"poverty in a land of plenty..."
1932 Depression Riots - The Background
The changes in lifestyle that had to be made in the lives of New Zealanders as a result of the global Great Depression served as the underlying economic and social causes of the nationwide Depression Riots which took place in 1932.
The Great Depression had a significant effect on the New Zealand society as it shattered the economy. As a consequence of the event, many people saw their livelihoods destroyed and the social structure took a huge hit. In the long run, it resulted in the creation of the modern welfare state. It began with the collapse of the United States stock market from the crash of Wall Street. The effects on the New Zealand society were felt most prominently during the 1930s. In the late 1920s, New Zealand’s population was at 1.5 million and the economy depended primarily on exports of wool, dairy and meat. Britain was its main export market but as the British market place collapsed, New Zealand’s economy began its downward spiral. Decreasing exports meant that the earnings declined and overall spending in New Zealand came to a standstill. Consequently, there was a sudden increase in debt, bankruptcy and unemployment. The people who had before the crisis lived in comfort became aware that their lifestyles were about to be turned upside down. Historian Tony Simpson in his book The Sugarbag Years: An oral History of the 1930s Depression in New Zealand reports the "greyness" of the country portrayed by one worker: "It's the only way I can describe a sort of hopelessness that seemed to spread around among people who, in their earlier parts of their lives, had been accustomed to security. It was the result of a discovery, a chock really…that life was no longer secure. People…tended to draw in upon themselves, to be rather cagey about other people, to keep to themselves, to not become involved if possible…”
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Soup kitchens, such as the one shown from Wellington in 1932, were established all over New Zealand as increasing numbers of families could no longer afford their daily meals. Many were too proud to go to such places until it became a necessity and no longer an option.
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People had to be eliminated from their lives all things
considered luxurious and everyone budgeted their money to every last cent so
that nothing was wasted. As Paul Moon describes in New Zealand in the
Twentieth Century – The Nation, The People, “the population in general hunkered down, hoping they would keep
their homes and their jobs, without really know exactly how this would be
achieved.” When the effects of poverty really began to be felt in
households, it hit some people more than others and not many were prepared to
face the full brunt of it. The stigma of the ‘undeserving poor’ remained in the
minds of many still, and this prevented them from seeking out help, even when
they clearly required assistance. Tony Simpson explains
the case of a man in the Lower Hutt who had tuberculosis and was too sick to
get to work,
“but he had a wife and kids and he couldn’t see them starve, so he went and stole something or other, something quite trivial...he got caught and the Magistrate sentenced him to three months. So he was locked up, but that didn’t help much, because his family was still starving. His wife was a very proud woman. She wouldn’t ask for charity and she sold every stick of furniture they had to feed those kids. By the time the neighbours found out about it they had nothing, absolutely nothing. They were just sitting in an empty house eating out of a communal pot with their fingers.”
Situations such as the one of this family were not uncommon and in some cases, relief was eventually offered to improve these distressing, harrowing conditions. The majority of the time, neighbours and other members of the community witnessing such situations did not do much to help or offer hope as they themselves knew the reality that they could be next. Most people simply closed their minds to signs of distress and simply tried to live out their own lives the best they could.
During this time, tension built and frustration of the people at their government for not doing enough to help erupted into the Great Depression Riots across the main centre in New Zealand, in 1932.
Socialism was the driving force behind the nationwide riots as the people of New Zealand were adamant that they overcome social inequality. This was a problem affecting many New Zealanders, because, as a general rule, those who had power seemed to always remain in power and have everything while the others struggled. The riots were however, a spontaneous movement which died away almost as quickly as it began. This was due to the fact that, while New Zealanders were ready to blame the government for their difficulties, they were not ready to take any drastic actions that would have consequential effects on themselves.
The Riots had considerable impacts on the New Zealand society, both short term and long term. These included immediate legislative changes imposed by the government to give draconian power to the Police to gain control of public demonstrations and curtail the power of unions. There were also further consequences of the riots on the protestors and the general public, on varying levels. It lead to the formation of many political parties - left, right and central. Ultimately, the riots and the responses of the government, led to the peoples having increased belief in democracy and the Labour Party won the 1935 elections with an overwhelming majority. It also left the people with a changed attitude towards the hardships they faced during the crisis and an increased social awareness and class-consciousness.
“but he had a wife and kids and he couldn’t see them starve, so he went and stole something or other, something quite trivial...he got caught and the Magistrate sentenced him to three months. So he was locked up, but that didn’t help much, because his family was still starving. His wife was a very proud woman. She wouldn’t ask for charity and she sold every stick of furniture they had to feed those kids. By the time the neighbours found out about it they had nothing, absolutely nothing. They were just sitting in an empty house eating out of a communal pot with their fingers.”
Situations such as the one of this family were not uncommon and in some cases, relief was eventually offered to improve these distressing, harrowing conditions. The majority of the time, neighbours and other members of the community witnessing such situations did not do much to help or offer hope as they themselves knew the reality that they could be next. Most people simply closed their minds to signs of distress and simply tried to live out their own lives the best they could.
During this time, tension built and frustration of the people at their government for not doing enough to help erupted into the Great Depression Riots across the main centre in New Zealand, in 1932.
Socialism was the driving force behind the nationwide riots as the people of New Zealand were adamant that they overcome social inequality. This was a problem affecting many New Zealanders, because, as a general rule, those who had power seemed to always remain in power and have everything while the others struggled. The riots were however, a spontaneous movement which died away almost as quickly as it began. This was due to the fact that, while New Zealanders were ready to blame the government for their difficulties, they were not ready to take any drastic actions that would have consequential effects on themselves.
The Riots had considerable impacts on the New Zealand society, both short term and long term. These included immediate legislative changes imposed by the government to give draconian power to the Police to gain control of public demonstrations and curtail the power of unions. There were also further consequences of the riots on the protestors and the general public, on varying levels. It lead to the formation of many political parties - left, right and central. Ultimately, the riots and the responses of the government, led to the peoples having increased belief in democracy and the Labour Party won the 1935 elections with an overwhelming majority. It also left the people with a changed attitude towards the hardships they faced during the crisis and an increased social awareness and class-consciousness.