It’s the 1920s and kiwi prosperity is reaching a new high point. Yet the roots of another disaster are lurking beneath the surface... The Great Depression rips through the global economy, causing huge political upheavals, unemployment and, here in New Zealand, the birth of cradle to grave welfare.
Topics covered
- Prosperity in the 1920s, new technologies, increasing home ownership and education
- The causes of the Great Depression with a particular focus on the NZ economy’s reliance on British markets.
- The impact of the Great Depression on unemployed workers, their families and on single women.
- The 1931 earthquake.
- The rise of the NZ Labour Party and their social welfare policies
- Māori experience of the Great Depression
- Notable Māori political figures in this time period, particularly Apirana Ngata, Te Puea Herangi.
- The rise of the Ratana Church and Wiremu Ratana’s alliance with Labour.
Photo: RNZ/NZ On Air
