The importance of New Zealand's trading relationship with Britain until the 1960s is clear in graphs showing the destinations of exports and the origins of imports. Wool, meat and butter were New Zealand’s most important exports until the later 20th century (top graph). New Zealand diversified away from these commodities at the same time as expanding the countries it traded with (middle and bottom graphs). The process was not an easy one, and New Zealand diplomat Bruce Brown described the period as a ‘thirty year war’.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.
Source: Statistics New Zealand (all graphs); G. T. Bloomfield, New Zealand: a handbook of historical statistics. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1984 (middle and bottom graphs).
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou