Skip to main content

Story: Telecommunications

Party lines

Video file

Many farming communities set up their own telephone networks. Known as ‘party lines’, the networks were shared by up to 10 households, and it was possible for people to listen in on others’ conversations.

Using this item

Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Telephone Talk. National Film Unit, 1953

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

A. C. Wilson, Telecommunications – Post and Telegraph, 1914–1945, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/22015/party-lines (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by A. C. Wilson, published 13 April 2010, updated 1 April 2022.