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Story: Street life

Six o’clock closing

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Six o’clock closing

A few women meet their men outside Dunedin’s Robert Burns Hotel in 1952. Also waiting is a young girl, probably meeting her father. Between 1917 and 1967 all pubs had to close at 6 p.m. This had a detrimental impact on street life, as city streets were largely deserted in the evening.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: O.030385

by Gary Blackman

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, Street life – Street life declines, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20683/six-oclock-closing (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 4 March 2010.