/taxonomy/term/274/0 en /classroom/centennial/growth-of-nz-identity-1890-1980 <h2>The growth of New Zealand identity 1890&#8211;1980<br /></h2> <h3>Case study: the 1940 Centennial</h3> <h4>Related link on NZHistory.net.nz</h4> <p><a href="/node/51">The 1940 Centennial&#160;</a></p> <p class="intro">Topics include:</p> <ul> <li>the role of the Centennial Exhibition in Wellington as a symbol of progress and the ingenuity of the national spirit</li> <li>the centennial and the nation at play</li> <li>local commemorations&#160;</li> <li>the centennial and the Treaty of Waitangi.&#160;</li> </ul> <p class="intro"> Between 8 November 1939 and 4 May 1940 more than 2.6 million people visited the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in Wellington; this represents an average daily attendance of about 17,000 people. The government spent &#163;250,000 &#8211; more than $19 million in today&#39;s money &#8211; on the exhibition. </p> celebration centenary Centennial - growth of New Zealand identity exhibition labour playland rongotai sesquicentenary treaty of waitangi Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200 799 at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz /media/video/film-clip-exhibition-grounds <div class="featured-object"> <h2>Exhibition grounds and Kupe statue</h2> <h3>Still shots and description</h3> <p> <p>The title card reads &#39;Let&#39;s Have a Change and See the Exhibition&#39;. We begin our look at the exterior of the Exhibition with a close-up of a fountain. Water falls in sprays from each of three levels, and into the pool below. Behind, on one of the Exhibition&#39;s many buildings, flags are waving in the breeze. Next we see a tall, rectangular building with &#39;Australia&#39; on it, indicating that it must be Australia&#39;s pavilion. The white building has tall columns on some of its sides, making it appear striped. It is reflected in the large pool in front of us. Now we see the pool from a different angle: it is surrounded by shrubs in square terracotta planters and lights on tall white poles. Some of the Exhibition&#39;s many visitors are wandering between the buildings in the background. In our next view we see the fountain again, and behind it a large white building and a tall concrete tower. In the foreground is a bed of orange flowers. In a closer view of the tower we see it is topped by a flag pole, one of the many in this patriotic exhibition. The water in the pool in front of us is rippled by the wind. Looking at the street below, we see a tram-like vehicle drive past three art deco towers in the centre of the road, while other visitors walk to their destinations. The same view from another angle shows how close the Exhibition is to the nearby hills. A series of short scenes show the rectangular pool from above, the blue and green soundshell and a close-up of the tram. It ends with the bronze statue of Kupe, his staff pointing above him, silhouetted grandly against the blue sky.</p> /media/video/film-clip-exhibition-grounds#comments The 1940 Centennial centennial exhibition rongotai video Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200 430 at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz /culture/nz-centennial-1940 <div class="mini-pic-right"> <p> <a href="/media/photo/certificate-of-attendance"></a> </p> <p class="caption"> <a href="/media/photo/certificate-of-attendance">Centennial Exhibition certificate</a> </p> The 1940 Centennial centenary centennial exhibition rongotai Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200 51 at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz /culture/centennial/centennial-exhibition <h2> Exhibiting a century</h2> The 1940 Centennial centenary centennial exhibition pioneers rongotai Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200 49 at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz /media/photo/aerial-view-centennial-exhibition <img src="/files/images/cent-017.mini.JPG" alt="Media file" /> /media/photo/aerial-view-centennial-exhibition#comments The 1940 Centennial centennial exhibition rongotai photos Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200 135 at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz