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Story: English

Public servants at work

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Public servants at work

The New Zealand system of a politically neutral civil service, and the tradition of reliable record-keeping, were largely brought from England. In this photograph, probably taken in the 1920s, clerks enter records of correspondence into index ledgers.

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: C2390

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Terry Hearn, English – Contribution to government, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1992/public-servants-at-work (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Terry Hearn, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 August 2024.