1 November

1944 Polish refugees land in New Zealand

Over 800 Polish refugees disembarked in Wellington, seeking safety from war-torn Europe. For the 733 children and 102 adults it was the end of a long and perilous journey. Read more...

1898 Old-age Pensions Act becomes law

A world first, the Act gave a small means-tested pension to elderly people with few assets who were ‘of good moral character’. It was one of the major achievements of Richard Seddon’s Liberal government. Read more...