Kōrero: Public protest

In 1909 Prime Minister Joseph Ward proclaimed New Zealand would fund the construction of a new warship for the Royal Navy, to be called HMS New Zealand. Opponents rallied against the measure, organising meetings and sending protest postcards such as this one suggesting that the warship is unaffordable and the burden of its cost will fall on working men for years to come. It proved a prescient prediction. The ship was built and saw battle during the First World War. However, it was sold for scrap in 1923 and New Zealand did not finish paying for it until 1944.