Story: Rural mythologies

One hundred crowded years

In 1940 the Government Film Studios made a film to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the first century of New Zealand as a nation. The film featured this highly romanticised footage of the heroic struggles of the pioneer family. The man cuts down the bush to turn it into farmland, while the woman collects water near a thundering waterfall.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
Reference: One hundred crowded years. Government Film Studios, 1941.

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Rural mythologies - The cult of the pioneer', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/20316/one-hundred-crowded-years (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 24 Nov 2008