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Story: Shops

Wartime ration books

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Wartime ration books

Two Auckland women examine a ration book in April 1942. During the Second World War many imported items were in short supply. Certain goods could only be bought using ration cards together with cash.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, War Effort Collection

Reference: PAColl-0783-2-0045

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Shops – Early shops, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21203/wartime-ration-books (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 6 April 2010, updated 19 February 2026.