New Zealand Timeline: 1900-1945
Land Ownership and Settlement
By 1910 5000 Crown tenants are renting one million hectares of land on a 999-year lease. Pressure from leasehold farmers wanting to freehold their farms begins to grow. The Reform Party headed by "Farmer Bill" Massey is elected in 1912 as a result of this pressure. After World War One (WWI) the government sets up a rehabilitation scheme to help returned soldiers onto farms. The largest numbers go on to subdivided farms in rapidly expanding dairying districts in North Auckland, Thames Valley and Manawatu. Some soldiers encounter difficult circumstances in North Island hill country locations, eg Wanganui River and walk off their land. About one third of soldiers are in financial difficulty by late 1920s and walk off their land.
Land Use
The period 1895 to WWI is prosperous as dairying and lamb production expand rapidly New mechanical inventions and scientific advances aid cropping. Hilgendorf's wheat breeding work at Lincoln College is an example of improving plant strains to meet New Zealand conditions. Department of Agriculture research work demonstrates the cost effectiveness of applying superphosphate fertiliser to pasture.
Farming becomes increasingly mechanised.
The proportion of the total workforce involved in the primary industry falls from 42% in 1890 to 30% in 1936.
By 1910 numbers of feral or wild deer have increased rapidly in New Zealand, due to excellent conditions for breeding. They are now recognised as a potential nuisance to the environment.
During the 1930s hill country erosion is recognised as a major problem as people become more aware of the damage caused by the removal of forests.
In 1935 cobalt deficiency is found to be the cause of "bush sickness" in livestock in the central North island.
Cobalt-based salt ricks and cobalt added to superphosphate fertiliser increase the productivity of central North Island land and make more intensive livestock farming possible.
During World War Two (WWII) the Department of Agriculture undertakes a major initiative to produce vegetables for American troops in New Zealand and the Pacific. Several thousand hectares around the country are cultivated to grow crops.
Commerce
By 1915 gold and timber exports are no longer significant. Wool, lamb, butter and cheese are exported to Britain.
A post-war boom in product prices is short-lived. The values of wool, meat, butter and cheese fall heavily between 1920-1921. Prices rise slightly in 1923-1925, then fall again in 1926.
After the Wall Street stock market "Crash" of October 1929, prices fall all over the world and purchasing power shrinks. Unemployment and oversupply of most products results. Export prices for primary products fall on average 40% between 1928-1932.
The 1932 Ottawa Conference results in trade agreements between Britain and Empire countries. Britain agrees to continue New Zealand's access and exemption from tariffs and gradually reduces imports of mutton and iamb from other countries, eg Argentina. New Zealand in turn increases its preferences for British goods.
During WWII Britain imports meat, dairy products and wool from New Zealand through bulk purchasing agreements. Britain is unable to import food from traditional European suppliers, eg Denmark, because of Nazi occupation. Imports from New Zealand are also at risk between 1941-1943 during the height of the naval war in the Atlantic.
Agricultural Events
| 1902 | The New Zealand Farmers' Union is funded. Its aim is to represent farmer interests at the political level. |
| 1902 | A mechanical method of milking cows is developed. |
| 1904 | The first farm tractor is imported to New Zealand. |
| 1908 | An outbreak of facial eczema, a disease which affects the liver of sheep occurs. |
| 1909 | Herd testing of dairy cows is introduced. |
| 1909 | The recording of milk yields and the butterfat content of milk begins. This enables farmers to select better-producing cows for breeding and replacement stock. |
| 1910 | The Journal of the Department of Agriculture, which later becomes the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, is established. It is published by the Department of Agriculture to keep farmers abreast of technical and scientific developments. |
| 1911 | The Selwyn Plantation Board is established in Canterbury to administer 6400 hectares of forestry reserves. Of these, 2690 were planted in timber trees. |
| 1923 | The first New Zealand Dairy Board is set up as a joint government and producer enterprise to control the export of dairy products. |
| 1926 | The Women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union is founded. Its aim is to ease the isolation of farmers' wives and improve services in rural communities. it later becomes Women's Division Federated Farmers. |
| 1927 | Massey Agricultural College, which later becomes Massey University opens in Palmerston North. |
| 1930 | The New Zealand Dairy Science Association is established to bring together farmers and researchers to improve the efficiency of the dairy industry |
| 1930s | Electricity is provided in many rural areas. It enables dairy farmers to use new machinery for milking, etc. |
| 1931 | An earthquake on 3 February virtually destroys Napier and severely damages Hastings. The death toll in the quake and resulting fire is 256 with damage to property of £5 million. The Ahuriri Lagoon almost disappears as around 9000 acres of land are pushed upward. |
| 1937 | The first commercial plantings of Chinese gooseberries or kiwifruit are established. |
| 1938 | Severe floods in parts of the country such as the East Coast of the North Island are followed by a severe drought from January to April 1 939 The drought affects much of the country Only one-quarter of the usual rainfall for these months falls in the North Island. Livestock everywhere suffer from feed shortage, and the yield of grain crops in Canterbury falls. There is a 12% drop in butter production and a general loss of £2 million to the farming industry |
| 1941 | Fertiliser is rationed after evacuation of Nauru Island during WWII. Nauru is New Zealand's main source of phosphate rock, which is used in fertiliser |
Community
By 1910, 500,000 people or about 51% of the population live in rural areas, 86% of Māori people live in rural areas.
On small farms family members provide necessary labour. At times this interferes with the schooling of children. Mr C.P McMeekan who later becomes the head of Ruakura Research Station at Hamilton remembers seeing dairy farm children fall asleep at their desks, having risen early to milk cows before school.
Māori have become disadvantaged without land and are often unemployed. Attempts to petition the Government to honour the Treaty of Waitangi are largely unsuccessful, In 1929 Apirana Ngata convinces the Government to provide state financial credit for Māori farming. By 1937 750,000 hectares were developed with this credit and supported 18,000 people.
The great depression of the 1930s is a difficult time for many families. Men desperate to work go to relief work camps where they are separated from their families, sometimes for months at a time. These years are named the "sugar bag" years. Children go barefoot and people wear sugar bags because they cannot afford shoes and clothing.
There is a continued population shift from rural to urban areas. By 1936 only 32% of the population live in rural areas.
During WWII petrol and some food items are rationed. There is an emphasis on sacrificing to help the British fight the war. People dig up their lawns to grow potatoes and other vegetables.
Women take over farm work while men are serving overseas. They become herd testers, farm labourers and truck drivers.
Government Policy
In 1914 the Board of Agriculture is set up to advise Prime Minister Massey on the operation of the Department of Agriculture and the government's role in agriculture.
This is because Massey is suspicious of the Department as a creation of the Liberal Party.
Between 1890-1926 a major debate takes place over water rights with conflict between miners and farmers. The Mining Act of 1926 regulates water use and provides conditions for the discharge of tailings into water courses.
In 1925 the Deteriorated Lands Act is passed in recognition of a decline in land fertility. Measures are taken to stop land reverting to scrub.
In 1926 the Rural Advances Act allows the government to grant rural first mortgage loans.
In 1929 legislation is passed allowing the Department of Native Affairs to advance credit to Māori farmers.
During the 1930s a series of Mortgage Adjustment Acts are passed to enable debt burdened farmers to survive the depression. These reduce the debt owed by farmers, but disadvantage their creditors.
New Zealand currency was devalued by 25% to help farmers.
In the late 1930s the Labour Government enacts measures to protect New Zealand farmers and manufacturers from the difficulties of world markets, eg the guaranteed price system for dairy farmers and higher tariffs for some industries like footwear.
In 1938 import and exchange controls are put in place to correct the balance of payments crisis. These measures begin a long "protectionist" phase in government which lasts until the mid-1980s. In 1941 the Soil Erosion and Rivers Control Act sets up catchment boards and regional water boards to deal with flood control, water use and soil conservation.
The 1943 Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Act allows the government to control prices in all land transactions and buy land suitable for subdivision. The aim is to settle returned soldiers on farms. Retraining
schemes are established at the two agricultural colleges of Lincoln and Massey Between 1945-1955, 10,000 ex-soldiers are placed on the land under the government rehabilitation scheme
In 1945 the Māori Social and Economic Advancement Act incorporates the Māori War Effort Organisation into the Māori Affairs Department. Māori returned servicemen receive the same rehabilitation assistance as Pakeha.
Contact for Enquiries
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