The Volkswagen Type 3 (1500) was introduced in 1961 and would have been a fancy vehicle to have in your New Zealand driveway- IF you had overseas funds! To protect the local car assembly industry, most car buyers could only purchase a locally made model (and would face a long waiting list). BUT- if you held money overseas and could afford the import tariffs you could import a fully assembled car through a dealer much more quickly. You often got an exotic model which was not common locally.

If you had lots of money overseas (such as a farmer who sold wool in the UK) then you could import a car, sell it for more than you paid for it and then buy another! Little wonder that when John Clarke's comic creation Fred Dagg did a spoof of 'God Save The Queen' he added 'long live our overseas funds'. By the time those words were sung the requirements for importing a car had loosened somewhat, but overseas funds were still an advantage.

Birds Garage was established by Mister H. Bird in 1940 and by the time this slide was made it was owned by N.H Bird. They were among the first Volkswagen dealers in the country. By 1981 the firm had sold Toyotas for some years. 

Kodacolor was one of the first colour print films- meaning that the finished photos were put into an album or picture frame instead of being projected onto a wall (i.e. slide film). Kodacolor was introduced in 1942, but the war meant that it wasn't widely available until the 1950s.

Unlike slide film, print film tends to be a bit more tolerant of mistakes in exposure- hence why the ad promoted that 'any camera' could use it- even the simple snapshot models which didn't have the controls to cope with slide film. But, because making prints from negatives cost a lot of money, most colour film photographers still used slide film.

All this was only relevant if you could afford colour film at all- up until the late 1950s many snapshooters stuck with black and white. However, by the mid 1970s over 90% of snapshots taken in Western Countries were in colour. Cheaper processing meant that at lots of these were now print films.

The original Kodacolour print film was discontinued in 1963, so we know that this slide was made before then. The 'Kodacolour' name was still being used for colour films right up until the end of the 1980s.

A 1950s advertisement for Langtry's Pharmacy boasts of their photo developing service which could return your film in twenty four hours. Online records suggest that Langtry's shop was demolished in 1975, but this is to be confirmed.

With cinema advertising slides appearing onscreen for only a few seconds, a bright bold design was essential! A witty pun was sometimes used to grab attention. This slide ticks all the boxes. 

A 'George Cooper' ran a hairdressing salon on Oxford Street and was advertising in the local paper in 1939. It is possible that this is the same business.  The hair style and hand colouring certainly looks to be from this era, but it is difficult to be sure.

Kete records show that this company was owned by Lance Osborne and was trading in the mid 1960s. A big feature of the fleet was the fitting of 'radio telephone'- an early name for the CB 'Citizens Band' radios which kept travellers in touch before cell phones. They were all the rage for enthusiasts in the 1970s and 1980s, spurred along by movies about truck drivers!

This dealership was owned by none other than Ron Frost, a New Zealand motorsport legend who not only raced cars in Levin and around the country but who also organised races and attracted new motorsport talent to New Zealand.

Ron Frost was born in England and served in the British Army during the Second World War- including many years as a POW until he escaped a German prisoner of war camp in 1945.

Frost Motors started out selling new cars from the Rootes group (including Hillmans, Humbers and Sunbeams) but they later opened a used car yard near their first location. The new car showrooms and petrol pumps were on Oxford Street South. The used car lot was on Oxford Street North. The business remained in the family until the late 1970s.

There is a wealth of knowledge about Ron Frost online.

The car on the slide has a number plate which reads '1966' which is a great indication of when this slide was made! 

G.H Weggery & Co were real estate agents based in Levin's Oxford Street. Based off New Zealand Gazette records, the company was wound up in 1980, so this slide must have been before then (similar records show it trading in 1978). The population growth of Manawatu/Horowhenua slowed after 1976 and this could have been a reason for the firm's closing.

This slide would have been screened in the cinema. By the early 1980s the average New Zealander made around five trips to the cinema each year. This was down from the peak in 1960 but still enough for cinema advertising to be a viable market.

This is one of multiple cinema advertising slides made for the Sharon Beauty Salon.

This local Levin business appears to have a long history. There is a record of it existing as early as the 1940s, run by a Mrs. Weir. In 1981 the business was still there (but there is no record of who owned it by that stage).This cinema advertising slide would have been screened during intermission- but only for a few seconds to avoid the projector's heat cracking the glass! In the era before television, going to the cinema was a frequent past time and if you paid extra to be seated upstairs in the 'dress circle' you generally dressed in nice clothes. What better audience to advertise hair tinting and razor cutting! Imagine this ad stretching over a cinema screen- now that would be impact.... 

This is the second slide from Rachelle Gowns, and they both seem to follow a seasonal theme. The first slide (searchable on Kete, just type in 'Rachelle Gowns' in the search bar) had an autumn theme- but the daffodils on this slide seem to symbolise a spring collection.

The New Zealand Companies Register shows that Rachelle Gowns was incorporated on the 26th of November, 1962 and was dissolved in 1990. Going to the cinema was a lot less formal in the 1960s than it was decades earlier- but you didn't want to be scruffy! 'God Save The Queen' still played before each screening and stayed that way until the end of the decade. Newsreels also gave the cinema a more formal atmosphere of education as well as entertainment.  That, and the overseas fashions in 1960s films would have made the cinema the perfect place to advertise. 

Rachelle Gown's slide would most likely have been screened during the end of intermission. Kete Horowhenua also has a 1981 print ad from this business which can be seen here https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/7ca73eeb-f726-4eb7-bdaf-94015d0f92d8 

Print advertisements for Langtry's Pharmacy date back to the 1950s and they were in the government Register of Pharmacies in 1960 (although at the different address of 281 Oxford Street at that time). MAVtech has another Langtry's slide from a similar era as this one which advertises Kodak photographic film (also searchable on Kete). 

However, we know that this slide was later than the film one due to the product it advertises. The 'Koto' fragrance was launched in 1967 and you can still buy it today. According to a perfume website, the scents of 'Koto' are  Aldehydes, Green Notes, Spices and Citruses; middle notes are Narcissus, Orris Root, Gardenia, Rose, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley; base notes are oak moss, Leather, Castoreum, Patchouli, Amber and Vetiver. 

In the late 1960s there were a lot of films which featured a (very stereotyped!) version of 'the mystic East'- with the James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice' being a notable example released in 1967- the same year as 'Koto'. A nice bit of marketing from a local business- or just a coincidence? Either way, products which offered a slice of the 'life' seen on screen were bound to be big sellers.

This business is somewhat difficult to place in Foxton. Kete records show that 'Homecraft' was present on Foxton's Main Street in the 1970s before disappering in the early 1980s. However, the business was at the same location in 1987 (with a coffee bar in the location in between times). It is unknown if this is the same business owned by the same people, new ownership or an entirely new firm altogether. Both 'versions' of the company advertise locations in Foxton and Levin. The name of the company is slightly different from the 1980s version.

The style of this slide shows that this was the earlier, 1970s 'Home Craft'. The later slides can be distinguished by their printing and were made in the late 1980s. Unlike the simple interior scene shown here, the later Home Craft slides have some very different designs which wouldn't meet standards today! They too can be seen on Kete. 

Foxton's Main Street has been trading for well over one hundred and fifty years. During that time businesses have come and gone, with most known today only through saved newspaper clippings and public records. Chung Wah is not one of those businesses. Its name is still boldly displayed on the front of it's original 1905 premises in Main Street (even though the business itself has long since closed).

Records show the greengrocers were in Foxton's Main Street from 1905 and they were still trading in 1960. Kete records do not show them trading after that date- but another greengrocer called 'Soo's' was located in the same shop in 1985.

There were a few mishaps in all those years of trading. A fire in 1912 gutted the shop but it was restored and carried on. In 1934 there was an earthquake and Chung Wah's window was broken and their wares spread around the ground!

For much of the 20th century there was always a specialist greengrocer or grocery shop in the Main Street.

R.N. Speirs must have been the town's proudest Pinex promoter- this is the second slide of theirs which shares the virtues of this timber. Slides from this firm also promote electric heaters and ovens (presumably- the spelling of 'Speirs' is different in the latter slide). This slide dates from around the 1950s/1960s. The text below is from their first 'Pinex' slide which can be found on Kete.

 R.N Speirs had a long history in Foxton- Kete Horowhenua records show them on the town's Main Street as far back as 1905. They were still in Main Street in 1960 with their premises between Cook and Union Streets. Records do not show them there in 1965 so this cinema slide must have been made before then. R.N Speirs were timber merchants and this slide was made in the middle of the 1950s/1960s building boom. Advertising Pinex (made in New Zealand since 1941) would have been important in the 1950s- exotic pine was replacing native timbers as the preferred building material of choice due to pine being fast growing. Native forests were becoming depleted and pines were being planted in more accessible areas. This cinema slide showed the new wood as safe, cheap and easy to build with. This slide was shown locally but similar slides wouldn't have been shown down South- amble supplies of native timber there meant that the pine did not take over until the 1960s. 

Advertising slides like this one would have screened in the cinema near the end of intermission- just as patrons were taking their seats for the second half of the movie (when intermissions were phased out they sometimes shown before the film commenced). 

These ads were printed/painted on glass and were loaded into the projector for a few moments before the heat from the lamp cracked the glass. Some of these slides were detailed and used prints, photographs and visual humour. Others, like this one from A.M Fox, were basic. Given how briefly each slide was shown to the audience, oftentimes simple was best!

No information can be found online about this business- but based off the design of the slide it would have been made from the 1940s-early 1960s. New Zealanders bought 40 million cinema tickets a year by the late 1950s so this was a prime time to advertise. 

 W. Stuart Donnelly was a stalwart of Foxton's medical services. He began his career in the town working for pharmacist  Thomas Crotty  before buying his business. For a time an optician called at his chemist shop once a week- the only optician service the town had. Kete records show Donnelly's shop on Foxton's Main Street from 1960-1970. Records do not  show where his shop was before that time (records show that Donnelly owned a shop in 1952). He also appears to have owned a pharmacy in Levin.

W. Stuart Donnelly was also the Mayor of Foxton Borough from 1972-1978. A photograph exists of him standing in his shop (this can be found on Kete by searching 'W. Stuart Donnelly').

There were more than just pills on offer at the chemists. This 'Trufood' would have been just the thing for a baby's meal. Judging by the different handwriting script which displays Donnelly's name, this slide would have been made by 'Trufood' in bulk and then modified with the name of each local seller.

 Records on Kete Horowhenua show the Foxton Shoe Company located on Main Street in 1950 and 1955 (but it may have existed before and after those dates). They were located just to the right of the Whyte Street intersection (from the perspective of Whyte Street). 

For those who think 'back to school sales' are a recent development this slide proves otherwise! The school uniform dates this ad to the 1950s (as does the satchel- no 'school bags' here...). Up until 1952 the Foxton District High School was located near the end of Main Street next to Ihakara Gardens. These buildings were still used for some secondary and primary classes for the rest of the decade. 

The students would not have had to walk far to get new shoes or see a film- Coronation Hall Cinema was located just a minute's walk from the school gates.

With the tagline 'A Lifetime Gift of Quality' this slide may well have been screened near Christmas. It, and slides just like it, were loaded into the projector near the end of intermission or (depending on the cinema) just before the film began. If left for more than a few seconds the heat from the projector's arc lamp would crack the slide. If you look just above the round watch face you can see a small crack on this slide. No doubt the cadet projectionist got a sound telling off about this!

The Levin branch of Parrington's advertised in the local paper in the 1950s (this slide would date to around then). There is no record of the Foxton branch on Kete's "Foxton 1888-1988 - Commerce". 

Whether you were driving a Ford Model T, Austin A40, Leyland Mini, Honda Civic or Toyota CH-R, the garage on Foxton's Clyde Street was ready to repair it! There has been a motor mechanic on the site almost continuously from 1915 and (as of May 2023) Lee Mason Motors carries on the tradition.

'Foxton Motors' traded there from around 1950 to around 1975 according to Kete records. It should be noted that this slide is from 'Foxton Motors (1959) Ltd' so there would have been a few ownership changes during this time.  

The big news on this slide was the new Silex muffler. A look at the names of the brands it fitted shows that many of them are long gone. Ford still remains in the New Zealand market but the others are consigned to history here (as of 2023!).

Barnao's Music Shop was trading in Levin from 1962-1988. It was the passion of Giuseppe Antonio Barnao whose love of music began when we was gifted a clarinet in 1942. He worked in a music shop the following year and his talents saw him join dance bands and serve as an Army Bandsman. He was a member of Levin bands for decades. A web search will reveal lots of archived interviews and articles about Mr. Barnao.

Barnao's shop printed advertising sleeves for the records they sold.

There's nothing like a mid-century hand coloured photograph- even if it exaggerates the colours a little bit!

This slide would have been used to advertise the shop during a film at the cinema.

Cinema advertising slides promoted products, services, events and government messages- but advertising situations vacant is a much rarer sub-section of slides.

K. Hager and Co. Ltd made clothing- with a 1958 newspaper ad for new staff suggesting they specialised in shirts and blouses. At the time the company boasted fifty staff on the payroll in their Levin-based factory.

An online records search suggest that this company was established in 1956 and deregistered in 1993.

Te Papa has a collection of advertisements by K. Hager and Co. showing the latest 1970s styles. The firm doesn't exist anymore but they sure knew how to advertise to the flower power generation! You can see these ads by following this link.  https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/agent/31790

 There is some uncertainty about the location of this business- but we do know something about  'S.Mattar'. Kete records show an 'S. Mattar' trading on Main Street as a draper in 1930 (in 1932 identified as the 'Kosy Cash Drapery'). 1937 saw him selling golfing supplies on Foxton's Main Street. In 1945 an 'S. Matter' was trading as a hairdresser alongside tobacconist 'L. Matter' on Foxton's Main Street (near the intersection with Whyte Street). 

By 1950 'L. Matter' was carrying on business as a hairdresser and tobacconist alone. In the  MANAWATU TIMES, VOLUME LVI, ISSUE 5588, 28 FEBRUARY 1931, PAGE 2  an 'S. Mattar' was part of a team who retained a bowling title. Did 'S. Mattar' have a shop of his own? Or was he part of a broader family business? 

This is one of multiple slides from this business searchable on Kete. This one advertises Gillette razors. The 'Blue Blade' razor was introduced in the early 1930s- however this slide looks to be a lot later than this. The date is only a vague estimation on this one!

This business is somewhat difficult to place in Foxton. Kete records show that 'Homecraft' was present on Foxton's Main Street in the 1970s before disappearing in the early 1980s. However, the business was at the same location in 1987 (with a coffee bar in the location in between times). It is unknown if this is the same business owned by the same people, new ownership or an entirely new firm altogether. Both 'versions' of the company advertise locations in Foxton and Levin. The name of the company is slightly different from the 1980s version. 

This slide has the later logo design but the earlier 'style' of slide- so could have been a transition between the two eras for the company. The lady in green looks to be showcasing a very striking 1970s design which would suit a racetrack quite nicely! Homecraft knew how to advertise- they have many slides in MAVtech's collection.

However, few of them would have been shown in Foxton. By the late 1970s, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased being a regularly used cinema so they most likely would have been seen in Levin.

 W. Stuart Donnelly was a stalwart of Foxton's medical services. He began his career in the town working for pharmacist  Thomas Crotty  before buying his business. For a time an optician called at his chemist shop once a week- the only optician service the town had. Kete records show Donnelly's shop on Foxton's Main Street from 1960-1970. Records do not  show where his shop was before that time (records show that Donnelly owned a shop in 1952). He also appears to have owned a pharmacy in Levin. W. Stuart Donnelly was also the Mayor of Foxton Borough from 1972-1978. A photograph exists of him standing in his shop (this can be found on Kete by searching 'W. Stuart Donnelly'). 

The 'Gala' range of cosmetics seems to have been a popular line for Donnelly's business. This is the second cinema advertising slide featuring their products!

R.N Speirs had a long history in Foxton- Kete Horowhenua records show them on the town's Main Street as far back as 1905. They were still in Main Street in 1960 with their premises between Cook and Union Streets. Records do not show them there in 1965 so this cinema slide must have been made before then.

R.N Speirs were timber merchants and this slide was made in the middle of the 1950s/1960s building boom. Advertising Pinex (made in New Zealand since 1941) would have been important in the 1950s- exotic pine was replacing native timbers as the preferred building material of choice due to pine being fast growing. Native forests were becoming depleted and pines were being planted in more accessible areas. 

This cinema slide showed the new wood as safe, cheap and easy to build with. This slide was shown locally but similar slides wouldn't have been shown down South- amble supplies of native timber there meant that the pine did not take over until the 1960s.

On a community Facebook page in 2020 many Foxton locals fondly remember this business which was said to have traded from 1955-1969. It was at the heart of many memories of ice creams, chocolates and tasty treats delivered for weddings and parties. 

But before Facebook advertising became a boom for local businesses, cinema advertising was the way to get the word out locally. The late 1950s/early 1960s was the high point for cinema admissions in New Zealand and these easy to make slides could be selectively screened in local cinemas to get to the right audience.

In fact, one local remembers going to the cinema right after visiting Lanes. 

Did they see this slide? 

The words on this slide would have been written locally. Unlike today's slick advertising firms where everything is carefully checked and rechecked, a spelling error ('Partys') got through on this slide.

Horowhenua locals will be familiar with the sound of RNZAF aircraft thundering overhead thanks to the Ohakia airbase in nearby Manawatu. Ossie Tong, a barber and businessman from Bulls, knew an opportunity when we saw one and offered special 'parade ground haircuts' at his barbershop!

His other advertising was brilliant as well- this cinema advertising slide would have caught lots of attention.

Back when Foxton Beach had fewer residents (and far fewer phone numbers) it was possible to sell fruit and vegetables street by street twice a week. At least, that's what Mister Hitchings did! His cinema advertising slide would have been shown at local theatres for a few seconds at a time- otherwise the heat from the projector arc would crack the slide. 

Given that each slide was shown for such a short time, the best of them used eye-catching, simple designs like this one. 

However, MAVtech cannot find any references to Hitching's business in Kete or in other records, so it may not have survived in Main Street for long. Cinema advertising slides were a great source of promotion for local businesses due to their low cost and (in a time when going to the cinema was sometimes a weekly pleasure) a high reach. Today they are often the only trace of historical businesses which survive. 

Boosted by a wave of European immigrants as well as overseas literature and film, 'café culture' was on the rise in 1950s Aotearoa. It started in the big cities where they overtook the pre war 'milk bars' but there ascendancy was scuttled by the arrival of television and the abolition of six o' clock closing for bars. Today cafes have had a resurgence.

Thanks to 'Snow Whites De Luxe Cafe' there was no reason for Levin to miss out on the big city excitement! They probably didn't really have seven dwarfs but this slide was shown in the cinema- a magical place where reality was suspended for a while, and many advertisers were liberal with their claims on their slides! 

Four generations of the Roache family have worked at Roaches Concrete products. Founded in the mid 1950s, it has been a continuous presence in Foxton ever since. In 1971 David Roache and his wife Pauline bought the firm from David's father and it became a limited liability company (so this slide was made before that year). In 1994 the company moved to its current (as of 2023) Foxton location off State Highway One so it had room to grow. 

Roaches Concrete is still trading but many of MAVtech's cinema advertising slides are from business which closed long ago. Unlike a costly national campaign, cinema slides could be shown in a select group of local theatres which meant they could be targeted to the local audience. Slides were generally shown during intermission and for a couple of seconds at a time- otherwise the heat from the projector would crack them!

This slide probably would have been shown in Foxton and Levin cinemas only.

While you don't normally associate wooden footwear with dining, 'The Wooden Shoe' on Levin's Oxford Street was in business for many years.

A jubilee publication in 1981 shows that 'The Wooden Shoe' was till located on Oxford Street and appears to have occupied it's building since 1964. Saturday shopping became fully legal in 1980 (beforehand it was for essentials only) and many cafes opened during the weekend to satisfy this trade. Maybe this was when the slide was made?

The shoe itself seems to be a Dutch clog- complete with a windmill on the front. With nearby Foxton fast becoming a hub for the Dutch community this might have been some clever branding or it may have been owned by Dutch immigrants.

This slide was kept in a hot projector for too long- there is a crack going through it!

In the "Levin Daily Chronicle" of the 11th of October, 1938 the 'Royal Home Cookery" advertised their cold luncheons in a new refrigerator, as well as home made cakes and pastry in their tea rooms. They were still in the phone book in 1945- quite an achievement for a 'luxury' business to survive the war.

Proprietors Mr and Mrs Willis were advertising 'High Class Cakes' in a 1956 advertisement for 'The Chronicle's' 50th Jubilee publication and, judging by the fashions on display (and the pre-1980s three digit phone number), this slide dates to around that time. MAVtech has an extensive collection of slides but this one still manages to be eye-catching with it's fine use of colour and an interesting picture which draws the eye.