How did New Zealand gain a separate voice in international affairs after World War I?

Following World War I, New Zealand began to acquire the status of a sovereign state through its participation in international diplomacy. Prime Minister William Massey led a delegation to the Paris Peace Conference and signed the Treaty of Versailles, which committed New Zealand to membership in the League of Nations.1

This process of gaining a separate voice was part of a broader shift toward autonomy within the British Empire. At various imperial conferences, New Zealand, alongside Canada and Australia, asserted its right to influence foreign policy issues. This evolution was later formalized by the Statute of Westminster, which recognized the sovereign right of dominions to control their own domestic and foreign affairs, establish their own diplomatic corps, and maintain separate representation in international bodies. Although New Zealand did not formally adopt the Statute of Westminster until 1947, it had enjoyed the substance of this autonomy for years prior.123