NZHistory, New Zealand history online - alcohol

Temperance movement

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Anti-alcohol cartoon from 1905

The 1947 Greymouth beer boycott

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

A typical West Coast pub scene

Dining out - food in New Zealand

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Eat, drink and be merry: dining out in 20th Century New Zealand

Post-war sophistication

Before the 1960s, New Zealanders had a limited choice both of venue and of food if they wanted to dine out. Restaurants, cafes, dining rooms of hotels, tearooms, coffee shops and oyster bars served up a narrow menu of grilled meats and hearty desserts.

Early elections

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

On the Hustings

1853 electoral poster

New Zealand's first elections were like small-scale replicas of those in Britain. Once the returning officer had set a date for the nomination of candidates, a temporary wooden stage, known as the 'hustings', was erected in some prominent public place.

Beginnings - NZ temperance movement

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Dawn of the temperance movement, 1881-93

Temperance was one of the threads of philosophy brought out to New Zealand with 19th-century settlers, along with many other aspects of British life and culture. The temperance movement had emerged in Britain and the United States early that century.

Band of Hope pledge card

Pub culture - Greymouth beer boycott

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Mawhera Quay, Greymouth, 1919

The no-license era - NZ temperance movement

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The ‘no-license’ era, 1893-1911

Brewer rabbit cartoon

The boycott begins - Greymouth beer boycott

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

In mid 1947 there were rumours that the price of beer was about to rise. It was a decision that no publican wanted to take alone because customers might move to another hotel where prices were lower. So the local branch of the Licensed Victuallers' Association (LVA) on 29 September 1947 announced that the price of a 10-ounce beer would increase immediately from 6d to 7d in all West Coast hotels. Publicans were issued with posters saying 'All beer 7d'.

Unsporting behaviour? - NZ Natives' rugby tour of 1888/89

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

A dangerous game

Team photo

Voting for prohibition

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Prohibition and national efficiency, 1911-19

Anti-prohibition party postcard