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Kiwi of the Week

Bernard Freyberg

A First World War hero and commander of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Bernard Freyberg was British-born but New Zealand-raised. He proved to be a charismatic and popular military leader who would later serve a term as Governor-General

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Today in History

1 April

1965 TEAL becomes Air New Zealand

On 1 April 1965 Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), New Zealand's international air operator, was renamed Air New Zealand Limited.

TEAL had been established in 1939, when the New Zealand, United Kingdom and Australian governments reached agreement on the formation of a new airline company. The British government withdrew in October 1953, leaving New Zealand and Australia as joint owners, and the New Zealand government assumed full ownership in April 1961.

In addition to TEAL, which operated international services, in 1947 the New Zealand government established NZ National Airways Corporation (NAC), which was the primary operator of domestic air services in this country.

Air New Zealand and NAC merged in April 1978, forming the first New Zealand carrier to offer both international and domestic services.

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1987 State-Owned Enterprises are born

The State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986 - the key provisions of which took effect from 1 April 1987 - heralded a major overhaul of New Zealand's state sector. A number of government departments became limited liability companies with an emphasis on efficiency and profitability.

The SOEs were a cornerstone of 'Rogernomics', a term used by New Zealanders to describe the dramatic liberalisation of the economy which followed the election of the David Lange-led Labour government in 1984. The name derived from Minister of Finance Roger Douglas, who was considered by many to be the major force behind the controversial initiatives.

For decades governments had used the state sector to minimise unemployment. But the new SOEs were to be run along private sector lines, which in many cases resulted in drastic cuts to existing staffing. These were painful times for many and things got worse following the October 1987 sharemarket crash. By that time Lange and Douglas were at odds with each other over the pace and direction of economic policy. Lange famously recommended 'pausing for a cuppa' while Douglas insisted that this was not the time to hesitate. Eventually Lange sacked Douglas and his key ally Richard Prebble. When caucus invited both men back into the fold, Lange responded by resigning in August 1989. A little over a year later Labour experienced its worst result at the polls since 1931.

Image: Roger Douglas (Timeframes)