1964 - key events

Beatlemania arrives

Some New Zealanders must have wondered what had hit the country when the Beatles touched down at Wellington airport in June 1964. Hysterical fans greeted the ‘Fab Four’ wherever they went. In Auckland the decision by the Mayor, Dove-Myer Robinson, to hold a civic reception for the Beatles led one of his councillors to complain about acknowledging the ‘hysteria, antics, adulation, rioting, screaming and roaring’ associated with ‘these bewigged musicians.’

Marsden Point opened

As New Zealand was a small market most oil companies operating here had traditionally imported fuels in their finished form. After the Second World War a growing economy saw an increase in the demand for oil products. The decision was made to build an oil refinery in New Zealand.

Marsden Point near Whangarei was selected due to its proximity to both a deep-water harbour and the country's biggest population centre, Auckland. Construction began in 1962, and it was officially opened by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake on 30 May 1964. The refinery was designed to supply the majority of New Zealand's demand and produced the full range of petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil.

The Marsden Point refinery was the first of a number of significant projects developed in the 1960s to enhance New Zealand's industrial infrastructure. Others included the Manapouri hydro scheme and the Glenbrook steel mill.

Lyttelton road tunnel opens

A rail tunnel between Christchurch and the port at Lyttelton had opened in 1867 but road users had to wait nearly a century for a more efficient road link between the two. The opening of the Lyttelton-Christchurch road tunnel on 27 February 1964 meant the more arduous trip over Evans Pass in the Port Hills could be avoided. Travelling time between the two points was halved.

Construction on the tunnel, a joint venture between New Zealand’s Fletcher Construction Ltd and American company Henry J. Kaiser Inc., began in 1962. The £3 million cost was met by the introduction of a 20 cent toll (which was removed in 1978). By the time the Governor-General, Sir Bernard Fergusson, opened the tunnel some 250 kg of explosives had been used to remove 150,000 cubic metres of rock. Approximately 1.5 million glazed white tiles were used to line its walls. At just under 2 km long, it remains New Zealand’s longest road tunnel.

She’s a mod

'She’s a mod', by Ray Columbus and the Invaders, was released here in June 1964, but amid the clamour of the Beatles tour, it was initially overlooked. Surprisingly, in October it became an overnight smash in Sydney, topping the charts and reportedly selling 20,000 copies in less than three weeks. Success at home followed and the band became an Australasian teen sensation. They had their own taste of Beatlesque hysteria and were mobbed wherever they went. Ray Columbus’s ‘Mod’s Nod’ dance routine captured the joy, dizziness and sheer optimism of the 1960s youth experience.

Other 1964 events

• Police surveillance was required during the first cricket test between New Zealand and South Africa at the Basin Reserve in February as New Zealand's fledgling anti-apartheid movement protested against the tourists presence in the country. Worldwide condemnation of South Africa's racist apartheid policies had led to a call to boycott contact with South African sporting teams. Later that year the IOC banned South Africa from competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
• The Auckland urban population surpassed the 500,000 mark for the first time. By the time of the 2006 census this had increased to 1.3 million.
• Tram #252, displaying the message 'end of the line', travelled from Thorndon to the Zoo in Newtown, Wellington, bringing to an end the use of electric trams in New Zealand.
• Following the shooting deaths of four police officers the previous year, training began of officers for a specialist armed offenders' squad.
• Peter Snell's double gold in the 800 and 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics cemented his place as the greatest middle-distance runner of his generation.
• More than 170 years of New Zealand whaling history came to a close when J. A. Perano and Company caught its last whale off the coast near Kaikoura.
• The British architect Sir Basil Spence's design for a new executive wing of Parliament was unveiled to a mixed reception. The 'Beehive', as the building becomes known, is eventually opened in 1981.
• Massey University of Manawatu was formally established on 1 January (from 1966 it was known simply as Massey University).

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