Miles Cheifetz - NZ: From Post-Dominion to Global Player (1968-1990)

NZ: From Post-Dominion toGlobal Player

NZ:From Post-Dominion to Global Player

Miles Hayvice

Copyright2014 by Miles Hayvice

SmashwordsEdition

This is thefirst instalment of a two-part miniseries focusing on modern NewZealand. This period covers the years 1968 to 1990, whilst thesecond book examines the years 1991 to 2012.

The forty-fouryears from 1968 to 2012 have involved some of New Zealands mostimportant economic, political and social changes, which irrevocablyaltered the dynamic of the country, and will further influencedevelopments into the 2010s and beyond. This was a period ofmonumental division, redesign and re-definition of the ShakyIsles, which would result in a new identity and way-of-life. Neverbefore, in its 130-170-year history, and possibly never again wouldNew Zealand experience such upheaval, questioning of its identity,its economic, societal and political norms than from 1968 to theMillennium and beyond. The shaping of a nation and creation of itsidentity almost always occurs in times of stress and upheaval, ashas been the case with America ,France and many other countries; In 1972twenty of the previous twenty-three years conservativeNational Party rule was terminated with the election of the NZ Labour Party, coincidingwith the election of the Australian LaborParty , albeit lasting only three years.This was another common aspect of New Zealand-Australian politics -same-party rule simultaneously in each country since the earlytwentieth-century, not to be broken until the 1990s. NormanKirk , the new Labour Prime Minister was to have asweeping social and political agenda which was not to be realised,and New Zealand progressed more by its social, people and communityrevolution than its government could ever expect to achieve.Despite a fever for change, brought on by the late sixtieshippie and social revolution, New Zealandwas not ready for mass hysteria such as occurred in the US andEurope , and there was simply adisenchantment with a new Labour government that promised change, too much change, didntdeliver and couldnt manage the changing economy of the earlyseventies.

This changingeconomy was shifting at speeds never seen before, as witnessed byBritain all but abandoning its traditionalmarkets in the Antipodes as it became part of the new EEUconcurrently with the oil crisis of 1973,never-before seen levels of inflation andunemployment ; even greater than during theGreat Depression- Stagflation- plus a freeing-up ofcontrols by the Government, such as NewZealand travellers being permitted to take unlimited quantities offunds and credits overseas, until then regulated at fixed amounts.Buying real estate or a car overseas was impossible prior to the1980s for New Zealanders; this all changed, and now as well ashaving financial freedom at large, they had also become part of theglobal economy, which was a term not coined until the1980s.

Under theprime-ministership of Robert Muldoon , from1975 to mid-1984, the economy underwent another earth-change: froma large victory, mirroring the Australian repudiation of GoughWhitlams Labor Government, a number of domestic events took place:The Treaty of Waitangi Act, 1975: thishistoric piece of legislation was passed by the New ZealandParliament s House ofRepresentatives by both government andOpposition , and promised the Maori community redress for any land and propertyownership issues from the year 1975 onwards. This was to befurthered by an amendment by Parliament in 1985.

User-Pays andthe price-freeze in 1982, which was supposed to last for one year,but continued until 1984, were complete failures from bothpolitical points-of-view: the wage, price and rent freeze wasunsuccessful, and amazingly didnt stop inflation or interest raterises, although the latter were however quite limited. Whether theywere responsible for halts on the cost of living, it isquestionable that they halted the general march of economicexcesses and difficulties into the 1980s. Whilst low to middleincome earners were restricted in what they could afford, there wasno stopping property hikes, overseas travel increases or shares andbond prices. Despite a willing electorate, the late seventies andearly eighties found the Muldoon yearslittle to be admired or lauded; it was a case of New ZealandLabour didnt know how to govern, butNational knew the stuff of government, butcouldnt deliver.

The 1980s inNew Zealand would see the nations biggest shake-up in its history,socially, politically, and economically, especially the latter.Lange and Rogernomics were to be the words to be remembered in New Zealand andabroad long after the eighties, even at time of writing, in 2012,seven years after Lange s death andtwenty-three years since standing down as PrimeMinister , more people outside of NewZealand recognise his name than any other Prime Minister ofNZ.

Commencingwith Sesqui 1990, the 1990s saw afurther maturing of New Zealand and its globalisation. Since theMillennium the country has adopted a transnational way-of-life,whilst merging it with nationalistic Kiwi ideals. The new century,like the rest of the world has seen a mind-boggling adoption oftechnology, mostly in the form of computer, mobile phone,television and photography advancements.New Zealanders have been proud to be not only part of the formativestages of new technology, but significant proponents ofit.

The reason whythe first chapter 1968-70 is only a three-year period, whereas mostcontain five years, is that this was a time of such major societaland cultural change that I feel it deserved its own section. Italso includes a reasonable-length discussion of one of NewZealands most significant, but little-understood, disasters: theWahine sinking.

I have chosenthe forty-four-year period early 1968 to 2012 for two reasons. Oneis purely personal, namely that the first twenty years were theones I was born and raised in New Zealand, until my parents decidedto immigrate, with my sister, across the Tasman. These were myformative and most influential years also, and the changes in NZculture and society shaped my life from then on. I have moreknowledge and understanding of this area than any other.

The second andmore pressing reason that I decided to compose a book about NewZealand history, and specifically chose these years is that thecountry experienced greater and more far-reaching social, economic,political change, which also fundamentally and irrevocably alteredthe landscape more than in any time in its previous 130-yearhistory, more so than the Great Depression, World War Two, or thepost-war boom (and conservatism) of the 1950s and early sixties.The involvement in Vietnam occurred duringthis period and indeed was to be a major contributing factor tosocietal changes and different values as it occurred during theperiod the book encompasses, but was just one factor as part ofmany, which will now be examined. I also recognise that there is adearth of literature on modern-day New Zealand, although this ishappily changing. Even though a small nation and one that is notprominent on the world stage, this country has a colourful andpowerful history, and is therefore deserving of a seriousdiscussion. Thank you for purchasing this book; I hope you find itenjoying and thought-provoking, and that I dont let youdown!

MilesCheifetz,

Sydney, March2012.

New Zealand: fromPost-Dominion to Global Player

Wearing mini-skirts,flares, buffed-up hair, long hair and lamb -chop sideburns, New Zealand progressed, if not slowly, thensurely, into the 1960s 1968. These fashion statements representeda microcosm of radical social change, and these changes weresimultaneous with the Mother Country, England . Auckland had started the movement,but Wellington was eager to follow, andChristchurch and Dunedin would soon copycat. Also occurring in the suburbsof the major centres was the phenomenon of the Beatles, who wereKing, Mick Jagger and Elvis, who were also royalty, and in somehomes, also kings.