December 22, 2024

1993: Bailey’s 818

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Christchurch nightclubs Bailey’s 818 (Colombo Street) and Bailey’s Downtown emerged from the 1980s disco, pop, and ‘hair bands’ era in the year 1993. The founder, Anthony Bailey, had a background as a disco DJ and by all accounts (sources, Facebook and Old Friends Archive) knew his trade very well and was well-liked by staff and […]

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January 30, 2024

1848: Brunner’s Fleet

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Today in New Zealand history, 26 January, 1848, Thomas Brunner set out to explore the Grey River all the way from Mawhera (Greymouth) to Lake Brunner. This was only a sub-expedition for the 27yo man as part of a 550-day expedition. This was Brunner’s second such expedition to Mawhera having been the first white man, […]

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January 26, 2024

1930: Kirwee Colonel

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Today in Canterbury history, 25 January, 1930, the monument at Kirwee was unveiled. It’s a wonderful and quite unique Art Deco interpretation of Ottoman domed architecture of the sort you wouldn’t expect to see in rural Canterbury. Yet, it’s quite appropriate to associate this 1870s water race and its prime mover: Colonel De Renzie Brett. […]

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January 25, 2024

1890: St Andrews Church of Loburn

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

St Andrew’s Church at Loburn, North Canterbury, was opened on 26 October 1890. It burned to the ground last Friday the 19th of January 2024. The final service in the church was held in December 2006. Ref. Waimakariri Libraries Or, perhaps it was November 2006. Ref. The Press, National Library Loburn itself kicked off in […]

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January 23, 2024

1967: The Strongman Mine Disaster

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

The rescue attempt continued all night and the next day after a huge explosion within the Government’s Strongman Mine on the West Coast today in history, 19 January, 1967. An official inquiry found that the state-run coal mine had neglected safety procedures. 240 men were in the path of a deadly fireball that, by luck, […]

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January 19, 2024

1910: Chew Chong Celebrated

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Chew Chong, a Sino-Zelandian, was a pioneer of New Zealand’s export butter trade. He also created an industry for ‘Taranaki Wool’ by recognising that demand for this product in China was high enough to pay NZ colonists to pick it. Chong first came to Otago for the gold rush but as an entreprener not a […]

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January 17, 2024

Politics in Heterogenia

By NZB3

The greatest Extinction Burst in cinema was the fate of the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) as it was melted down and destroyed. The evil sociopathic Janus-faced robot revisited every face and shape it had used in the whole film to manipulate and murder until its repertoire was extinguished at last. Politicians are […]

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January 14, 2024

1942: Musick Point

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Today in history, 12 January, 1942, the Labour 1.0 Prime Minister Peter Fraser officially opened Musick Memorial Radio Station. “For 40 years most of Auckland’s aviation and maritime radio communications were routed through this site.”- memorial plate on the site The station is named ‘Musick’ after Captain Edwin Musick who was chief pilot for Pan […]

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January 12, 2024

1918: Brownies

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Hundreds of thousands of Kiwi women have been Brownies over the years. What they did not know, until now, that their very identity was “racist” and “offensive.” That is, according to Girl Guides of Canada who changed the name in early 2023 to ‘Embers’. Hopefully Scouting New Zealand (these days called Scouts Aotearoa New Zealand) […]

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January 11, 2024

1863: Harp of Erin Tunnel

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

John Strange built many historical landmarks of Auckland and at his death (1882) was one of the oldest colonists. They have lasted because Strange was a Master Mason and his products were of Auckland basalt. Many of these are heritage listed buildings such as his own cottage, Kinder House, and The Deanery which are all […]

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January 8, 2024

1979: International Year of the Child

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

After many months of warning the Secretary General of the United Nations proclaimed on 1 January, 1979, that this was the International Year of the Child. New Zealand’s Government and voluntary organisations willingly played along in a great show of raising awareness and thinking a bit more deeply about ‘the child’. There were no stated […]

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January 5, 2024

1913: Walking To Happiness

By Anarchist History of New Zealand

Today in history, 3 January, 1914, 12 schoolboys arrived in central Auckland having walked 520km from their Far North home in Te Kao. They called it ‘The Great Trek’ and it had started on 13 December of the previous year. This was an educational trip thought up and planned by their primary school teacher, Joseph […]

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January 3, 2024