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Story: Railways

Work and play

Video file

This 1948 newsreel shows Railways Department staff at work, and socialising after hours. Until the 1980s the department was the main employer in many small towns, and often provided social facilities for its employees.

Using this item

Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Railway worker. National Film Unit, 1948

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

Neill Atkinson, Railways – Housing the workers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/21416/work-and-play (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Neill Atkinson, published 6 April 2010.