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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1929 | - 1929—1939: The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries, it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%.
New Zealand was especially vulnerable to worldwide depression, as it relied almost entirely on agricultural exports to the United Kingdom for its economy. The drop in exports led to a lack of disposable income from the farmers, who were the mainstay of the local economy. Jobs disappeared and wages plummeted, leaving people desperate and charities unable to cope. Work relief schemes were the only government support available to the unemployed, the rate of which by the early 1930s was officially around 15%, but unofficially nearly twice that level (official figures excluded Maori and women). In 1932, riots occurred among the unemployed in three of the country's main cities (Auckland, Dunedin, and Wellington). Many were arrested or injured through the tough official handling of these riots by police and volunteer "special constables". After 1932, an increase in wool and meat prices led to a gradual recovery.
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| 2 | 1935 | - 27 Nov 1935—12 Dec 1949: First NZ Labour Government
New Zealand's first Labour Government was elected in the 1935 election. Undermined by its failure to cope with the distress of the Depression, the Coalition (or 'National') government was routed by the Labour Party led by Michael Joseph Savage. Labour held power for 19 years, implementing far-reaching economic and social reforms that set the political agenda for the next half century.
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| 3 | 1938 | - 14 Sep 1938: Social Security Act
The Social Security Act was passed in 1938, the cornerstone of the first Labour government’s welfare programme. The Act overhauled the New Zealand pension system and extended benefits for families, invalids and the unemployed. The Act combined the introduction of a free-at-the-point-of-use health system with a comprehensive array of welfare benefits. It was financed by a tax surcharge of one shilling in the pound, or 5%. Supporters envisaged a scheme that would protect New Zealanders 'from the cradle to the grave'.
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| 4 | 1939 | - 1 Sep 1939—15 Aug 1945: World War Two
World War Two (often abbreviated to WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
New Zealand and Australia contributed to the Allies war effort. 575,799 Australians served overseas. About 140,000 New Zealand men and women served, 104,000 in 2nd NZEF, the rest in the British or New Zealand naval or air forces. Fatal casualties during the conflict numbered 39,429 for Australia and 11,928 for NZ.
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| 5 | 1947 | - Jul 1947—1975: Assisted Immigration
The Immigration Assistance Scheme, introduced in July 1947, was designed to bring skilled workers into New Zealand. Unlike earlier schemes, the focus was on attracting single people with practical skills. There was an initial preference for 20 to 35-year-olds, but the upper age limit was extended to 45 in 1950. While assistance went primarily to white British citizens, the country also sought other European groups who could easily assimilate into post-war New Zealand. The most favoured were the Dutch – over 6000 arrived in the 1950s as part of an assisted passage scheme from the Netherlands. Most assisted immigrants travelled by ship and docked at Wellington, but in later years many arrived by plane at Auckland's Whenuapai Airport.
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| 6 | 1950 | - 25 Jun 1950—27 Jul 1953: Korean War
The Korean War was a war between North Korea (with the support of China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (with the support of the United Nations, principally from the United States). The Korean War was among the most destructive conflicts of the modern era, with approximately 3 million war fatalities and a larger proportional civilian death toll than World War II or the Vietnam War. It incurred the destruction of virtually all of Korea's major cities and thousands of massacres by both sides.
About 6,000 New Zealand men served during the Korea War, with 45 deaths. 17,000 The Korean War had a dramatic indirect economic impact in New Zealand. The sense of crisis precipitated by the outbreak in 1950 encouraged the United States to seek to buy large quantities of wool to complete its strategic stockpiles. This demand led to the greatest wool boom in New Zealand's history, with prices tripling overnight.
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| 7 | 1953 | - 24 Dec 1953: Tangiwai railway accident
On 24 December a North Island main trunk express plunged off the Tangiwai bridge into the Whangaehu River. The bridge had been fatally weakened by a lahar from Mt Ruapehu’s crater lake. Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. This is New Zealand’s worst rail disaster.
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Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1934 - 1954 (20 years)
