Complex sentence: Historically there has been a strong link between New Zealand and the Netherlands with the first European sightings of New Zealand by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1643 and New Zealand being named after the Dutch province of Zeeland.
Split into simpler sentences: Historically there has been a strong link between New Zealand and the Netherlands. The first European sightings of New Zealand was by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1643 and New Zealand was named after the Dutch province of Zeeland.