Fifty years of six o’clock closing of pubs had ended two days earlier, after a referendum convinced the government to change the antiquated licensing law.
Alcohol
Events In History
7 December 1963
The bullet-ridden bodies of Frederick George Walker and Kevin James Speight were found in a house on Bassett Rd in Remuera, Auckland. A team of 32 detectives began enquiries that led to the arrest of Ron Jorgensen and John Gillies.
29 September 1947
West Coast publicans soon regretted increasing the price of a beer by 1d.
30 October 1918
Prohibition supporters presented Parliament with a petition containing more than 240,000 signatures demanding an end to the manufacture and sale of alcohol in New Zealand.
2 December 1917
Six p.m. closing of pubs was introduced as a temporary wartime measure. It ushered in what became known as the 'six o'clock swill', in which patrons drank their fill before closing time. The practice was to last for 50 years.
1 April 1773
In an attempt to concoct a preventative against scurvy, Captain James Cook brewed a batch of beer on Resolution Island in Dusky Sound, using rimu branches and leaves.
Articles
Notes for My Successor
Until the late 1960s New Zealand's governors-general were British, mainly minor aristocrats, or admirals or generals. Read the full article
Page 6 - Pay and perks and handy hints
The colonial government cut the vice-regal salary and allowances from £7500 to £5000 in the late 1880s, just when the declining British aristocracy was looking to the Empire to
Food in the 20th century
The pavlova - that frothy, baked confection of egg whites and sugar - has long been seen as an icon of New Zealand cuisine; its place of origin has been debated with Australians for just as long in one of the many instances of trans-Tasman rivalry. Read the full article
Page 2 - Dining out
Before the 1960s, New Zealanders had a limited choice both of venue and of food if they wanted to dine
Natives' Rugby Tour, 1888-89
The title of 'The Originals' was bestowed on the next New Zealand rugby team to tour Britain, that of 1905-6, but even though it was soon forgotten, the Natives' tour was to have enduring significance for New Zealand rugby and society. Read the full article
Page 7 - Unsporting behaviour?
Although hacking and tripping had been banned in the 1870s to make the game safe enough to appeal to gentlemen, rugby remained
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.
Election Days
When New Zealanders go to the polls on 26 November 2011, they will continue a 158-year-old tradition of parliamentary democracy in this country. Politics may have changed beyond recognition since 1853, but the cut and thrust of the campaign trail, the power of advertising, and the drama of polling day remain as relevant as ever. Read the full article
Page 2 - Early elections
Even though New Zealand's electoral franchise (right to vote) was more generous than Britain's, the colony's early elections were in many ways small-scale replicas of those in the
Page 4 - Nights on the town
After the colour and controversy of the 1850s, election days in New Zealand have generally been orderly affairs. Even so, election nights could still be lively
1947 Greymouth beer boycott
What would it take for West Coasters to boycott their beloved beer? Greymouth hotel-keepers found out in 1947, when an organised attempt to raise the price of beer sparked one of the most effective consumer boycotts ever seen in New Zealand. Read the full article
Page 1 - The 1947 Greymouth beer boycott
What would it take for West Coasters to boycott their beloved beer? Greymouth hotel-keepers found out in 1947, when an organised attempt to raise the price of beer sparked one of
Page 2 - Pub culture
Between 1919 and 1967 all public hotels in New Zealand officially closed at 6 p.m., but these hours were only nominally observed on the West Coast.
Page 3 - The boycott begins
In mid 1947 there were rumours that the price of beer was about to rise. It was a decision that no publican wanted to take alone because customers might move to another hotel
Page 4 - Industrial action
After the first week of the Greymouth beer boycott it became clear that the Licensed Victuallers' Association (LVA), supported by the breweries, was not going to yield.
Page 5 - Working Men’s Clubs
A number of Working Men's Clubs had been established in major urban areas since the late 19th century, but there were none on the West Coast. The beer boycott provided a catalyst
Page 6 - End of the 1947 beer boycott
By early December 1947 business was gradually returning to some pubs in the larger towns, but the boycott was still effective in smaller centres.
Armistice Day
After four terrible years, fighting in the First World War finally ended with the signing of an armistice between Germany and the Allies on 11 November 1918. New Zealanders celebrated enthusiastically, despite having recently celebrated the surrenders of the three other Central Powers and the premature news of an armistice with Germany. Read the full article
Page 7 - New Zealand in 1918
Some facts and stats about New Zealand in the year the First World War
Temperance movement
Temperance was one of the most divisive social issues in late-19th and early-20th century New Zealand. Social reformers who argued that alcohol fuelled poverty, ill health, crime and immorality nearly achieved national prohibition in a series of hotly contested referendums. Read the full article
Page 1 - Temperance movement
Temperance was one of the most divisive social issues in late-19th and early-20th century New Zealand. Social reformers who argued that alcohol fuelled poverty, ill health, crime
Page 2 - Beginnings
Dawn of the New Zealand temperance movement,
Page 3 - The no-license era
The 'three-fifths majority' was a major hurdle for the temperance community, but they soon mobilised to campaign for people to vote for
Page 4 - Voting for prohibition
The First World War period brought total or partial prohibition to several countries: New Zealand came within a whisker of joining
Page 5 - The decline of prohibition
Alcohol remained an important issue after the war, and the prohibitionists slogged it out with the liquor trade throughout the 1920s.
Page 6 - Masterton under no-license
The November 1908 licensing poll saw Masterton electorate introduce ‘no-license' and vote itself ‘dry’. Its 15 pubs closed on 1 July 1909, and remained closed until the town voted
The 1960s
Five decades ago most Kiwis enjoyed a standard of living that was the envy of other nations. During the 1960s the arrival of TV and jet airliners shrank our world, and New Zealanders began to express themselves on a range of international issues, including opposition to the Vietnam War. Read the full article
Page 10 - 1967 - key events
A selection of the key events in New Zealand history from
Main image: Anti-prohibition poster
This pro-continuance poster, from the 1920s, shows refers to a claim by two British MPs that prohibition in the USA was not working.
