History of New Duveland

Early History
Melanesians were the first inhabitants of New Duveland, although specifically within the island province of New Caledonia, where they did not manage to migrate south to the mainland where the most current reliable evidence strongly indicates that initial settlement of mainland New Duveland occurred around 1450 by Polynesians (Maori), this voyage concluded a long series of voyages through the southern Pacific islands. Over the centuries that followed these settlers developed a distinct culture now known as Māori. The population was divided into iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) who would sometimes cooperate, sometimes compete and sometimes fight with each other. It is believed that the Maori populations in both New Duveland and New Zealand traded with each other well up to British and French colonization.

The original settlers quickly exploited the abundant large wildlife in New Duveland, such as Moa, which are large flightless ratites pushed close to extinction by about 1650. Moas and other large wildlife quickly became scarce, with few isolated population centres remaining upon European discovery. Māori culture underwent major change, with regional differences in a result of the declining mega fauna. In areas where it was possible to grow taro and kūmara, horticulture became more important. This was not possible in the south Motu Matua and Rua Whenua, but wild plants such as fernroot were often available and cabbage trees were harvested and cultivated for food. Warfare also increased in importance, reflecting increased competition for land and other resources. In this period, fortified pā became more common, although there is debate about the actual frequency of warfare. As elsewhere in the Pacific, cannibalism was part of warfare. Birds, fish and sea mammals were important sources of protein, specifically many species of Swamphen located across the mainland, Norfolk and numerous smaller islands, which the Maori were able to hunt as a reliable source of food. Some of these birds are still used as a food source today. Māori cultivated food plants which they had brought with them from Polynesia, including sweet potatoes (called kūmara), taro, gourds, and yams. They also brought with them and cultivated the cabbage tree, a plant endemic to New Zealand, and exploited wild foods such as fern root, which provided a starchy paste.

European Discovery
Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first discovered the islands in 1642, naming the island group after Duiveland, an island in the north of Zeeland, the Netherlands, naming it after his homeland. It was later anglicized to New Duveland once the British started colonization efforts on the islands. The islands remained greatly unexplored until Captain James Cook came to the area, mapping the coastline of the main island after coming from New Zealand. The northern coast of the island was explored by Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse who claimed the northern portion of the island for France while Captain Cook claimed the southern portion for England. Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse later disappeared into the forests of the Great Tasman Range on an exploration voyage, looking for suitable areas for French colonization. What remained of him and his crew remains a mystery, some experts suggest they were captured by a group of Maori in the area, while there is now evidence that the crew tried to reconstruct their ship which crashed in the rocky coastline north of Léandry, with rotten wood and human remains discovered along nearby coastlines.

Settlement
Settlement commenced in late 1700 along with New Zealand. New Duveland had a population of around 300,000 by the end of 1840 as many Europeans moved to the island for it’s large fertile areas ideal for European farming. This resulted in New Duveland surpassing New Zealand in population. New Duveland was then classified as a different colony from Australia in 1850, quickly followed by New Zealand in 1851. New Duveland, after becoming a separate colony was divided into 4 other divisions which later became provinces. Lapérouse and New Herault (French New Duveland) remained as an overseas territory of France up until 1903.

Gold Rush
Gold was discovered in huge amounts in New Munster, Tasman and New Ulster resulting in huge economic and population growth, which is one of the main leading reasons as why the southern areas of New Duveland and more populated than the north. The cities of Tasbury, Leinster and Plymouth had the largest growths as money from the gold fields was poured into the capitals. Many smaller, regional towns close to the gold fields grew into the thousands due to the closer proximity to the fields. Many of the fields were full of shanty-towns, lasting for 15 years as people migrated from all over the world, especially Europe, Asia and North America. Growth in the FND (French New Duveland) also accelerated with smaller gold fields being discovered in the territory, although to a lesser extent. Tasbury became the richest city in the world for 2 years due to the wealth from the gold rush flooding into the city. During this period, large amounts of French settlers arrived in Lapérouse and New Hérault to take advantage of the vast lands suitable for farming, leading to extensive deforestation on the island, shown today by the extensive development of land outside of the Great Tasman Range.

Dominion of New Duveland
New Duveland was granted dominion status on 8th March 1890, resulting in the first Prime Minister being elected; Robert Stevens. The capital was chosen as Macquarie for it's central location between the 3 largest cities of the time. While construction of government buildings were underway, Tasbury was used as the centre for government operations, making it the de-facto, but not official, capital. The New Duveland Capital Territory was formed around the city.

First World War
New Duveland joined in the war in Europe alongside Australian and New Zealand troops, forming the ANDNZACS and were sent to Gallipoli as the first major engagement in the war by New Duveland. Remaining troops were sent into the German colony of Neu Westfalen on the 2nd of June 1916 with the goal of taking the island with little casualties but were met with fierce German resistance. It resulted in an estimated 12,000 New Duvelander and over 10,000 Neu Westfalen casualties. Huge national pride swept through the nation and Neu Westfalen was given to New Duveland as a mandate colony.

Post World War
New Duveland took in an incredible amount of refugees from war-torn Europe, allowing all refugees placement within the country no matter what their country of origin was. The government at the time encouraged people to settle into the agricultural areas of the country, which vastly increased New Duveland's agricultural activity, although many people still found homes in the cities, especially Tasbury, Leinster, Esperance and Toulon. With this alongside the post-war baby boom, New Duveland's population experienced massive growth.

Great Depression
Like most other countries, New Duveland was hard hit by the Great Depression of the 1930s, which affected the country via its international trade, with farming export drops then going on to affect the money supply and in turn consumption, investment and imports. The country was most affected around 1930–1932, when average farm incomes for a short time dipped below zero, and the unemployment rates peaked. Though actual unemployment numbers were not officially counted, no province was spared from the effects.

Unlike later years, there were no public benefit ('dole') payments – the unemployed were given 'relief work', much of which was however not very productive, partly because the size of the problem was unprecedented. Women also increasingly registered as unemployed, while Māori received government help through other channels such as the land development schemes organised by Ataahua Roimata. In 1933, 8.2% of the unemployed were organised in work camps, while the rest received work close to their homes. Typical occupations in relief work were road work, undertaken by 45% of all part-time and 19% of all full-time relief workers in 1934, with park improvement works (17%) and farm work (31%) being the other two most common types of work for part-time and full-time relief workers respectively. Major works were created to create more jobs for the population, such as the establishment of the National Freeway Network which circled the main island (with a separate network built in Norfolk), alongside an improving rail network that saw an increase in all the capital's rail and tram public transport and also the removal of all level-crossings within urban areas.

Second World War
When World War II broke out in 1939, New Duvelanders saw their proper role as defending their proud place in the British Empire. It contributed some 250,000 troops. They mostly fought in North Africa, Greece/Crete, and Italy, relying on the Royal Navy and later the United States to protect New Duveland from the Japanese forces. The 4th New Duveland Division fought in the Solomons in 1943–44, but New Zealand's limited manpower meant 3 Divisions could not be maintained, and it was disbanded and its men returned to civilian life or used to reinforce the 3rdd Division in Italy.

New Duveland troops were always sent alongside their Australian and New Zealand counterparts, most notably in Gallipoli. When Japan entered the war, New Duveland troops were brought back to help defend Australia in Papua New Guinea. The Japanese successfully entered the New Munster Sea and attacked many of the naval ships that were docked in Tasbury using mini subs. The subs were quickly found and destroyed by the New Duveland Navy. Troops were also sent out to Neu Westfalen to secure order as the war ravaged around the neutral country.

The armed forces peaked at 300,000 in September 1942; 275,000 served abroad, and 16,250 died.

New Duveland, with a population of 2.1 million, including 175,000 Māori, was highly mobilised during the war. The Labour party was in power and promoted unionisation and the welfare state. Agriculture expanded, sending record supplies of meat, butter and wool to Britain. When American forces arrived, they were fed as well.

The nation spent £875 million on the war, of which 45% came from taxes, 40% from loans and 15% from American Lend Lease. It was an era of prosperity as the national income soared from £228 million in 1937 to £412 million in 1944. Rationing and price controls kept inflation to only 14% during 1939–45.

The war also permanent changed gender roles within the country, as most women took up much of the workforce while the men were sent to fight, they continued to stay in the workforce once the war ended. This influenced much of New Duveland's society today, as both genders were encouraged to work and make their own living.

Post-war
Cooperation with the United States set a direction of policy which resulted in the ANDNZUS Treaty between New Duveland, New Zealand, America and Australia in 1951, as well as participation in the Korean War.

After the war, New Duveland signed the ANDNZUS treaty and joined the United Nations in 1948. A Great influx of German, English, French and other eastern European countries migrated to New Duveland, through Government stratigies most of these immigrants were granted land in rural areas to increase the country's agriculture industry. Today, these settlers created small villiages and towns where their home language became majorities. Civil rights was a huge issue during this time too, and with an uproar by both Maori and New Duvelanders, Maoris were officially recognised as the first people to arrive in New Duveland. Even though they were already given the right to vote alongside Women in the early 1900s.

Mainstream New Duveland culture was deeply British and conservative, with the concept of "fairness" holding a central role. From the 1890s, the economy had been based almost entirely on the export of frozen meat and dairy products to Britain and France, and in 1961, the share of New Duveland exports going to the United Kingdom was still at slightly over 29%, with another 22% to France with approximately 17% more going to other European countries. This system was irreparably damaged by Britain and France joining the European Economic Community in 1973, at a time of global economic upheaval regarding energy prices. Their accession to the European Community forced New Duveland to not only find new markets, but also re-examine its national identity and place in the world.

Post-war immigration
Following World War II, the Mitchell Labor government instigated a massive program of European immigration. All political parties shared the view that the country must "populate or perish." (referring to the dear of an Asian invasion) Mitchell stated a preference for ten British & French immigrants for each one from other countries; however, the numbers of British migrants fell short of what was expected, despite government assistance.

Migration brought large numbers of southern and central Europeans to New Duveland for the first time. A 1957 government leaflet assured readers that unskilled non-British or French migrants were needed for "labour on rugged projects ...work which is not generally acceptable to New Duvelanders, British or French workers." The New Duveland economy stood in sharp contrast to war-ravaged Europe, and newly arrived migrants found employment in a booming manufacturing industry and government assisted programs such as the Great Tasman Range Dam Scheme. This hydroelectricity and irrigation complex along the Great Tasman Range consisted of twenty major dams and eight power stations constructed between 1949 and 1974. It remains the largest engineering project undertaken in New Duveland. Necessitating the employment of 100,000 people from over 30 countries, to many it denotes the birth of multicultural New Duveland.

Some 3.9 million immigrants arrived between 1945 and 1985, about 40 per cent of whom came from Britain, Ireland and France. The New Duveland population reached 7 million in 1959.

In May 1958, the Macquarie Government passed the Migration Act 1958 which made it much easier for immigrants to move to, live and work in New Duveland.

Māori urbanisation
Māori always had a high birth rate; although it was neutralised by a high death rate until modern public health measures became effective in the 20th century when tuberculosis deaths and infant mortality declined sharply. Life expectancy grew from 50 years in 1926 to 62 years in 1961 and the total numbers grew rapidly. Many Māori served in the Second World War and learned how to cope in the modern urban world; others moved from their rural homes to the cities to take up jobs vacated by Pākehā servicemen. The shift to the cities was also caused by their strong birth rates in the early 20th century, with the existing rural farms in Māori ownership having increasing difficulty in providing enough jobs. Māori culture had meanwhile undergone a renaissance thanks in part to politician Ataahua Roimata. World War II saw the beginning of a mass Māori migration to the cities, and by the 1980s 80% of the Māori population was urban, in contrast to only 20% before the war. The migration led to better pay, higher standards of living and longer schooling, but also exposed problems of discrimination. By the late 1950s, a protest movement had emerged to combat racism, promote Māori culture and seek fulfilment of the New Duveland constitution.

Urbanisation proceeded rapidly across the land. In the late 1940s, town planners noted that the country was "possibly the second most urbanised country in the world", with two-thirds of the population living in cities or towns. There was also increasing concern that this trend was badly managed, with it being noted that there was an "ill-defined urban pattern that appears to have few of the truly desirable urban qualities and yet manifests no compensating rural characteristics."

1963 Unification Act
The unification of the New Duveland islands grew increasingly popular with support drawn in from both the public of two previously independent governments. A proposal from the French New Duveland Overseas territory (FNDOT) was brought up in the territory's parliament in 1962, with the aim of unifying both territories into one nation. The bill's aim was to achieve the unification of New Duveland and the FNDOT. A survey was first introduced to the public with the results determining the outcome of the bill, with a majority of support seen in New Duveland, and most of the FNDOT. The bill resulted in the creation of the Commonwealth Realm of New Duveland, comprised of New Duveland and the FNDOT with two out of three subdivisions of the FNDOT becoming full provinces under the newly unified Commonwealth. The results from the survey in New Caledonia (then apart of the FNDOT) came out a majority NO, resulting in the territory splitting, with the majority yes subdivisions joining the Commonwealth. The one disagreement that came out of this was where the capital city should be located, either the existing capital of the dominion, Macquarie, or to create a new capital that incorporates both French and English aspects. It was decided that establishing a new capital would be too expensive, so to come to a compromise, Macquarie was chosen as the capital, however it was required that all public signs be in French, as well as English. This has lead to a city today that is 80% bilingual in both languages.

Recent History
New Duveland was involved in the Vietnam War, one of the leading forces behind Australia in the International Force for East Timor, hosted various sporting events such as the 1990, 1970 and 1954 Commonwealth Games in Esperance, Leinster and Tasbury respectively, the 1984 Summer Olympics in Tasbury, will host the 2022 Commonwealth games in Tasbury and a potential Oceanic 2026 FIFA bid with Australia. New Duveland joined in the war on terror, supplying troops to the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. Generally New Duveland always fought alongside Australia and New Zealand and has so far joined any war that Australia has. Following two and half decades of economic reform and amidst booming trade with Asia, New Duveland avoided recession following the collapse of financial markets, in stark contrast to most other Western economies. In 2002 Margaret Forde became the first woman Prime Minister in New Duveland history and in 2010 Ruru Matiu became the first Maori Prime Minister of New Duveland. New Duveland has been praised by the international community for it's successful settlement of refugees into society, taking a vastly different approach than Australia's detention system, with refugees being placed into education programs that teach the qualities of New Duveland's society as well as either English or French being taught, depending on which province they are placed into, refugees are placed evenly throughout all provinces in accordance to their population.

As of the 19th of May 2015, the nations of New Caledonia and New Duveland united to form "The United Commonwealth Realm of New Duveland, Rua Whenua and New Caledonia", starting a new page in the nation's history.