Image: State Housing, New Zealand (9721745436)

Description: On 18 September 1937, the first State house to be occupied in New Zealand was opened at 12 Fife Lane, Miramar. It was built by the 1935 Labour Government and occupied by David and Mary McGregor (pictured here: www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/the-first-state-house1978). The opening was an iconic affair. Labour politicians and a crowd of 300 were present, as well as the local policeman, who “entered into the spirit of the occasion by using his handcuffs to open bottles of beer.” Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage then proceeded to personally move a cumbersome dining table through the spectators and into the front door, followed by the crowd, who decided to investigate the interior of the house (so much so that the McGregors eventually had to ask the lingering crowd to leave). When Labour was elected in 1935 the country was in the grips of a depression – its effects on the general welfare of New Zealanders and in particular, the building industry, was catastrophic. As a way of providing homes for workers living in deteriorating inner-city districts controlled by unscrupulous landlords, and creating jobs for those left jobless, Labour MP John A Lee led the largest housing construction scheme ever seen in New Zealand. An important part of this philosophy was that state housing was a basic right, and not a privilege. This “turning point in history” noted W Sutch, saw houses constructed in Lower Hutt, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Miramar, where 12 Fife Lane was to be the first state house ever occupied. As well as holding the image of 12 Fife Lane referenced in the link above, Archives New Zealand has an extensive collection of state housing photography, as well as maps and plans (including cards used for prospective owners to choose a design they liked). Large-scale flats were also built - the image above comes from an album of 18 prints on Wellington's Dixon Street flats c.1940. More digitised photographs of state housing from across New Zealand can be viewed via the 'records' tab here: www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=6539 Archives Ref: ABVF 7484 W4925 Box 1/ 1/17 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=6819091 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material supplied by Archives New Zealand
Title: State Housing, New Zealand (9721745436)
Credit: State Housing, New Zealand
Author: Archives New Zealand from New Zealand
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes