While this slide is for a Palmerston North business, Leader & Watt have since opened branches in both Levin and Foxton. But what makes this slide more interesting is what it says about how the Kiwi idea of 'home' was seen.

In postwar New Zealand home ownership was booming. In fact, owning a home was seen as a rite of passage and if you didn't own one by the time you were forty you were seen as rather suspect. Owning a home also meant maintaining it- the Black & Decker portable drill was invented in 1916 and has since gone through many different versions. This slide suggests that it would make a perfect gift for someone who has their own home (a young family starting out in their first home would need power tools- and fast!).

But this drill was sold to men- with the vision of the 'man of the house' being responsible for fixing and extending the home then accepted as normal. Until a couple of years ago a powertool retailer had a radio jingle saying that their stores were '...a man's world' showing that these outdated ideas have lingered.....

Yates started selling their packets of seeds in 1893. At the time, Aotearoa was slowly becoming an urban country- while the rural sector remained the country's economic powerhouse more of the population was living in the cities and towns. People were proud of their houses, and photography of families posing outside of their homes was second only to portraits in the family albums.

This slide was made much later (probably in the 1950s) but it shows the pride people had in their garden. No garden was shown- this could be any family anywhere in the country. 

The man and women in the slide grip their garden tools like rifles- and this orginally was done on purpose. With food supplies tight during the Second World War, Yates joined the Government in calling gardening a public duty. Images of gardens were displayed next to scenes from the front and the home gardener was drawn like a soldier in overalls. 

This slide may have used leftover imagery from the war to encourage people to keep planting (home gardening remained popular until the rise of the supermarkets in the 1960s). It may have dated from the war itself, but usually these slides mention the war or victory in some way. The 'Reliable Seeds' slogan has been seen in New Zealand newspapers from 1906 to 1962 so doesn't narrow it down much.....

Cinema advertising was big business in the 1950s and early 1960s when over thirty million tickets were sold each year. The sales of advertising made up around 2%-5% of a cinema's profits- but they meant much more to the cinema managers who got commission on each ad sold. Managers were often seen around town visiting shops to sign owners up to an advertising package. Free tickets to a popular film were often supplied to sweeten the deal. 

Even projectionists got a piece of the action as the advertising slide companies (often owned by the cinema chains themselves)  paid a yearly bonus to make up for the hassle of screening dozens of slides with every film. The assistant projectionist who was delegated this job usually was none the wiser about this bonus.

But by the 1970s the gloss was coming off cinema advertising. The commission given to managers was reduced to a small bonus. Local radio was able to change ads on short notice, unlike cinema advertising slides which took weeks to be made and approved. Audience numbers were falling in the face of television and a new culture of going to see a particular film and not visiting the cinema  anyway and seeing what was on. 

Teleslides was the last gasp of the cinema advertising slide. These were static images projected onto the screen but with a few seconds of audio played through the speakers. The audio for all slides were put onto a vinyl record but it was up to the projectionist to make sure they kept changing the pictures in sync with the words. The slide screenings sometimes became unintentional comedy for the audience!

By the end of the 1970s the era of the advertising slide was all but gone. They were replaced by reels of motion picture film advertising businesses instead.

Pyramid Concrete Products was  granted a wholesaler's licence in 1940 and was advertising for staff in 1942, with both documents showing them as trading in Hamilton.  MAVtech cannot find any information about the 'Levin Brick & Pipe Co. Ltd' who were acting as their local agents in Levin.

It is difficult to precisely date this slide, but it may have been made during the post-war 'building boom' of the late 1940s/early 1950s'. According to BRANZ, many New Zealand houses in the 1950s/early 1960s were built using brick so this Levin company may have been very busy indeed- even if this slide is advertising concrete masonry! Still, nothing like being the most unique house on the street - especially as government loans for families building a home mandated 'state house' style designs....

According to a 1981 Jubilee Issue of the 'Horowhenua Chronicle', Lambles Ltd. had a shop on Oxford Street between 1960 and 1968, which looks to be the era of this slide. The house in the picture would have been very trendy in the 1960s with a large fireplace surrounded by interior brick.

Levin's Regent Theatre was also on Oxford Street, so it was just a short walk from the screening down to Lambles for the latest in carpet and furnishings! 

Is it ironic that an ad for make-up is marred by blemishes? This slide may just have been left by the projector's heat for too long! However, there's enough writing left untouched to know that it was made for the Oxford Pharmacy. An old newspaper ad displays the pharmacy on Oxford Street in 1981 as one of six pharmacies in Levin.

This slide looks to be a bit older than this though. An 'Oxford Pharmacy' was in the New Zealand Register of Pharmacies in 1960, albeit on a different end of Oxford Street.

The 'Chronicle' referred to in the slide was the local newspaper, known at various points as the 'Levin Chronicle', 'Daily Chronicle' and 'Horowhenua Daily Chronicle". At the time the slide was made the paper was published six days a week and was a paid newspaper. In 2008 it was renamed the 'Horowhenua Chronicle' and became a free community newspaper which is still being published at the time of writing (September 2023). 

 Print advertisements for Langtry's Pharmacy date back to the 1950s and they were in the government Register of Pharmacies in 1960. Online records suggest that Langtry's shop was demolished in 1975 (however, they moved at least once based off Kete documents) MAVtech has another Langtry's slide from a similar era as this one which advertises Kodak photographic film (also searchable on Kete) as well as one advertising perfume. 

The 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand stated that a pharmacist had two years of academic training followed by a two year apprenticeship- but the University of Otago was about to launch a bachelors degree which would cut the apprenticeship down to one year. This combination of a degree and a one year internship is still used today- although the University of Auckland also offers a relevant degree.

 Kete records show that this company was owned by Lance Osborne and was trading in the mid 1960s. The company no longer trades, with many competitors setting up in the last forty years. The fact that a local company in a small town could move household furniture New Zealand wide would have been quite an achievement! Another slide from this firm boasts about the CB radios each truck carried, which would have helped drivers stay in touch during long distance moves.

The truck's bumper advertises daily runs from Levin, Shannon, Foxton and Palmerston North.

The second slide (also on Kete) shows a truck carrying industrial loads, so they didn't just do furniture removal work.

This is one of multiple cinema advertising slides on Kete Horowhenua from Barnao's Music Shop.

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. The reference to 'the swinginest music store in town' would date this slide to the 1960s/very early 1970s! This slide would have been used to advertise the shop during a film at the cinema. 

Adamson Dudley Advertising was founded in May 1943 in Christchurch. It is unknown whether this slide was shown outside of the South Island or not, but ones like it would have been screened throughout New Zealand.

At the time, taxes were high to enable the New Zealand to keeping fighting in the Second World War, but citizens were urged to spend any disposable income with the war effort. War Bonds went towards the war effort and Patriotic Appeals like this one provided comforts to troops on the front lines, on leave and in prisoner-of-war camps.  The funds also helped toward rehabilitating returning service personnel. 

Local committees and elected Councils worked on collecting donations in their areas. Raffles were also held to raise money. Those who were judged to have the means to pay received personal letters and visits so if you looked wealthy you could expect some attention!   

Adamson Dudley Advertising must have done a good job as company records show them as being registered up until 1995!

1977's 'Saturday Night Fever' was a hit movie in America and in many other countries. However, its foul language, nudity and adult themes meant that it was given an 'adults only' rating which limited who could see it.

So in 1979 Paramount released a 'general audience' edit of the film with the controversial scenes cut and some of the language redubbed. In New Zealand this was given a GA 'General Audience' rating and proved to be just as successful.

It was a busy time for John Travolta- this slide reveals that 'Saturday Night Fever' was being shown as a double billing with 'Grease'- another Travolta film! 

By the late 1970s cinema trends were changing. New Zealanders used to go to the cinema as a social occasion and often picked what they wanted to watch when they got there. But the rise of the Hollywood 'blockbuster' meant that people now went to the cinema to see a particular film. This, and the rise of television, led to a sharp decline in ticket sales. In 1960 the average New Zealand went to 'the flicks' around seventeen times- by 1981 that was only five times and the total number of cinemas went from over 500 down to around 150. Foxton's Coronation Hall was one of these causalities and had ceased to be a regular cinema.

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 

As part of wartime measures, 'Six o'clock closing' became law in 1917. This meant that all pubs had to close at 6pm- a rule which was enforced. Even after the war ended the law continued, but it was the subject of referenda as the years went by.

Supporters of 6pm closing argued that it was better for families because men (who were the primary breadwinners of households at the time) would not stay out late in pubs. However, this often resulted in the infamous 'six o'clock swill' where men would drink as much as they could between leaving work and closing time, with no time for eating. 

Six o'clock closing was retained in a 1949 referendum but defeated in 1967. The restaurant industry complained that it was difficult to sell alcohol with meals and patrons of clubs thought the rules were an intrusion. The rise of international tourism also led to complaints from the visitor industry about the now outdated law.

This slide was from the 1949 referendum. Based off its slogan, it was made for  

"New Zealand Alliance for the Abolition of the Liquor Traffic"- a prohibitionist group who supported 6pm closing. Initially, many pubs and breweries supported 6pm closing as well, seeing it as a way of appeasing prohibitionists who might otherwise advocate for a complete ban on alcohol sales.

With cinema attendance still climbing to record highs, the big screen was used by both sides of the argument to spread the word.

This slide advertised  'Frosty Jack' ice cream- a Wellington brand which was sold from 1924 to 1967. Like many local companies it had a limited distribution- 'Frosty Jack' didn't even get to the South Island until the 1960s. However, this effort may have caused the company to lose money and they sold to a larger firm who then stopped making ice cream a few years later.

As early as the 1930s 'Frosty Jack' trays were being used in cinemas during the weekend matinee screenings which were popular with children.  This slide asks the patrons to 'call the boy'- with carrying the ice-cream tray a popular first job for many schoolchildren.

Many of these cinemas would have been independent ones- Kerridge-Odeon ended up owning its own ice cream brand for its theatres.

Take a look at the boy on the slide- it looks as though the ice cream is giving him some brain freeze! 

MAVtech has a 'Frosty Jack' ice cream tray in its collection and you can see it on Kete. Just search for 'Frosty Jack'.

This slide would have been shown by cinema management whenever there was an important announcement to make. Sometimes this might be news of new treats at the food stand. Other times it may have been more serious- like a call for assistance from any doctors in the audience. The projectionist would write on the yellow bar of the slide with removable ink and would rub out the writing after the screening.

There might not seem like much space- but the slide didn't have a lot of time to get the message across. The heat from early carbon- arc projectors would crack the slide in a few seconds so it was displayed and then withdrawn quickly! 

Some cinemas had basic, picture - less 'blank' slides for these announcements, but the cinema who used this one went really fancy!

MAVtech's collection holds many cinema slides- but this is one of the most intriguing. Unlike almost every other slide it has no writing on it (including on the edges) and is striking arranged with lots of 'blank space'. 

What was it used for?

It is impossible to be certain- but it probably celebrated the victory of the British Empire after World War One. The slide was found in a box with many other First World War slides, including one celebrating the victory. Although New Zealand's flag was flown by ships since 1869 (and was 'official' since 1902) it wasn't formally flown in battle until the Second World War, so the presence of the Imperial Union Jack would have made a lot of sense on a local slide. 

(The New Zealand flag was flown during the Gallipoli campaign at Quinn's Post- however this was unofficial and not ordered by the military command).

Britannia, the human personification of Britain, sits at the bottom of the slide.

In 1971 the circus came to town and with it the great Oleg Popov- a renowned clown who had been touring internationally since 1955. In 1969 Popov was given the title 'People's Artist of the USSR' and was used by the Soviet Union as a goodwill ambassador. 

This tour only visited the main cities of New Zealand- but with the Kerridge Odeon cinema chain being a major sponsor of the tour, this slide would have been shown in the chain's provincial theatres as well. When the Great Moscow Circus returned to Aotearoa in 1974 Kerridge Odeon was still a supporter and was joined by the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. 

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.

Spurred on by the popularity of the Vespa and it's many imitators, motor scooter clubs were springing up all around New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s. This one was based in Wellington, but there is no doubt that it would have passed through Horowhenua. A 1959 report on the Auckland Motor Scooter Club by the 'Press' revealed their plan for an epic journey to Bluff and back! So the Wellington scooters wouldn't have had a problem popping to Levin for some lunch.

In today's world of higher speed limits and big SUVs I think many Club members may think twice about it. 

In the mid 20th century cinemas projected transparent slides onto their screen for a variety of reasons- mostly for advertising. However, the cinema management often used these slides for messages and announcements. This slide gives a festive greeting to its viewers. Given the lack of 'branding' we guess that it was used by an independent cinema rather than a large chain.

It was probably made and used between the 1930s and the 1950s.

Cinema advertising was big business to the point that companies were even sponsoring the intermissions! The 'Time for a Capstan' advertising campaign was popular in New Zealand in the 1940s and 1950s. These ads associated having a Capstan cigarette with relaxation. During the Second World War they were often promoted to women who had just entered the workforce as a way of unwinding after a workday.

During this time the cinema interval was long enough to catch up with friends, restock your confectionary and have a cigarette. As a result of the increasing evidence between smoking and cancer, cigarette advertising in cinemas ceased in 1973.

Long before the many-screened multiplexes, people saw films in a 'Picture Palace'. These venues were ornate cinemas with one big screen and usually with multi-level seating. The advent of television and the need to show more films more often saw the end of these wonderful venues. Foxton's MAVtech Museum (located in Coronation Hall) is a picture palace and it still has its 'dress circle' seating.

What could be more palatial than having a medieval herald make an announcement? This slide was shown right before the slides (or short reels) advertising upcoming films (known back then as 'coming attractions')