Prior to 1949, New Zealand's gambling laws were very restrictive. Most forms of gambling were outlawed either in the letter of the law or by the near impossibility of actually getting a permit to do it. This led to many illegal 'raffles' and some New Zealanders entering offshore lotteries. 

One of the few groups to offer legal gambling were 'art unions'. These were named because they started as raffles for art societies before growing and diversifying into other community causes like new aerodromes. To keep within the regulations, these 'unions' paid their prize money in alluvial gold. So instead of winning 2000 pounds in cash, you got its equivalent value in gold. Which is how 'Golden Kiwi' got its name- older players would have remembered the old art union prizes!  

This 'Art Union' cinema slide is from 1945. Back then, the Minister of Internal Affairs would supervise how the prize money was spent.

In January 2023 the Royal New Zealand Airforce's P3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft made their last flight across Manawatu and Horowhenua. This advertising slide dates back to the 1960s when the Orions were 'exciting new aircraft' and the Air Force was looking for recruits to maintain them.

The Orions undertook Exclusive Economic Zone patrols, search and rescue missions and assisted Customs, Police, Fisheries and The Department of Conservation. They even helped our pacific neighbours in times of crisis.

The first of the RNZAF's P3s arrived in 1966 and by the time they retired they had undergone lots of upgrades. This slide shows where the twelve members of crew sat. Pilots, communications technicians, weapons officers and ordnance specialists were part of the team.

But note that the recruits wanted were all men. In the 1960s women were not part of 'main' Air Force, and the Women's Royal New Zealand Airforce would not merge with the regular service until 1977. Even then, women were not allowed to be on operational air crews until the 1980s, with the first women pilot in 1988.

As of 2024 a fleet of four Boeing P8 Poseidon  jet aircraft perform patrol duties at sea and both men and women can fly and maintain these critical parts of the Air Force. But we doubt you'll see a recruitment ad in the cinema! 

For decades radio 2ZA was a central part of Palmerston North. Founded in 1938 as part of a new and growing network of Government owned commercial stations, 2ZA did radical things like actually naming their announcers (who were anonymous in the non-commercial stations) and even building a personal brand around them in the 1950s. 

This slide continues this personality branding with a photo of 2ZA staff (presumably announcers) beside the station's logo. The 940KHZ frequency dates this slide to before 1978, and the 'Radio New Zealand' logo to after 1975. By the 1980s the 'call sign' frequencies of radio stations ('Z' for commercial, 'YC' for concert, 'YA' for Government non-commercial etc) were phased out in favour of today's numbered frequencies. Before then the lettered callsigns were often printed on radio tuning dials- which worked as long as the frequencies never changed! 

Radio New Zealand's commercial stations were privatized in 1996 and 2ZA (then known as 'Classic Hits') was no exception.  While not a Horowhenua based station, many locals will remember hearing the songs and voices of 2ZA, and the MAVtech Museum in Foxton has some 2ZA equipment on display. 

During the First World War the New Zealand Government was fighting an internal battle with 'shirkers'- the men who (for whatever reason) were not enlisting in the forces even though they were eligible to. Shirkers were portrayed in newspapers and posters as weak men who looked unkempt and shifty, as opposed to the strong, masculine soldier. Some papers fretted that the shirkers would father children while the soldiers were away, weakening the New Zealand national character.

Of course, given the punishments and social stigma, it took as much courage to be a conscientious objector as it did to sign up for the army. In Bulls, a local blacksmith refused to serve young men who were not in the army without a good reason and many such men were accosted in the street and on public transport.

They were also accosted in the cinema via government promotional slides like this one. The expensive 'dress circle' seats were taxed to help pay for the war- but the cheaper 'stalls' below were exempt as they provided an important boost to morale. By 1917  it was stated in Parliament that “not less than 550,000 people go to picture entertainments every week." What better place to show a recruiting slide?

This slide urges uncommitted men to join the forces by emphasising the loss of pride of having others fight for them, and highlights the personal contribution they needed to make to the war effort. 

All combatant countries in the Second World War came to realise just how expensive modern warfare can be. In New Zealand taxes tripled between 1940 and 1945 so the necessary capital could be raised, with the government taxing to the economic limit.

For those with surplus funds, "National Savings Bonds" were introduced. These were loans made to the government for war purposes to be paid back (with some interest) when peace returned. By 1946, over forty million pounds had been invested in the scheme.   ‘Lend to defend the right to be free!’ was the overarching motto of National Savings and was put on posters, cinema slides and savings books.

With 30 million tickets sold in 1939, New Zealand's cinemas was the perfect place to attract attention!  

The mention of the serviceperson's sacrifice as a compelling reason to offer savings harks back to a theme in the First World War. In New Zealand some labour unions urged the government to raise taxes on the wealthy, arguing that if people's lives were being conscripted, so should capital. This was not directly taken up (but was effected indirectly through taxes on luxury items) and the idea was repeated on this slide.

Drowning has claimed far too many lives in Aotearoa. Our wild beaches and network of rivers proved so fatal in the 19th century that drowning was referred to as 'The New Zealand Death'. In the 1950s things didn't seem to be that much better, with public information campaigns reminding parents that a child died by drowning every week.

This slide was produced by the 'National Prevent Drowning Committee' which worked with the Internal Affairs Department. Their mascot was an owl called Ruru who urged the public to 'Learn Water Wisdom'. In an effort to reach Maori some of Ruru's messages were printed in Te Reo. 

The presence of Ruru dates this slide to the 1950s- as does the different design of the surf lifesavers' flags. This particular slide was shown in Paraparaumu- but with Foxton being a seaside town it is almost certain that it would have been screened in Horowhenua just in time for summer. 

If you are interested in reading more about Ruru's campaigns you can read a thesis here 

 https://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/2981/thesis.pdf?sequence=2 

MAVtech's collection holds many cinema slides relating to war- with war bonds being a particularly popular genre. However, what makes this slide unusual is that it is from the First World War, not the second.

In 1914 many small towns were only just getting permanent cinemas established so advertising would have been quite new. This may explain the unusual shape of this slide. It is a copy of a popular recruiting poster so its message would have been amplified.

It is not known exactly when in the war this slide was displayed- but we do know that voluntary enlistments were not enough to keep the ranks filled- on the 1st of August 1916 New Zealand introduced military conscription. 

This particular slide came from a Paraparaumu cinema (but the same design was probably shown nationally). It shows a lot of wear- not unexpected given that it is over one hundred years old! The full text read "Rally Round The Flag- We Must Have More Men"

The last thing anyone expected when going to the cinema was being presented with an investment opportunity (unless the cinema happened to be for sale!) but life can provide surprises. Government Works Loans were internal borrowings by the Government to fund public works. Money was sourced from individuals and then paid back with interest. 

According to the 1959 'Hansard' records, 3,772 people subscribed to the 1959 Works Loan, with 939 people loaning under 200 pounds to the scheme. Government Departments also took part in the loan. The previous year's Work Loan raised fifteen million pounds! (although it had more subscribers than 1959's).

Declining voter turnout is an issue in Aotearoa's politics- but even when voter turnout was high the authorities wanted to make sure everyone was enrolled. This advertising slide would have been screened in cinemas alongside commercial advertising and ads for upcoming movies. With the average Kiwi making seventeen trips to the cinema a year in 1960, this was one of the best ways to reach an audience. 

This slide bears the markings of 'Screens Advertising Limited'- one of the two main providers of cinema advertising. It's competitor, 'Dominion Screens Limited', was part of Amalgamated Cinemas and only serviced Amalgamated chain theatres. 'Screens Advertising Limited' looked after the second big chain (Kerridge-Oden) and the smaller independent theatres such as Foxton's Coronation Hall. By the late 1950s, 'Dominion Screens Limited' offered to screen short films for advertisers as well. As early as 1940, 'Screens Advertising Limited' had Art Directors to help advertisers design their slides..

Sidney Holland was the first National Party Prime Minister of New Zealand, serving from 1949-1957. Although his face emboldens this cinema advertising slide few people directly voted for him at the time- the First Past The Post electoral system meant that you only voted for your local candidate. However, as party leader Holland was presumptive Prime Minister if his party took power.

Slides like this one would have been screened across New Zealand by almost all political parties. MAVtech has a range of these slides which we are uploading to Kete. Interestingly, Holland's is one of the few we have with the portrait of the party leader.

This slide was shown to cinema audiences at the end of intermission- paid for by the Labour Party as part of their campaigning. Most political parties used the cinema for electioneering and these slides provide a glimpse into elections long since decided.

Given that this slide says 'Thanks to Labour' it was probably made when Labour was in government. The fashions suggest that this could have been at the end of Walter Nash's term in 1960- although it may have been for the 1949 election when Peter Fraser was in charge.

What is really interesting about this slide is it's definition of 'everyone'- a close look at the faces shows a range of ages and a mixture of men and women. However, there is no cultural diversity in this smiling constituency. It is true that Aotearoa has become more diverse in recent decades, but even when this slide was made its photographs did not represent 'everyone'. 

Political party slogans have changed over the years, as seen in this vintage cinema advertising slide. Showing the 'nuclear family' depicted in advertising and literature of the time, the slogan itself could easily double as a Hollywood mafia threat! 

It probably wouldn't have been read like that at the time though! This wasn't the only slogan which would be seen as suspect today- the MAVtech Kete collection has a National Party slide whose meaning might be misinterpreted...

During the 'first past the post' elections voters only elected their local candidate. As a result,  relatively few of our vintage political slides show the party leader. Most profile who was standing to be the local Member of Parliament or they showed a 'values' picture like this one.

Political slogans have changed over the years and this 1950s cinema electioneering slide shows by just how much! Most political parties do not employ forceful slogans like this one today. The message of this slide comes across as an order rather than an appeal about policy or values!

However, there may be an explanation for this. The first National Government called a snap election during the 1951 waterfront strike (also known as the waterfront lockout) which lasted for 151 days, involved 22,000 striking workers and the passing of emergency legislation. Prime Minister Sidney Holland called a snap election on the issue of managing the strike. 

Given the air of emergency which existed at the time, this slogan would make a lot more sense. However, there is no concrete information to suggest it was made during this election.

In the dead of night, sometime in 1983/1984, two trainee radio technicians crept out of the staff hostel at the Himatangi Radio transmitting station and out into the darkness. Making their way to the main road they carefully (but not very quietly) removed the AA sign pointing towards the government communications station- stopping only to dive into the bushes every time a car drove past. Their mission complete, they snuck into the hostel and carefully hid the sign.

This AA sign remained a carefully guarded secret until 2016. The station had long gone- satellite communications led to it being obsolete and it was closed down in 1993, but a control panel and other equipment survived at the MAVtech Museum in Foxton. It now hangs from the ceiling and points the way to the radio exhibit. 

How many other road signs succumbed to pranks and hijinks in the decades the station operated? Nobody knows for sure- but given the stories we hear it probably wasn't just the one!

This slide would have been shown as part of a national campaign from the 1970s (approximately). In the early years of Civil Defence some print media outlets, angered by government refusal to include them in emergency planning sessions, were reluctant to support Civil Defence's non-emergency press releases. As a result, direct messages like this one in cinemas would have been very valuable.

The slide shown here was screened during intermission in the wider Manawatu/Horowhenua area. 

Almost from it's invention the cinema has played a role in war and morale. In the First World War the New Zealand Government even taxed expensive 'dress circle' theatre seats to raise money for the military. However, this slide was less direct, and comes from the Second World War.

It implores cinema goers (from the comfort of civilian life) to subscribe for the latest war bonds drive. By now most New Zealanders knew the war was going well and victory was near- but the slide reminded people of the energy needed for 'the final push'. The slide would have been shown alongside newsreels of New Zealand forces overseas and maybe was in the intermission of a patriotic film.

In fact, in early 1945 there was an undetected German U-Boat off the East Coast- the war was closer than many would have liked to admit. 

Slides like this would have been shown in cinemas across New Zealand. 

From 1953 to 1993 the Himatangi Radio Transmitting Station was one of our links to the outside world. Before it opened we could only radio as far as Australia and relied on Sydney technicians to patch us through to other locations. The opening of the Himatangi Station changed all that.

For much of it's life the station was a 24/7 operation with married staff living nearby in Post Office housing and single men living in hostels onsite. This duty logbook covers much of the 1980s and was the record of who was operating the station each shift. It is pictured with part of the station's control panel. By the 1980s much of the station was automated and the Warkworth Satellite Station (opened in 1971) had eclipsed Himatangi in importance. But keeping the station on air was still a big job. 

Parts of Himatangi's control panel and transmitters can be seen at the MAVtech Museum in Foxton's Coronation Hall. 

This is a page from the last log book of the Himatangi Transmitting Station. The station started it's career in 1953 with an early highlight being the transmission of the Queen's Christmas Message during her 1953 New Zealand tour. By 1993 satellite stations were replacing radio as the main means of international communication and the station shut down only a few weeks after these entries were made.

The station was government run and transmitted messages via radio- another station in Wellington acted as the receiver. Before undersea cables and satellites, these radio stations were our main link with the outside world.

Attack submarine motors were used as backup generators in the 1960s to ensure Himatangi never ran out of power. 

A control panel from the station, and many historical documents, can be viewed at the MAVtech Museum in Foxton's Coronation Hall.

Penciled on back: “35. Exchange. New Levin telephone exchange from ‘Chronicle’ 8 November 1963. Operator and supervisor.”

Stamped on back with black ink – Horowhenua Historical Society. Acc. No. Date 20/10/90

A switchboard operator and her supervisor at the Levin Automatic Telephone Exchange, 1963.

1 B&W photo print copy, mounted

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Mounted colour view of Levin Post Office with picket fence, and with the staff standing on the steps.

Label on front reads: “Levin Post Office. Built 1903. To be demolished 1981.”

Inscription on back reads: “Taken by travelling agent while I was in Auckland. H E Bowen”

See also 1977.011.0008

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Foxton Post Office sited in Main Street south of Wharf St, c. 1870s. This building was demolished and the materials used to build two houses in Patrick Street.

Also large mounted copy

Copy of photograph held at the Alexander Turnbull Library. Ref #312 1/1

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

NZR Road Services truck and staff outside depot in Whyte Street, March 1961. Those in the photograph are from left to right: – Wilf Kemp, Martin Petersen and Gordon Thorby.

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

Names on reverse

Staff of Foxton Post Office in 1910-11. Those appearing in this photograph include J Weller, Alf Edlin, Alf McCall, L Bullard, A D Clemett, William Nye, Will Betly, J Furrieand J Spelman.

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

Penciled on back: “22. Research Station. New laboratory buildings of the Horticultural Research Centre, Kimberley Road, Levin. 9th November 1976. From ‘Chronicle’ photograph negative No. 76 1463 ‘

Stamped on back with black ink – Horowhenua Historical Society. Acc. No. Date 20/10/90

The exterior of the main building, Horticultural Research Centre, Kimberley Road, Levin, 1976.

1 B&W photo print copy, mounted

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Penciled on back: “40. Opening of new Levin Post Office, 15th February 1983. ‘Chronicle’ photograph No. 83 253.”

Stamped on back with black ink – Horowhenua Historical Society. Acc. No. Date 20/10/90

A crowd gatered on Oxford Street during the opening of the new Levin Post Office, 15 February 1983. This photograph shows the Oxford Street frontage of the new building with the clock tower showing the time at 11:07.

1 B&W photo print copy, mounted

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Penciled on back: “34. Exchange. Newly completed building for the new Levin telephone exchange. 8th November 1963. From ‘Chronicle’ photograph (no negative number). ‘

Stamped on back with black ink – Horowhenua Historical Society. Acc. No. Date 20/10/90

The exterior view of the Levin Automatic Telephone Exchange, on the northern side of Devon Street, Levin, 1963.

1 B&W photo print copy, mounted

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Photo not glued to mounting board.

Penciled on back: “Wgtn. West Coast Regt. WW1. Parade in Wgtn.”

Wellington West Coast Regiment from World War I march past the Government Buildings in Wellington. The ex-servicemen are dressed in civillian clothing.

1 B&W photo print, mounted (sealed in cellophane)

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Printed as caption: “The Camp Under Snow.”

Written on back with black ink: “This is only one corner of the camp. I have not seen it like this yet, but hope to in a couple of months. Although it is very pretty just as it is, in full leaf & flower.”

A postcard of a section of a camp under snow showing a number of buildings and a number of trees in the background and foreground. There is a handwritten message n the reverse but no name or date.

1 Sepia tone postcard

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”

Foxton Museum, formerly the Court House. The rear of the Foxton Police Station can be seen in the background.

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

Wrapped in plastic (Gladwrap).

Written on back of plastic covering with blue ballpoint pen: “G. Sinkinson” ?[donor ]

White board (with writting refering to Acc. #2000.453) used for protection.

Boys Training Farm, Kimberley Road, Levin c.1900. ( Later Kimberley Hospital and Training School, and Kimberley Centre)

This photogpaph shows the main building (no longer at this site 2001), a small cottage to the left (a disused administration building still onsite 2001),and the two storied farm house to the right (no longer on site 2001)

1 B&W photo print – fragile, damaged

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”