Embedded Files
Week Three: The Post War(s) Era (1951-1999)
Cool Kiwi Fact #4: New Zealand is one of the few countries with two national anthems: “God Defend New Zealand,” which was adopted in 1977 serves as the co-national anthem alongside “God Save the Queen,” which is normally played only when a member of the royal family is present.
Day 1: White Picket Fences (The 1950s)
Day 1: White Picket Fences (The 1950s)
In the 1950s, things settled down in New Zealand. There were no international wars or intense, national conflicts. Many kiwis were able to settle down, get married, buy a home and start a family.
Activity 1: Meat and Three Veg
It was common for women in the 1950s to stay home with their children and raise their family. They were called ‘housewives.’ Many housewives followed a simple rule when they prepared the evening meal: the ‘meat and three veg’ rule. This meant that they prepared dinners that included three different vegetables and a type of meat (eg. beef, lamb, or chicken).
On your blog tell us if you think that the ‘meat and three veg’ rule is a good one. Do you like the rule? Would you enjoy eating a typical 1950s dinner? Why or why not?
Activity 2: What’s in a Name?
During the 1950s the population of New Zealand grew by 400,000 people. That is huge! In fact, so many people were having babies that many people refer to this period in our history as the ‘baby boom.’ Popular baby names in 1950s New Zealand were:
GIRLS BOYS
Christine John
Susan David
Margaret Peter
Judith Michael
Jennifer Robert
Read through the lists. Are these popular names in your school? On your blog, tell us which names are currently popular in your school. Please provide, at least, three girls’ names and three boys’ names that are popular.
When I was going to school, the name ‘Jennifer’ was the most popular girl’s name and the name ‘Matthew’ was the most popular boy’s name.
Bonus Activity: Snail Mail
In the 1950s, most people communicated with one another by writing letters. According to the NZ history website, New Zealanders sent over 200 million letters and postcards between 1950 and 1960. That is an average of 87 letters per person!
For this activity, imagine that you are living in New Zealand in the 1950s. Use Google Draw* to design the front of a postcard that you could send to a friend. Try to include elements of Kiwiana in your design (e.g. Pohutukawa trees, Hokey Pokey ice cream, etc). Post a copy of your postcard picture to your blog. Be sure to describe what you have drawn on your blog beneath the picture.
*You will need to make a copy of the Google Draw template to create your postcard.
BONUS POINTS: 16
Day 2: Peace Out! (The 1960s)
Activity 1: The Dawn of Television
In the 1960s there was a great deal of change in New Zealand. Technology was evolving and the television was introduced for the first time into New Zealand homes in the 1960s. Popular programmes included Town and Around and C’mon. Television remains popular to this day.
What is your favourite television show at the moment? On your blog tell us about your favourite television show. What is it about? Who are the main characters? What channel is it on?
Activity 2: Rock ‘n’ Roll
Famous bands also started travelling across the world and in 1964, New Zealand hosted, arguably the most popular band of the time, The Beatles.
People were very excited to see The Beatles, and the hype around the band was known as Beatle-Mania (similar to the modern-day Bieber-Fever)!
Read about their tour of New Zealand below, and then post three interesting facts about The Beatles Tour on your blog.
The Beatles' first stop in New Zealand was Wellington. Seven thousand screaming fans – nearly all young women – waited as the band touched down on 21 June 1964. One girl badly hurt her leg trying to climb a wire fence, and two others were forced through the fence because of pushing from behind.
A team of 30 police officers, some in plain clothes, was on hand. Bill Brien, in charge of the operation, later said that:
“We underestimated the whole thing badly. The crowd was so big we had to … keep all the people behind a wire fence. At one stage it looked like the fence would collapse, which would have been a disaster.”
As the band stepped off the plane, the shrieks of fans drowned out the noise of the engines. Te Pataka concert party performed a haka, before doing a hongi (pressing noses) and presenting the band members with tiki.
From the back of a Holden utility, The Beatles waved to fans who lined the roads from the airport to town. The crowds outside their hotel, the St George, were so large that The Beatles had to be taken in secretly through the bottle shop entrance of the hotel. Management rushed the band up to the third floor balcony so fans could see them and not crash the hotel.
It was mayhem. 'Girls were screaming uncontrollably, quite out of their tree,' people remembered. Police used dogs to clear crowds from verandahs and other vantage points. Teenagers pushed over and damaged two police motorbikes; there was so much pushing that one of The Beatles’ cars was shunted backwards, even with the handbrake on.
Fans trekked back to The Beatles' hotel after the concert. The band was stuck inside as crowds gathered outside. Some kept up a late-night vigil on the hill behind the hotel. Others tried to get round the strict security; four girls strolled onto the sixth floor into the arms of Ringo Starr. His response was, ‘Now girls, no nonsense or else I’ll leave.’
Away from all the fuss, two of the band members took the chance to catch up with family. Police whisked John Lennon away to Levin to meet his second cousins, while Ringo Starr (formerly Starkey) met a group of Starkeys from the Wellington suburb of Karori.
Retrieved from https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/beatles
Bonus Activity: The Three Rs - Rugby, Racing and Running
In the 1960s, sport in New Zealand was dominated by the three R’s – rugby, racing and running. The national rugby team, the All Blacks, had a great decade, winning 36 of the 40 games that they played. Many kiwis also spent their week-ends at the local racetrack and, in 1960, Peter Snell won a gold medal in the 800m race at the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. He followed this up with two more gold medals in the 800m and 1500m races at the 1964 Olympic Games.
Watch this documentary about Peter Snell and then create a one-page poster on Canva* about this famous kiwi runner. Be sure to include a picture of Peter along with information about his interests and other sporting accomplishments.
*You will need to register on the Canva website in order to use it. To register, first you will need to choose your poster template from the homepage. This will bring up the sign-in page. Click on the ‘Register with Email’ button and enter your details.
BONUS POINTS: 14
Day 3: Groovy Man (The 1970’s)
Day 3: Groovy Man (The 1970’s)
Activity 1: Ready to Roll
In the 1970s one of the most common television programmes was called ‘Ready to Roll.’ It was broadcast on Saturday afternoons and hosted by a man named Roger Gascoigne. During the show, Roger would introduce music videos and then play them for the TV audience. He also invited famous people to come onto the show and perform songs that were currently popular.
Watch the following three clips that were shown on the Ready to Roll programme:
When you have finished, rank the clips in order from your most favourite (#1) to your least favourite (#3). Post your rankings on your blog.
Activity 2: Bell Bottom Pants
Fashion in the 1970s was quite unique. Take a look at the pictures of a ‘typical’ 1970s outfit and tell us, on your blog, two things that you like about 1970s fashion and two things that you don’t like about the fashion of the day. I am not a huge fan of the patterned pants. What about you?
Bonus Activity: A Bilingual Schooling System
For much of the past century, schools in New Zealand taught students in only one language – English. In 1972, Ngā Tamatoa member, Mrs. Hana Jackson, submitted a petition to Parliament to ask the government to include the teaching of Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) and Māori culture in New Zealand schools. We still use petitions to this day when we want an organisation (e.g. a school) to make a change.
Think about your school. What is one thing that you would like change. Would you like to learn about different things? Maybe you think school should only be open 3 days a week?
On your blog, write a letter to your principal to try and convince him/her to make the change. Ensure that your letter is polite and respectful.
BONUS POINTS: 18
Day 4: Perms and Lycra (The 1980’s)
Day 4: Perms and Lycra (The 1980’s)
Activity 1: Hairy Maclary
One of the most famous children’s stories to ever come out of New Zealand, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, was written by a kiwi woman named Lynley Dodd. The book was originally published in 1983. It is now sold in dozens of countries around the world. It features a small dog named Hairy.
On your blog, use the following sentence starter from the original book to finish the story.
“Out of the gate and off for a walk went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy…”
To earn full points, your story should have, at least, 8-10 sentences.
Activity 2: The Big ‘OE’
In the 1980s it became increasingly common for students to graduate from high school and take a year off to travel and experience the world. This year was often referred to as the ‘Big OE’ or ‘Big Overseas Experience.’ A number of kiwis headed to places like Australia and England to live and work before returning to New Zealand to finish their studies.
Imagine that you are a student in the 1980s and you’re about to graduate from high school. Where would you like to go on your big OE? On your blog tell us which country you would visit and give us three (3) reasons for your choice. Find some pictures on the internet of things that you would like to see and do in this country.
I’d love to go to Switzerland and spend lots of time in the mountains, learning how to ski!
Bonus Activity: The 4 O’Clock News
In 1982, Te Karere, a Māori-language news show premiered on television. It has continued to stream live on TV to this day. If you would like to watch it, turn on TV One at 3:55 p.m. each weekday and you will see it. The show is often hosted by a man named Scotty Morrison.
Imagine that you were Scotty Morrison and you were able to interview anyone you wanted. I would choose to interview our new prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. I’d love to know what it is like to be the Prime Minister. What about you? Who would you choose to interview and why? What would you like to find out?
Day 5: Maintaining the Status Quo (The 1990’s)
Day 5: Maintaining the Status Quo (The 1990’s)
Activity 1: Hiking Tongariro
In 1990, one of the largest national parks in New Zealand, Tongariro, was listed as a World Heritage Site. It is a truly spectacular place to visit! Thousands of people go to Tongariro every year and hike the Tongariro Crossing. Visit the Tongariro website to learn more about the one-day hike.
On your blog tell us what you would need to pack if you were going to hike the Tongariro Crossing. What should you bring with you? Write a list of at least 5 items.
Other than making sure that you have the right equipment, what else should you do before heading out on a big hike? Click here to learn how to stay safe while you’re hiking.
Activity 2: Leading New Zealand
In the 1990s, four different individuals served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand – Geoffrey Palmer, Mike Moore, Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley.
On your blog, write a short profile of one of our former Prime Ministers. Upload a photo of them with your post. Click on this link to find a copy of the template. Click on file and then click make a copy. This will save the blank template to your Google Drive so that you can fill it in. Post the completed template to your blog to earn points for this activity.
Bonus Activity: You Have to Pay to Play
In 1990, for the first time in New Zealand’s history, universities and polytechnics started charging students money to go to school. Prior to then, it had been free to go to university or to a polytechnic. Since 1990, students have had to pay thousands of dollars to attend post-secondary (after high school) education.
The new Labour government have promised to give up to three years of free post-secondary education to all New Zealanders by 2020!
On your blog, tell us what you think. Should students have to pay money (tuition fees) to go to university? Why or why not?
BONUS POINTS: 18
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