A selection of stories about the history of Kiwi writing, writers and books – one for each day of NZ Book Month.
Children and Empire Day
'So we'll do our best while we're children
To grow up kind and true,
To keep up the fame of our Empire's name
And the old Red, White and Blue''Our Flag', New Zealand School Journal, Part I, June 1921
Children were key targets for Empire Day. Lord Meath's Empire Day messages encouraged them to celebrate the history of British royalty or the Empire. 'Remember brave warriors, pioneers, sea captains, 'Queen Victoria the Good'' ', he said in 1912.
New Zealand in 1918
It is hard to imagine what New Zealand must have been like in 1918. The First World War was finally over, leaving more than 18,000 New Zealanders dead and tens of thousands more seriously wounded – over 5300 soldiers died in 1918 alone. Between October and December another 8600 people (including 2160 Maori) died during the influenza pandemic.
New Zealand in 1907 - Dominion status
Just under a million people lived in New Zealand in 1907, but cities such as Auckland and Wellington were growing rapidly. Suburbs were expanding, and electric trams, motor cars and cinemas were multiplying. Distinctive cultural and intellectual traditions were developing. Locally composed classical music was played at the Christchurch Exhibition of 1906/07. Novels and poetry about ‘Maoriland’ were enormously popular.
