34 northern Chiefs then signed a Declaration of Independence, calling themselves the Confederation of United Tribes.
They shared Busby´s concern, along with that of the British government, that the necessity of some sort of regulation governing contracts and disputes between European and Maori should be set up.
In 1837 Busby sent a report to the Secretary of State for Colonies, informing the British authorities of the greatly increasing land purchases not only by settlers from New South Wales, but also from French and American citizens. However, Busby´s particular statute and the limitations imposed did not allow him much control over the situation in general, and in 1838 the British Government replaced Busby with a British Consul, by the name of Captain William Hobson.
James Reddy Clendon, born 1st Octotber 1800 in England, acted as United States Consul in New Zealand from 1838, based in the Bay of Islands. James Clendon was a witness to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, and a memeber of the first Legislative Council 1841-1844.
Self-government of the British colony of New Zealand had been granted in 1856, with the Crown retaining responsibility for defence and foreign affairs through a Governor. Following a series of Anglo-Maori wars, British farming communities, mostly in the North Island, had profited from the invention (1869) of refrigeration of meat. Immigration into the South Island had been stimulated by a gold rush in the 1860s, but Asian immigrants had been excluded since 1881. During the years 1891-1911 Liberal administrations had introduced extensive social legislation, including the enfranchisement of women, 1893.
In 1914 the conservative government of William Massey was in office. Massey was a strong imperialist and some 10,000 New Zealand volunters served in the ANZAC Middle East army. In 1916 conscription was adopted. Following Worl War I New Zealand was given mandatory powers over German West Samoa. The conservative Reform Party remained in office through the 1920s under Massey and Coates, but the farming industry was not as prosperous as before the war. The worldś Great Depression severely affected the economy, although the Ottawa Conference (1932) decision to adopt imperial preference helped to restore it. The Labour Party held power during the years 1935-49, instituted a programme of public works after the war. It has since alternated in office with the National Party New Zealand sent troops to the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The government supported USA in Vietnam, but in 1972 the Labour government withdrew from SEATO and brought its troops home. Concern over nuclear pollution has been a growing issue in New Zealand. Prime Minister Holland protested to Britain that he had not been warned of the first hydrogen bomb tested from Christmas Island in 1957.