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Story: Workforce composition

Working in a new country

Video file

Immigration, especially from Britain and other European countries, caused the New Zealand workforce to grow rapidly after the Second World War. Not all immigrants were impressed with their first sight of their new workplaces. This clip is from a 1950 film about an English migrant arriving to work on a hydroelectric project at Lake Pūkaki in the South Island’s Mackenzie Country.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Journey for three. National Film Unit, 1950

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

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How to cite this page

Paul Callister and Robert Didham, Workforce composition – The size of the workforce, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/22677/working-in-a-new-country (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Paul Callister and Robert Didham, published 14 April 2010.