Skip to main content

Story: Epidemics

Tuberculosis

Video file

Tuberculosis (TB) still presented a serious risk to public health in the mid-20th century. This clip shows a district nurse visiting a rural Māori family in 1952. The man of the house has tuberculosis, so he is living in a special TB hut provided by the Health Department while he recovers.

Using this item

Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Tuberculosis and Maori People. National Film Unit, 1952.

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

Geoff Rice, Epidemics – The polio era, 1920s to 1960s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/27795/tuberculosis (accessed 19 June 2026).

Story by Geoff Rice, published 30 March 2011.