1989-91: Ian Grant visited similar museums and archives in UK and USA, wrote a report for the Minister of Arts and then, with seeding money available, talked to National Archives and Alexander Turnbull Library about establishing a cartoon archive at one of these institutions. Jim Traue, then chief librarian of the Turnbull, was particularly supportive and it was decided that a partnership between the Turnbull (which would process, index, conserve and archive the collection) and an archive trust (which would raise money to fund day-to-day operations and to publicise the collection) would be the best model to follow.

August 1991: First meeting of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive Trust. Its members were Ian F Grant (chair), Margaret Calder, Hugh Rennie, Mike Robson, and Tom Scott. Initial planning had been done by 'National Cartoon Collection Committee', with Ian Grant, Margaret Calder, Mike Robson and Jim Traue.

Late 1991: Susan Foster appointed as curator/manager of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive.

1 April 1992: Launch of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive at National Library by then prime minister Rt Hon Jim Bolger.

December 1992: Opening of A Bit of Cheek, The many faces of Muldoon exhibition of cartoons of Sir Robert David Muldoon, former Prime Minister of New Zealand. The exhibition toured New Zealand until 1994.

November 1994: Opening of The Daily Smile; Eric Heath cartoons 1965-1993 exhibition, showing the work of Dominion cartoonist Eric Heath.

November 1995: Opening of 'David Low, Kiwi Cartoonist on Hitler's Blacklist', a major exhibition of Sir David Low's cartoons from the pre-war and Second World War periods. The exhibition toured New Zealand from 1995 to 1998.

July-August 1996: Lecture tour by Dr Colin Seymour-Ure, David Low biographer.

September-October 1997: Lecture tour by Nicholas Garland, prominent British cartoonist who grew up in New Zealand.

November 1997: Charity Cartoon Auction at Government House, sponsored by then patron H.E. Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys, raised nearly $25,000 for the Cartoon Archive.

July 1999: Guts & Glory, an exhibition of rugby cartoons, another major exhibition opened. A many-faceted examination of the country's national sport, it toured New Zealand until July 2002.

September 1999: Lecture tour by Roger Law, the originator of the Spitting Image puppet show.

December 1999: Following Susan Foster's resignation, Ian Grant became executive chairman and Rachel Macfarlane joined the Cartoon Archive as his assistant.

August 2000: Opening of Fun & Games - New Zealand Cartoon Perspectives on the Olympics 1952-2000 exhibition. It was on show at the National Library until July 2001.

July 2001: Opening of 30 from 2000 exhibition. An invited judging panel chose the year 2000 cartoons they liked best for this exhibition. It was on show at the National Library until April 2002.

At the Cartoonists' Convention held in Wellington in June 2001. From left: Garrick Tremain, Malcolm Evans, David Fletcher, Malcolm Walker, Ian Grant and Tom Scott on stage in the National Library auditorium.

June 2001: Cartoonists' Convention in Wellington organised by the New Zealand Cartoon Archive brought together New Zealand's leading cartoonists plus three prominent Australian practitioners.

November 2001: The Other Side Of The Ditch, a major exhibition of cartoons on the last century in the New Zealand-Australia relationship, was opened at the National Library Gallery and the book of the same name, The Other Side Of The Ditch by Ian F. Grant was published. The exhibition was also shown in Auckland in 2002.

April 2002: The Line-Up, the Archive's 10th anniversary exhibition featuring 36 of the cartoonists in the Cartoon Archive's collection, was launched by patron H.E. The Hon. Dame Silvia Cartwright, Governor General, and is now on show in the National Library (auditorium foyer).

May/June 2002: The Famous Five - Manawatu's Cartoonists on show was on exhibition at the Te Manawa Art Gallery in Palmerston North, in association with Massey University. The cartoonists participated in related events as part of the Massey University 75th Anniversary celebrations.

March/June 2003: The Other Side Of The Ditch exhibition was chosen by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and their New Zealand counterparts as a centrepiece of the Canberra celebration of 20 years of the trans-Tasman CER relationship and was on show at Old Parliament House, Canberra until 29 June.

July 2003: Harpies & Heroines, a major exhibition of cartoons on the changing roles of women in New Zealand since they gained the vote in 1893, was opened at the National Library Gallery. The cartoons were compiled and annotated by Rachel Macfarlane and Cerridwyn Young of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive. A book of the same name, Harpies & Heroines was published. The exhibition toured to selected New Zealand centres over the period 2003 to 2005.

October 2003: Public Lives, Premiers and Prime Minsters of New Zealand, 1856-2003, written by Ian F. Grant, was launched at Parliament by Rt Hon Jonathon Hunt, and two former prime ministers, Rt Hon Jim Bolger and Rt Hon Geoffrey Palmer. An exhibition of selected cartoons from the book is now on show in the National Library (auditorium foyer).

May 2004: Lodge Laughs at Wellington, an exhibition of cartoons by the late Wellington cartoonist, Nevile Lodge, complied and annotated by staff of the Cartoon Archive, went on show at the Wellington Museum of City and Sea. The book of the same title Lodge Laughs at Wellington published by the Cartoon Archive was launched.

27 October 2005: Hand-over ceremony for the New Zealand Cartoon Archive Trust at the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library, Wellington, and launch of the Cartoon Archive’s book Between the Lines: A cartoon century of New Zealand political and social history, 1906-2005 by Ian F. Grant.