social policy

The family in the 1930s and '40s

Children's health

Health camps

By the late 1940s all New Zealand children had a medical examination on entering school, and were seen by a nurse at standards two and six. These examinations helped identify those who were not 'thriving' in their home environment. Malnourished children were sent to state-supported children's health camps, where they received health care and education. While these camps had been in existence since the early twentieth century, they were mainly temporary and did not come under state control until 1938.

Permanent health camps were then set up in the 1940s and 1950s, most notably in Otaki, Pakuranga, Glenelg and Roxburgh. A key figure in their development was the Director of School Hygiene and later Deputy Director General of Health, Dr H.B. Turbott.

Teaching young people

By 1940 childhood was internationally recognised as a distinct stage in human development. A child's value to the family was no longer seen as primarily economic. Instead, children were viewed in terms of 'emotional capital' as socially priceless. New Zealand followed overseas trends and introduced children's education initiatives in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Pre-school education developments

The kindergarten movement, still outside the state system in the war period, benefited from these changes. Funded by voluntary contributions and limited government grants, by 1940 the movement needed more money to ensure a sufficient supply of teachers. In 1942 the government provided bursaries for trainees, and student numbers increased from 31 in 1941 to 72 in 1944. In the same period the number of kindergartens increased from 39 to 52.

Families after the Second World War

As a consequence of the post-war economic boom there was increasing demand for consumer goods. The 1956 census revealed that more than half of New Zealand homes possessed washing machines, refrigerators and electric ovens. For those families who could afford these time- and labour-saving luxuries, so-called 'women's work' became easier. In addition, women who had been mobilised during the war had a taste of life outside the home.

Although many relinquished their jobs at the end of the war in favour of returning soldiers, some chose to remain, if only part-time, in the paid workforce.

Links

• Bodgies and widgies in Dunedin. All about bodgies and widgies in 1950s Dunedin, including a link to an article on the 'Beau Monde' written by Richard Kilgour of Otago University.

• The Parker-Hulme case.The Christchurch City Libraries resource pack for the Parker-Hulme case
• Exhibition on Wellington Cafe culture on this site

The passage of the Social Security Amendment Act introduced the Domestic Purposes Benefit to New Zealand’s social welfare system. Paid out from 1 May 1974, the DPB was set at a level that enabled sole mothers to care for their children without relying on paid employment.

Demonstration relating to the Domestic Purposes Benefit outside the Department of Social Welfare, Wellington in 1977.

The DPB was introduced in 1973 with the aim of helping women with a dependent child or children who had lost the support of a husband, or were inadequately supported by him. While men could claim the DPB the vast majority of those claiming the benefit were women.

This portrait of Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage was taken in 1935, the year the Labour government he led swept into power. This government is best remembered for its landmark social welfare reforms, especially the Social Security Act of 1938 and the state housing scheme.

Most of the Labour Cabinet helped the first tenants move into 12 Fife Lane in Miramar, Wellington. Even Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage took part, carrying a cumbersome dining table through a cheering throng. The tenants, David and Mary McGregor, found themselves with such distinguished movers because their new home was the first to be completed and made available to state tenants in a new subdivision of state houses. The government’s aim was to rid New Zealand of sub-standard housing by building 5000 new homes a year.

The cornerstone of the first Labour government’s welfare policies, this act introduced revised pensions and extended benefits for families, invalids and the unemployed. Some described this legislation as ‘the greatest political achievement in the country’s history’.