Tag Archives: British Empire

April 1913: This month last century

30 April 2013 – 5.34pm

100 years ago HMS New Zealand arrives in New Zealand (12 April 1913)

Model of the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, 1955 - 1959, New Zealand. T. Devitt. Gift of the Wellington Marine Model Club, 1959. Te Papa

Model of the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, 1955 – 1959, New Zealand. T. Devitt. Gift of the Wellington Marine Model Club, 1959. Te Papa.

In March 1909, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward announced that ‘the Dominion’ (New Zealand) was offering ‘the Motherland’ (Britain) the ‘free gift of … a first-class battleship’.

The Prime Minister thought that his offer to pay for a ship would allow New Zealanders to take ‘much greater pride and interest’ in the Empire’s defence. This proved to be enormously popular in New Zealand, and Parliament authorised the expenditure of up to £2 million on the ‘gift ship’.

The ship’s construction began in early 1910, and was completed in November 1912, having been given the name HMS New Zealand in 1911. 

HMS New Zealand in a terrific gale, 1910s. Maker unknown. Te Papa

HMS New Zealand in a terrific gale, 1910s. Maker unknown. Te Papa

Her ‘thank you’ visit to New Zealand, during April and May 1913, was a triumph. The medal below was made to commemorate the occasion. Huge crowds flocked to see her – at Wellington on 16 April alone, over 15,000 people went aboard. She called at most of New Zealand’s major ports, where her visits inspired impressive demonstrations of patriotic fervour.

Medal commemorating the visit of H.M.S. New Zealand, 1913. New Zealand. William Rose Bok, Te Papa

Medal commemorating the visit of H.M.S. New Zealand, 1913. New Zealand. William Rose Bock, Te Papa

HMS New Zealand participated in several major naval battles during WWI. In 1919, she made another, farewell visit to New Zealand. The presentation casket (below) was presented to the wife of the Governor General at a ball that was held in the Wellington Town Hall to commemorate the event.

Presentation casket, circa 1919, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Purchased 2012. Te Papa

Presentation casket, circa 1919, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Purchased 2012. Te Papa.

Read Leslie Adkin’s enthusiastic diary entry about his visit to HMS New Zealand on Collections Online

Follow HMS New Zealand’s journey on the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s website

Read about New Zealand’s imperial loyalties and contributions to imperial defence in the 1900s and 1910s on the Slice of Heaven exhibition mini-site.

See objects in Te Papa’s collections related to HMS New Zealand

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in History, Exhibitions, Collections Online, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

September 1907 – this month last century

28 September 2012 – 10.51am

105 years ago New Zealand becomes a Dominion (26 September 1907)

At 11am, 26 September 1907, New Zealand officially moved up in the ranks in the British Empire. On that day it became a Dominion instead of a Colony. That night, electric illuminations on buildings in the capital proclaimed this auspicious and historical moment.

Dominion Day - Government Buildings at night, 25.09.1907, Wellington. Maker unknown. Te Papa

Dominion Day – Government Buildings at night, 25.09.1907, Wellington. Maker unknown. Te Papa

Although public servants were given a holiday and children were presented with a special medal to commemorate the event, this change did not translate into any significant changes to everyday life in New Zealand.

Dominion Day parade, 25.09.1907. Photographed by Frederick Brockett (1881-1956). Te Papa

Dominion Day parade, 25.09.1907. Photographed by Frederick Brockett (1881-1956). Te Papa

And despite military parades and flag raising ceremonies, many people did not comprehend the differences between begin a Colony and Dominion. The change was more of a political initiative, motivated by perceptions – perceptions that within the Empire, Dominions were superior to Colonies.

There’s more about New Zealand becoming a Dominion on nzhistory.net.nz

Learn about New Zealand and its colonial attachment to Great Britain in the 1900s on the Slice of Heaven exhibition website

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Exhibitions, History, Photography, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

June 1901 – This month last century

30 June 2011 – 6.05pm

110 years ago the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York visit New Zealand (10-27 June 1901)

A royal tour of New Zealand was mooted by arch-imperialist Premier Richard Seddon in 1897, during the Diamond (60th) anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne.

Flag, Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, 1897, Maker unknown, New Zealand. Purchased 2004. Te Papa

Flag, Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, 1897, Maker unknown, New Zealand. Purchased 2004. Te Papa

By 1900, such a visit had assumed greater importance. By this date, New Zealand was involved in the war in South Africa and supporters of a royal visit believed that it would encourage and reward New Zealand’s loyalty to the British Empire and its campaign against the Boers.

Queen Victoria agreed to her grandson, the Duke of Cornwall and York, making a tour of the colony, although she did not live to see the Duke and his wife embark on this trip.

Invitation to ’Maori demonstration’ at Rotorua for the Royal Tour, New Zealand, 1901, White, Benoni (1858–1950), A. D. Willis, New Zealand. Purchased 2001. Te Papa

Invitation to ’Maori demonstration’ at Rotorua for the Royal Tour, New Zealand, 1901, White, Benoni (1858–1950), A. D. Willis, New Zealand. Purchased 2001. Te Papa

The royal couple, who would later reign as George V and Queen Mary, arrived in New Zealand five months after the death of Victoria. They stopped in the four main centres: Auckland, Wellington, Chrischurch, and Dunedin. They also went to a hui in Rotorua where a ‘Grand Carnival of the Tribes’ took place. The invitation above was designed for the event.

Triumphal arches punctuated the routes of the royal processions through these towns. The one featured in this image was sponsored by the Dairy Association of New Zealand and was made from butter boxes.

Royal Visit - Butter, 19.06.1901, Maker unknown, Wellington. Te Papa

Royal Visit - Butter, 19.06.1901, Maker unknown, Wellington. Te Papa

Foliage, garlands and bunting also lined the streets. Electric lights were arranged on buildings to spell out patriotic messages. In Wellington, 2,400 adorned the Post Office. This was described as ‘the greatest effort of electric illuminations ever achieved in the colony’.

School children, many of whom created ‘living flags’ in the form of Union Jacks, received special tokens of the visit. The Duke reviewed soldiers and presented medals to veterans from the South African War. The invitation below was for a review held in Potter’s Park in Auckland.

Invitation, 1901, Hawcridge, Robert (1866–1920), J Wilkie and Company, Dunedin. Purchased 2004. Te Papa

Invitation, 1901, Hawcridge, Robert (1866–1920), J Wilkie and Company, Dunedin. Purchased 2004. Te Papa

New Zealanders received the Duke and Duchess enthusiastically. As the journalist assigned to the tour wrote: the couple experienced ’a thousand miles of loyalty’ as they journedy through the colony.

Read more about how New Zealanders greeted the royal couple in Judith Bassett, ‘A Thousand Miles of Loyalty, New Zealand Journal of History, 1987.

See the Slice of Heaven website for more details about imperial loyalty in New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

February 1950: This month last century

23 February 2011 – 5.48pm

Empire Games are held in Auckland, 4-11 February 1950

1950 Empire Games commemorative cup, 1950, Crown Lynn Potteries Ltd (1948–1991), Shufflebotham, Ernest (1908–1984), Auckland. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

1950 Empire Games commemorative cup, 1950, Crown Lynn Potteries Ltd (1948–1991), Shufflebotham, Ernest (1908–1984), Auckland. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

The cup above was produced by Crown Lynn as a souvenir of the Auckland games, which 590 athletes from 12 nations attended.  

New Zealand came third in the medal tally with 54 medals: 10 gold, 22 silver and 22 bronze. Golds were won in boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming, weightlifting, and athletics.

Yvette Williams won a gold medal in the long jump. Two years later at Helsinki in Finland, she became the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

The Empire Games were first held in Canada in 1930. Since then they have been held every four years, although there was a 12-year gap gap after 1938 due to the Second World War. They are now called the Commonwealth Games and sometimes ‘The Friendly Games’.

The countries that compete in the games are members of the British Commonwealth, previously known as the British Empire. New Zealand, as a member of both, has been present every time the games have been held.

Empire Games medal, 1934, Phillips, F. England. Gift of Douglas Crump, 2009. Te Papa

Empire Games medal, 1934, Phillips, F. England. Gift of Douglas Crump, 2009. Te Papa

The bronze medal above was awarded to swimmer Noel Crump at the second games held in London in 1934, when he came third in the 100 yards freestyle event.

New Zealand hosted the tenth Commonwealth Games in Christchurch in 1974. These games were televised and reached a wide audience who enjoyed colour on their tv sets for the first time.  There was also an official Games pop song, ‘Join Together’, which reached no. 2 on the pop charts.

Coasters, ’Xth British Commonwealth Games’, 1974, Maker unknown, New Zealand. Gift of Jan Sammons, 2008. Te Papa

Coasters, ’Xth British Commonwealth Games’, 1974, Maker unknown, New Zealand. Gift of Jan Sammons, 2008. Te Papa

The distinctive games logo was created by Wellington designer Colin Simon. It cleverly referenced NZ, X (the Roman numeral for 10), and the Union Jack (Britain’s flag). The logo appeared on official team uniforms and souvenirs alike.

Auckland hosted the Games again in 1990. These were New Zealand’s most successful, in terms of the number of medals won.

The 1990 games were part of New Zealand’s sesquicentennial. This was the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which saw New Zealand become a colony and part of the British Empire.

Read more about New Zealand and its relationship with the British Empire in Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa. 

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (4)
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