The lobby was the centre of parliamentary life.
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Wellington cafe culture
Café culture has become integral to Wellington's identity. This culture began in the 1930s with the emergence of the milk bar, followed by coffee houses in the 1950s. After a period of decline in the 1960s and 70s, the city's café scene has grown in spectacular fashion over the last 20 years. Read the full article
Page 1 - Wellington cafe culture
Café culture has become integral to Wellington's identity. This culture began in the 1930s with the emergence of the milk bar, followed by coffee houses in the 1950s. After a
Page 2 - Overview
Wellington city centre is renowned for its flourishing café scene and the culture it inhabits. But it was nearly 1950 before there was much sign of the sparkling capital that
Page 3 - Immigration and Society
The rise of coffee houses in the 1940s, 50s and 60s was not a phenomenon confined to Wellington, or indeed to New Zealand. The connection between the history of cafe culture and
Page 4 - Design and technology
New construction materials and equipment fashioned the cafe culture rising in the 1950s. Wellingtonians were introduced to the espresso machines as European styled cafes
Page 5 - Music and cafe culture
Entertainment generally and music in particular have always been a part of the Wellington cafe scene.
Page 6 - Personalities
New Zealand in the 1940s and 1950s has been described as a drab and uniform place. From the late 1950s, however, a café culture was established throughout the
Page 7 - Further information
Sources on Wellington cafe
US Forces in New Zealand
The first American soldiers landed on New Zealand soil in June 1942, beginning an 'invasion' which would have a profound impact on both visitors and hosts over the next 18 months. Read the full article
Page 5 - Having fun US style
Although the American forces worked hard, they also craved time off. New Zealand leisure habits were very different to American ones, so the visitors devised their own forms of
Page 6 - Having fun NZ style
For many people of both nations, the most memorable aspect of the American invasion was the home visits. Often these were arranged formally, with New Zealand families signing up
Life in the 20th century
Exploration of everyday life in New Zealand from 1900 to the mid-1980s Read the full article
Page 3 - Time out
As a modern society began to evolve in New Zealand in the early twentieth century, a new concept of 'leisure time' began to emerge
Parliament's people
Today there are usually between 120 and 123 MPs in New Zealand's Parliament, which is a far cry from the 37 who met for the first time in Auckland in 1854. Read the full article
Page 5 - Social life
In the early years, Parliament was a little like a superior gentlemen's club.
