time . In response to complaints from missionaries, about lawless sailors and adventurers in New Zealand, the British government appointed James Busby as Official Resident in 1832 . In 1834 he encouraged Māori chiefs to assert their sovereignty with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1835 . This was acknowledged by King William IV . Busby was provided with neither legal authority nor military support and was thus ineffective in controlling the European population . </P> <P> In 1839, the New Zealand Company announced its plans to establish colonies in New Zealand . This and the increased commercial interests of merchants in Sydney and London spurred the British to take stronger action . Captain William Hobson was sent to New Zealand to persuade Māori to cede their sovereignty to the British Crown . In reaction to the New Zealand Company's moves, on 15 June 1839 a new Letters patent was issued to expand the territory of New South Wales to include all of New Zealand . Governor of New South Wales George Gipps was appointed Governor over New Zealand . This was the first clear expression of British intent to annexe New Zealand . </P> <P> On 6 February 1840, Hobson and about forty Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands . Copies of the Treaty were subsequently taken around the country to be signed by other chiefs . A significant number refused to sign or were not asked but, in total, more than five hundred Māori eventually signed . </P> <P> The Treaty gave Māori sovereignty over their lands and possessions and all of the rights of British citizens . What it gave the British in return depends on the language - version of the Treaty that is referred to . The English version can be said to give the British Crown sovereignty over New Zealand but in the Māori version the Crown receives kawanatanga, which, arguably, is a lesser power (see interpretations of the Treaty). Dispute over the true meaning and the intent of either party remains an issue . </P>

When was new zealand founded as a country