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Story: Department stores and shopping malls

Farmers free tram

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Farmers free tram

The Farmers’ Trading Company in Auckland ran a free inner-city tram, and later free buses, to make it easy for customers to get to the store. In this 1947 photograph the tram advertises Farmers’ sale – billed as Hector’s birthday sale. Hector was the store’s famous pet parrot.

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Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

Reference: DU436.1215 H68

Permission of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Helen Laurenson, Department stores and shopping malls – The heyday of department stores, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22203/farmers-free-tram (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Helen Laurenson, published 4 February 2010.