The growth of New Zealand towns and cities may not have been spectacular: perhaps it merely provides a local illustration of changes occurring elsewhere in the world, but it is a good example. The major urban centres were soundly located; they were reasonably planned and they have avoided the slums and other evils of intense urbanisation. They have passed their adolescence and are entering the productive field aimed at increasing the country's prosperity. Their future development offers a challenge to maintain the balance between materialism and amenity; to become industrial communities without sacrificing the natural beauty so richly bestowed by nature on this pleasant land.

by Cyril Roy Knight, M.A., BARCH. (LIVERPOOL), F.R.I.B.A., F.R.S.A., F.N.Z.I.A., Professor Emeritus, University of Auckland.

• Population, Migration, and Building Statistics 1959–60
• Early History of New Zealand, ed. Leys, T. H. (1890)
• New Zealand Journey, The Royal Visit 1953–54
• The History of Otago McLintock, A. H. (1949)
• The Story of Canterbury, Reed, A. H. (1949)
• A History of New Zealand, Sinclair, K. (1959).