1915: Fiasco at Gallipoli
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in history, 25 April, 1915, we invaded Turkey from the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was a gamble, a fiasco, a disaster, and the object of a national propaganda exercise so complete that it re-framed our national identity. Colonial New Zealand had been a much freer place to live, almost Libertarian. The Millennial Age that followed […]
Read more..April 25, 2024
1941: The Greek King’s Bodyguard
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in history, 23 April, 1941, New Zealand troops formed the bodyguard to King George II of Greece. Our men safely evacuated George from Greece to Crete and on the Egypt. “KING OF GREECE ENTERTAINS NEW ZEALANDERS WHO FORMED HIS BODYGUARD IN RETREAT ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS OF CRETE” The thing about George (who was related […]
Read more..April 23, 2024
1885: The Club Hotel
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Bluff’s Club Hotel’s demolition started in April 2024 putting an end to an institution going back to the 1860s. It ceased trading in the mid-2000s. The latest owner, Bluff Oyster and Food Festival Charitable Trust purchased it in 2014 and have been let it deteriorate and be vandalised for 10 years culminating in the ability […]
Read more..April 22, 2024
1960: New Zealand PM Meets Khrushchev
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
20 April 1960: New Zealand Prime Minister Walter Nash held talks with USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev for 6 hours in total. We were 7 months out from a General Election which would boot out Nash’s Labour 2.0 Ministry. New Zealand had had enough of Commies. Walter apparently upset Nikita a bit by mentioning how his […]
Read more..April 20, 2024
1959: Oxford Branch Closed
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
In early 1959 the Labour 2.0 Ministry signaled that 6 under-performing government railway lines were under threat. This included Oxford Branch (est. 1875) which was duly culled on 19 April of that year. The Minister for Railways was Mick Moohan. The other lines that were to close were Ngapara, Donnelly’s Crossing, Foxton, and Waikaia. They […]
Read more..April 19, 2024
1976: Orana Park
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Orana Park 25 September, 1976, in Paparua County (1911-1989.) Now it’s just another part of MegaCity Christchurch. Orana always called itself a ‘Wildlife Park’ because there’s something apparently non-PC about the word ‘Zoo’. However, the founders called themselves the South Island Zoological Society. Go figure. The concept was an open range, drive-through, zoo. You could […]
Read more..April 18, 2024
2007: Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in history, 15 April, 2017, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand was opened in Wellington. Various VIPs were there to listen and talk. The Governor General Anand Satyanand himself was there and in costume as politicians will be whenever appearing with an elect audience (image, left.) The HCNZ was established in 2007 and continues […]
Read more..April 15, 2024
1932: Tai Tapu Library
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Tai Tapu Library, South Canterbury. Without government who would build the libraries? This one was opened on 12 August 1932 and paid for with the proceeds of prize-winning daffodils grown on the property¹. And, the subscriptions of those desiring to be members. The public library itself is even older than this building. However, it was […]
Read more..April 11, 2024
1975: New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation Extinguished
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in New Zealand history, 1 April, 1975, Labour 3.0 abolished the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. When a new Government takes power its primary job is to capture or destroy all the State institutions controlled by the prior Government. Television no exception. The NZBC was split into Radio NZ, TV1 and TV2 with TV1 broadcasting […]
Read more..April 2, 2024
1971: Foxton Courthouse Closure
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Foxton Courthouse was shut down on January 28, 1971. It was part of a wider trend to cull the country courthouse that was just warming up. National 3.0’s Minister of Justice, Dan Riddiford, was the figurehead behind this one but at the end of the decade that government dropped the axe on 24 of New […]
Read more..March 31, 2024
1848: The Canterbury Association
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in history, 28 March, 1848 The Canterbury Association met for the first time. This was at 41 Charing Cross, London, and the local time was 27 March which is how most sources record the time but AHNZ prefers to record dates using New Zealand’s calendar. To us, especially Cantabrians, names like Cavendish, Charterius, Coleridge, […]
Read more..March 28, 2024
1936: Single Source of Truth
By Anarchist History of New Zealand
Today in history, 25 March, 1936, Labour 1.0 started radio broadcast transmissions from the Debating Chamber. Michael Savage’s new Government scared some New Zealanders. Had we elected a bunch of open Communists to run our country? Yes. Would they run it that way? Kind of, yes! One thing Labour had to do was circumventing the […]
Read more..March 25, 2024
