Chronology for 1938-1971
Assimilating into universal welfare
Labour’s policies were underpinned by a principle of universality and a vision of the nation as a classless community. Rich, middle-class and poor were linked by the same national system of state support and social services; superannuation, however small, was to be available to every aged person who was not already on another benefit and was an important symbol of citizenship. The ‘system as a whole was removed from ‘the taint of charity’ and became a source of national pride’.[i] go to footnote
This was a period of great demographic change for iwi Māori with the mass migration of its rural population to the cities of New Zealand. The need for workers in essential industries and the post-war labour boom provided rangatahi and whānau Māori with ample employment, 'incomes that were almost equal to those of Pākehā, and access to family welfare benefits that boosted the incomes of large families by around 50 percent.'[ii] go to footnote However, the financial rewards were offset by one or both parents working long hours to cover the costs of city living and it exposed Māori to discrimination. The Department of Māori Affairs played a welfare role in the lives of whānau Māori during this period, with a policy of integrating Māori into the social fabric of ‘mainstream’ New Zealand society. Through housing allocation policies attempts were made to pepper pot Māori in Pākehā suburban streets.[iii] go to footnote Young Māori women who moved to the cities for essential industry work or single rangatahi simply moving to the city for work opportunities were directed into hostels.
Before the 1950s, child welfare agencies endeavoured to keep Māori children with their families or in their own tribal area.[iv] go to footnote In the 1950s, Māori became a disproportionate minority in all areas of child welfare work with a steady growth in Māori juvenile delinquency with recorded Māori offending at three or four times the rate of Pākehā, particularly in the 15–20 age.[v] go to footnote
Chronology events
Displaying 1 - 10 of 64 events.
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Social Security Act
Various forms of governmental assistance that supported family life began: sickness and unemployment benefits, subsidised medical care, state housing schemes, mortgage relief, and later a universal family benefit.[i] The Act brought heath and income mainte…
Date: 1938 Period: 1938-1971 -
First national conference of Young Māori Leaders
There were sessions on economic conditions, housing, health, education, and Māori in the community.
Date: 1939 Period: 1938-1971 -
Outbreak of World War 2
The 28th Māori Battalion is formed and more than 17,000 men enlist.[i]
Date: 1939 Period: 1938-1971 -
Child Welfare Branch concerns re Maori youth
The Child Welfare Branch’s annual reports from the early 1940s noted a growing ‘problem’ among Māori youth. Māori increasingly appeared in children’s courts. Māori youths outnumbered Pākehā coming before the Northland courts by 2.5:1 in 1940-41, although M…
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
Māori Purposes Act
Marriages in accordance with Māori custom, and certain earlier adoption orders, were deemed valid for specific land purposes.[i]
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
Review of the Child Welfare Division
New Zealand Council of Educational Research review of the Child Welfare Division found that, amongst the approximately 2,500 children in church-run care institutions in 1940, none were Māori.[i]
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
Universal superannuation begins
Universal superannuation introduced by the second Labour Government.[i]
Date: 1940 Period: 1938-1971 -
A ‘needy families’ scheme began
This means tested scheme was a highly targeted form of poverty prevention. There was no publicity for the scheme and it could not be applied for. Families came into it via the Social Security Department, the State Advances Corporation, voluntary welfare gr…
Date: 1941 Period: 1938-1971 -
Autonomous Māori War Effort Organisation established
The Māori War Effort Organisation (MWEO) based on representative tribal leadership was established. Its initial function was to assist with recruiting, but the organisation expanded to the production and supply of food, investigation of Māori housing condi…
Date: 1942 Period: 1938-1971 -
Needy Families scheme
Almost 300 families with 1,730 children had been helped through the scheme. Aid was divided fairly evenly between rental subsidies, grants, and the provision of homes.[i]
Date: 1943 Period: 1938-1971
Footnotes
- [i] go to main content Tim Garlick, Social Developments: An organizational history of the Ministry of Social Development and its predecessors, 1860-2011, Steele Roberts Aotearoa, Wellington, 2012, p.70.
- [ii] go to main content Melissa Matutina Williams, Panguru and the City, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2010, p. 195.
- [iii] go to main content Urbanisation – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- [iv] go to main content Bronwyn Dalley, Family Matters, Wellington, 1998, p. 6.
- [v] go to main content Dalley, 1998, p. 192.