Pre-European Māori had no written language so tribal history and beliefs were kept in the form of objects ranging from woven baskets to complex carvings in wood, bone, shell and greenstone.
New Zealand was explored and colonised by Great Britain, European settlement beginning in the late 18th century with the arrival of sealing and whaling crews.
While smaller settlements emerged in the North and South Islands prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the development of New Zealand's urban centres followed the legal sale of land under the British Crown.
Large firms such as H. E. Shacklock and Co. in Dunedin produced cast iron coal ranges designed for specific New Zealand conditions while Reid and Gray specialised in agricultural implements.
Steam powered joinery factories such as Guthrie and Larnach's Iron and Woodware Co. in Dunedin published extensive catalogues of fittings; designs often sourced from North America along with the machinery used to produce them.
Small scale craft production of silverware and jewelry allowed for an idiosyncratic New Zealand decorative idiom to emerge, focusing on the country's unique flora and fauna.
New Zealand's isolation from the source of production of many goods encouraged self-sufficiency and the development of manufacturing industries that used local raw materials as well as imported resources.
Industrial scale furniture production began in the late 19th century and expanded so that the main centres each had a range of manufacturers serving different parts of the market.
The challenging New Zealand environment and the success of local climbers Like Sir Edmund Hillary stimulated clothing, backpacks and equipment for the outdoors.
Although significantly under-resourced, the council functioned from November 1967 until December 1988 when it was abolished; certain of its activities being derogated to a quality assessment body, TELARC.