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Story: New Zealand identity

Hardy pioneers

Video file

In 1940 the Government Film Studios produced a film, One hundred crowded years, to celebrate the centenary of New Zealand becoming part of the British Empire. The film included a tribute to the noble pioneers who had turned the bush into productive farms. This short extract shows a pioneer cutting down a huge tree while his wife collects water from a wild bush stream. 

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: One hundred crowded years. Government Film Studios, 1941

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

Fiona Barker, New Zealand identity – The land, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/34601/hardy-pioneers (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Fiona Barker, published 17 April 2012.