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Story: City history and people

Rotorua becomes a city

Video file

Becoming a city was a cause for civic celebration, because it confirmed a settlement was now an important player in the urban hierarchy. This clip shows Rotorua’s mayor proclaim his town New Zealand’s 17th city in 1962.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Pictorial Parade 136. National Film Unit, 1963

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

David Thorns and Ben Schrader, City history and people – New cities, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/23531/rotorua-becomes-a-city (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by David Thorns and Ben Schrader, published 15 April 2010.