Brown is my Superpower
By NZB3
I have 2 irritated media observations for you from this weekend’s Otago Daily Times before trailing off into an esoteric discourse on macrohistory analysis. Because, after all, if economics can be broken down into micro and macroeconomics why shouldn’t I use the same terminology for long-term history trends? Firstly then, and briefly, so I can […]
Read more..December 8, 2024
1933: The Last Moriori
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
On 29 December, 1986, Prime Minister David Lange unveiled a life-size statue of the last Moriori, Tommy Solomon, who had died ion 19 March,1933. The Prime Minister told the crowd that Moriori were not a myth but that “We cannot make them live again, but we can tell the truth about what happened to them.” […]
Read more..November 26, 2024
1886: Reefton Electric
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in New Zealand history, 24 November, 1886, Reefton caught the electricity bug well and truly. This was the official start of the revolution from the age of coal and steam that had replaced horsepower and wind power. Now came electricity and oil; The age we are still in. Walter Prince had come to New […]
Read more..November 24, 2024
2021: Marae Pedestrian Warning Sign
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) (est.2008) changed its name to Waka Kotahi in August 2019. This was in keeping with the era of ‘Aotearoa New Zealand Culture’ that is only now coming to its historical end point. In keeping with this, a brand new road sign was created in 2021 to advertise the presense of […]
Read more..November 23, 2024
1951: The Rise of Whina Cooper
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Josephine ‘Whina’ Gilbert (Later Whina Cooper) had been a big shot in the Hokianga. For example, in roles unusual for a woman, she was president both of her local Federated Farmers branch and of the North Hokianga Rugby Union. The Maori journal The New World said of Whina that she had “an “afraid of no one” […]
Read more..November 19, 2024
1902: Ashes of Accountability in Tauranga
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in New Zealand history, 16 November, 1902, the Government Buildings in Tauranga burned to the ground leaving only 7 smoldering chimneys (image, left.) This first purpose-built government building in Tauranga was also the second largest timber building in the entire Colony of New Zealand when constructed in 1875. It was full of government things: […]
Read more..November 16, 2024
1847: Howick Fencibles Land
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
On this day, 15 November, 1847, the first Fencible families from the immigrant ship Minerva disembarked from the Government brig Victoria at Howick Beach. This being a government project, things did not proceed in an orderly fashion. Howick was the largest of the Fencible settlements, all made up of ex-soldiers still on call should trouble […]
Read more..November 15, 2024
1941: Blackout
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Until 1941 the first year or so of WW2 didn’t need to be a problem for a New Zealander. Up until mid-1940 there had even been a huge Centennial Exhibition to attend in Wellington for 6 months during which 2.6 million visitors ate fancy food and played games. Before that the German Ambassador himself was […]
Read more..November 8, 2024
1863: The Waka Buster
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in New Zealand history, 1 November, 1863 the Government’s streamer Lady Barkly set out from Onehunga on a capture/destroy mission on Manukau Harbour. The target was any and all uncontrolled transport craft, particularly Maori canoes: “Waka.” The crew returned on 6 November with 11 canoes in tow as well as a big stern post […]
Read more..November 1, 2024
1994: Attack on One Tree Hill
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
One Tree Hill (aka Maungakiekie) is the most Anarchist of Auckland’s volcanic cones as you can tell from the name. By the time The State came along to claim its third capital (Sydney, Old Russell, Auckland, Wellington) it was too late to re-name it after William Hobson or anyone in his sovereignty start-up enterprise. But […]
Read more..October 28, 2024
1998: Bill Maher Hall
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Visitors to the West Coast passing down State Highway 6 a little south of Greymouth might rightly wonder why there is a Bill Maher Hall here. Of course you would resist the thought of it being named for the famous American commentator-commentator named Bill Maher. Except…there’s a huge cartoon on the building facing the road […]
Read more..October 14, 2024
1979: Operation Midford
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
In 1979 New Zealand contributed 74 soldiers to a monitoring force in Rhodesia and 2 observing Members of Parliament. It was called Operation Milford. The country had been one of our colonial cousins and its Prime Minister (1953-8) Garfield Todd was a New Zealander himself. Under international sanctions, Rhodesia opted for self-deletion and became Robert […]
Read more..October 1, 2024
