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Story: Anniversaries

Otago's centennial parade, 1948

Video file

Otago's centennial featured a 64-float procession, 'The cavalcade of progress', which expressed a pride in the province's accomplishments over 100 years. This clip from the National Film Unit's 1949 production 'Centennial city' records the procession as it passed by the viewing stand occupied by Governor-General Lord Freyberg, his wife, Lady Freyberg, and Prime Minister Peter Fraser. The floats include tributes to Otago's educational achievements, its role in founding the Plunket Society, its facilities for outdoor fun and the development of transport. 

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Centennial City. National Film Unit, 1949

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

Jock Phillips, Anniversaries – Provincial centenaries, 1941 to 1960, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/43027/otagos-centennial-parade-1948 (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 14 October 2013.