Post-War New Zealand

After the war came a new quest for security and identity. With it came new political debates and alliances. Maori and Pasifika moved to the cities. The way we viewed ourselves as a nation was changing.

The 50s and 60s were decades of huge cultural change. Māori were moving into the cities in large numbers for the first time. Meanwhile, there were communist scares, industrial disputes, moral panics about rowdy teenagers - and the beginning of a new kind of kiwi identity.

Watch the video version of episode here

Topics covered:

• The post-war Baby Boom
• Māori urbanisation
• The Cold War, concerns about communist agents and the ANZUS Treaty
• The formation of the NZ National Party
• The Waterfront Dispute
• Concerns about teen "immorality" moral panic and crackdowns
• The shift from British to Pākehā identity, growing enthusiasm for "kiwi" culture
• Samoan independence.
• The Dawn Raids and Polynesian Panthers
• The Māori Renaissance and activism, including the 1975 Land March and Bastion Point Occupation
• The Treaty of Waitangi Act and the role of the Waitangi Tribunal

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details