This article offers a historical analysis of the past sixty years of adult learning in Aotearoa New Zealand and critically appraises events which have shaped today’s context. Drawing on a substantial body of research by key adult educators, researchers and scholars, the review assesses historical, socio-cultural, and political factors that influenced adult learning policies and practices. First, a brief discussion is given of traditional Māori education, colonisation, bi-culturalism and multiculturalism for relevance to the Aotearoa New Zealand context. Next, a historical analysis is offered in a decade-by-decade review. Looking back over the past sixty years, this historical analysis exposes key influences which have shaped adult learning in Aotearoa, and discusses trends emerging as significant future directions going into and beyond the 2020s.