Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welfare & Warfare
From the 1850s to the 1880s, despite conflict with Maori, the Pakeha economy boomed on
the back of wool exports, gold rushes and massive overseas borrowing for development.
The crash came in the 1880s, when NZ experienced its Long Depression. In 1890, the Lib-
erals came to power, and stayed there until 1912, helped by a recovering economy. The
Liberals were NZ's first organised political party, and the first of several governments to
give NZ a reputation as 'the world's social laboratory'. NZ became the first country in the
world to give women the vote in 1893, and introduced old-age pensions in 1898. The Lib-
erals also introduced a long-lasting system of industrial arbitration, but this was not enough
to prevent bitter industrial unrest in 1912-13. This happened under the conservative 'Re-
form' government, which had replaced the Liberals in 1912. Reform remained in power
until 1928, and later transformed itself into the National Party. Renewed depression struck
in 1929, and the NZ experience of it was as grim as any. The derelict little farmhouses still
seen in rural areas often date from this era.
To find out more about the New Zealand Wars, visit
www.newzealandwars.co.nz
.
In 1935, a second reforming government took office: the First Labour government, led
by Michael Joseph Savage, easily NZ's favourite Australian. For a time, the Labour gov-
ernment was considered the most socialist government outside Soviet Russia. But, when
the chips were down in Europe in 1939, Labour had little hesitation in backing Britain.
'Kaore e mau te rongo - ake, ake!'
(Peace never shall be made - never, never!) War chief Rewi Maniapoto in re-
sponse to government troops at the battle of Orakau, 1864.
NZ had also backed Britain in the Boer War (1899-1902) and WWI (1914-18), with dra-
matic losses in WWI in particular. You can count the cost in almost any little NZ town. A
central square or park will contain a memorial lined with names - more for WWI than
WWII. Even in WWII, however, NZ did its share of fighting: around 100,000 New Zealan-
ders fought in Europe and the Middle East. NZ, a peaceful-seeming country, has spent
much of its history at war. In the 19th century it fought at home; in the 20th, overseas.
