Foxton Fizz has been part of Horowhenua since 1918 and is one of the last small town soda companies left. In over a century of bottling flavours have come and gone and so have different label designs on the bottle.

This 1970s cinema slide would have been shown during intermission along with other advertising slides and slides showcasing upcoming films. The 'Tropic' slide is an unusual mixture of a local brand advertising using the far-away tropics as a selling point. The drink would be more likely to be consumed at the Manawatu Heads than the white sands of Hawaii! The 'Thirst Quencher' by-line probably meant that this slide screened during Summer.

However, with overseas brands like Coca-Cola moving in on the local market, familiar names had to appear to be a bit exotic to compete. It must have worked- Foxton Fizz is still with us today!

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.

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. 

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.

Foxton Fizz has been a Horowhenua icon since 1918. Founded at a time when many New Zealand towns had their own soda drink, it is now one of the last brands surviving. 

Keeping local support would have been crucial, and this slide was shown around the Foxton cinemas in the 1950s/1960s. 

Cinema slides were only shown for a few seconds- otherwise the heat from the projector lamp would crack the glass! The photograph was hand coloured and may have been a stock  photo- 'Foxton Fizz' does not appear on the bottle the model is holding....

Beeswax storage area at Field's Apiaries, Norbiton Road, Foxton

"Brownie" showing a frame containing bee larvae (brood) and some honey.  Brownie took over as head beekeeper from Norman Keane who had left to work as his own beekeeper business.

Twisting yarn

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Foxton Historical Society”

Dyeing

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Foxton flax mill

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2 copies

Rope works at Foxton (“Jam factory”) in Johnston Street/Peter Robinson stripper keeper/horse and cart loaded withfibre/ Flax leak stacked and fibre on rails/Seaview gardens behind?

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Foxton Historical Society”