1898 Old-age Pensions Act becomes law
A world first, the Act gave a small means-tested pension to destitute older people who were 'of good moral character'; Chinese were specifically excluded. It was one of the major achievements of Richard Seddon's Liberal government. Read more...
1944 Polish refugees land in New Zealand
On 1 November 1944, more than 800 Polish refugees from war-torn Europe landed in Wellington from the troopship USS General George M. Randall. Read more...
