The Mazengarb inquiry into ‘juvenile delinquency’ blamed the perceived promiscuity of the nation’s youth on working mothers, the ready availability of contraceptives, and young women enticing men to have sex.
Children
Events In History
25 October 1949
A meeting in Wellington set up an interim committee for the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Parents' Association (IHCPA), the forerunner of IHC.
12 August 1895
In 1895 Southland’s Williamina (Minnie) Dean became the first – and only – woman to be hanged in New Zealand. Her story exposed the stark realities of paid childcare and the lack of choice for many women in this period.
10 June 1889
The first New Zealand kindergarten to educate children, in Dunedin, was based on the ideas of the German educationalist Friedrich Froebel.
Articles
State housing
New Zealand's first state house was formally opened on 18 September 1937. But the government has provided rental housing for New Zealanders for more than a century. Explore the history of this country's various state housing schemes and their contribution to the New Zealand way of life. Read the full article
Page 5 - Building families
An essential aim of state housing was to provide suburban homes for families, a place where children could grow up in safe and spacious surroundings, away from the dangers of the
Royal Visit of 1953-54
For those New Zealanders who experienced it, the visit of the young Queen and her dashing husband, Prince Philip, to New Zealand in the summer of 1953-54 was a never-to-be forgotten event. Read the full article
Page 7 - Great place to bring up children
On the day of the reception for children at Athletic Park, the Evening Post wrote: 'As the mother of two young children 12,000 miles away, the Queen today assumed the role of
Children and adolescents, 1930-1960
The need for the New Zealand government to promote national interests during the Depression and the Second World War created a renewed appreciation of the role of the family within society. Read the full article
Page 1 - Children and adolescents, 1930-1960
The need for the New Zealand government to promote national interests during the Depression and the Second World War created a renewed appreciation of the role of the family
Page 2 - Children's health
By the late 1940s all New Zealand children had a medical examination on entering school, and were seen by a nurse at standards two and six. These examinations helped identify
Page 3 - Education
By 1940 childhood was internationally recognised as a distinct stage in human development. A child's value to the family was no longer seen as primarily economic. Instead,
Page 4 - The post-war family
As a consequence of the post-war economic boom there was increasing demand for consumer goods. The 1956 census revealed that more than half of New Zealand homes possessed
Page 5 - Further information
Further information for Children and adolescents,
Baby farmers
Baby farmers were paid caregivers who allegedly neglected children in their care, concealed their deaths or deliberately murdered the infants. The most notorious was Minnie Dean, who, in August 1895, became the first (and only) woman to be hanged for murder in New Zealand. Read the full article
Page 1 - Baby farmers
Baby farmers were paid caregivers who allegedly neglected children in their care, concealed their deaths or deliberately murdered the infants. The most notorious was Minnie Dean,
Page 2 - From childcare to baby farming
High-profile British and Australian court cases in the 1880s introduced New Zealanders to the sinister practices of baby farmers: paid caregivers who neglected children in their
Page 3 - Minnie Dean
In 1895 Southland's Williamina (Minnie) Dean became the first – and only – woman to be hanged in New Zealand. Her story exposed the stark realities of paid childcare and the lack
Page 4 - The Newlands baby farmers
The sensational murder trial of Daniel and Martha Cooper revealed that the difficulties facing single mothers and unwanted children continued well into the 20th
Schools and the First World War
Schools and children were quickly called into action at the outset of the First World War in 1914. Developing patriotic, fit and healthy citizens was seen as important to the survival of the country and the Empire. Hundreds of teachers joined the NZEF, including many from sole-teacher schools. Almost 200 never returned. Read the full article
Page 1 - Children, schools and the First World War
Schools and children were quickly called into action at the outset of the First World War in 1914. Developing patriotic, fit and healthy citizens was seen as important to the
Page 2 - Schools in 1914
The head of the Department of Education believed that ‘moral purpose should dominate the spirit of the whole school life.’ Schools and teachers were to shape children into
Page 3 - Displaying patriotism
In late 1917 district education boards ordered that children salute the New Zealand flag at the start of each school day. Some teachers opposed this as too
Page 4 - The School Journal
During the First World War the New Zealand School Journal played an important role in encouraging patriotism, self-sacrifice, obedience and support for the war effort among
Page 5 - Turning boys into soldiers
The Defence Amendment Act 1900 introduced military cadet training into schools. The Defence Act 1909 made military training for nearly all boys compulsory from the age of 12.
Page 6 - Supporting the war effort
During the war children were encouraged to be ‘cheerful’ and ‘helpful’, to ease the worry and sorrow of the mothers and wives of soldiers. There were also many practical ways in
Page 7 - Teachers who served
Whether as school cadet officers or supporters of saluting the flag, teachers did much to set the moral tone of New Zealand schools before and during the war. Many hundreds were
Page 8 - Further information
Links and books relating to schooling during the First World
Women Together
Girls' Brigade New Zealand
Founded on the twin pillars of bible class and physical training, the Girls' Brigade's aim was 'The extension of Christ's kingdom among girls'. Read the full Women Together Essay
Home Birth Associations
The twentieth century home birth resurgence arose in the early 1970s, as a reaction against the increasing medicalisation of childbirth. Read the full Women Together Essay
Kidsarus 2
Kidsarus 2 was a feminist collective which, between 1981 and 1984, produced high quality, award-winning picture story books for New Zealand children. Read the full Women Together Essay
New Zealand Free Kindergarten Teachers' Association
The membership and focus of the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Teachers' Association (NZFKTA) has changed considerably in its lifetime. Read the full Women Together Essay
New Zealand Kindergartens – Te Pūtahi Kura Pūhou o Aotearoa
The New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union was established in 1926 to co-ordinate the work of the five Free Kindergarten Associations (FKA), who were responsible for kindergartens throughout the country. Read the full Women Together Essay
Playcentre Aotearoa
–Playcentre enabled parents to be actively involved in the preschool education of their children Read the full Women Together Essay
Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa New Zealand Childcare Association
The New Zealand Association of Childcare Centres was founded on 14 October 1963 at a meeting of centre managers and staff organised by Sonja Davies, then president of the Nelson Day Nursery Committee. Read the full Women Together Essay
Main image: State houses in Lower Hutt, 1945
A group of under-fives hold an animated meeting in Jutland Street, Waterloo, c. 1945. Note the woman (possibly a mother of one or more of the children) watching the 'performance' through the window of the flat-roofed house.
