1928 - 1934 (5 years)
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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 | 1931 | - 3 Feb 1931: Hawkes Bay Earthquake
When the deadly Hawkes Bay Earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, struck at 10.47 a.m., many buildings in central Napier and Hastings collapsed immediately. Fire broke out in Napier’s business district shortly after the earthquake, and once the reservoir emptied, firefighters were powerless. Flames gutted almost 11 blocks of central Napier, killing some people who were still trapped. In terms of loss of life (256), it remains the worst civil disaster to have occurred in New Zealand.
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Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
