2010s: Local Papers Die
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The history of New Zealand is the history of real living grassroots communities slowly being absorbed into bigger and bigger entities. As they are absorbed into the great goo collective their individual voices and values are wiped out to be replaced by a more and more centralised control. ‘Long ago the country bore the country-town […]
Read more..April 6, 2019
1969: Rotorua Museum
By AHNZ
Really wanted to visit Rotorua Museum (est. 1969) recently but missed out due to this closure. I assume it costs more to staff and maintain than is collected in entry fee so this is a saving. The girl down the driveway minding the store at the thermal pool had so little customers she was doing […]
Read more..September 1, 2018
1896: Scientific Temperance Instruction
By AHNZ
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU) was very organised. In 1885 many branches sprang up around New Zealand due to an American missionary, Mary Leavitt. Women now took over leadership of the cause of banning recreational alcohol consumption which by genius semantic framing they called Temperance. Another example of clever semantic framing in the 2020s […]
Read more..May 2, 2024
1990: One and Two-cent Coins Withdrawn
By AHNZ
Today in history, 30 April, 1990, one and two-cent coins were withdrawn from legal tender. They had existed since decimilisation on 10 July 1967 The value of government fiat currency was now so inflated that these lowest denominations now had no meaning. The 5 cent coin was to follow in 2006. It will be interesting […]
Read more..April 30, 2024
1926: The Wonder Man
By AHNZ
Died today in New Zealand history, 28 April, 1926. English-American daredevil and sexagenarian Bobby Leach didn’t make it out of Auckland alive. He had come here to cash in on his fame and publicise his next suicide mission: going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. He he slipped on an orange peel on Queen Street, […]
Read more..April 28, 2024
1915: Fiasco at Gallipoli
By AHNZ
Today in history, 25 April, 1915, we invaded Turkey from the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was a gamble, a fiasco, a disaster, and the object of a national propaganda exercise so complete that it re-framed our national identity. Colonial New Zealand had been a much freer place to live, almost Libertarian. The Millennial Age that followed […]
Read more..April 25, 2024
1990: Dignity Culture Played Out
By AHNZ
A Dignity Culture history era of 5 years or so terminated at year’s end 1990 and it was marked by the Kiwi cover of the song To Sir With Love. In October 1990 the track was released as a single that soon charted at number 1 and stayed there for 5 weeks. It was written […]
Read more..April 24, 2024
1941: The Greek King’s Bodyguard
By AHNZ
Today in history, 23 April, 1941, New Zealand troops formed the bodyguard to King George II of Greece. Our men safely evacuated George from Greece to Crete and on the Egypt. “KING OF GREECE ENTERTAINS NEW ZEALANDERS WHO FORMED HIS BODYGUARD IN RETREAT ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS OF CRETE” The thing about George (who was related […]
Read more..April 23, 2024
1885: The Club Hotel
By AHNZ
Bluff’s Club Hotel’s demolition started in April 2024 putting an end to an institution going back to the 1860s. It ceased trading in the mid-2000s. The latest owner, Bluff Oyster and Food Festival Charitable Trust purchased it in 2014 and have been let it deteriorate and be vandalised for 10 years culminating in the ability […]
Read more..April 22, 2024
1960: New Zealand PM Meets Khrushchev
By AHNZ
20 April 1960: New Zealand Prime Minister Walter Nash held talks with USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev for 6 hours in total. We were 7 months out from a General Election which would boot out Nash’s Labour 2.0 Ministry. New Zealand had had enough of Commies. Walter apparently upset Nikita a bit by mentioning how his […]
Read more..April 20, 2024
1959: Oxford Branch Closed
By AHNZ
In early 1959 the Labour 2.0 Ministry signaled that 6 under-performing government railway lines were under threat. This included Oxford Branch (est. 1875) which was duly culled on 19 April of that year. The Minister for Railways was Mick Moohan. The other lines that were to close were Ngapara, Donnelly’s Crossing, Foxton, and Waikaia. They […]
Read more..April 19, 2024
