URBAN SETTLEMENTS: WELLINGTON

Transcription

1 URBAN SETTLEMENTS: WELLINGTON PART ONE: GROWTH OF WELLINGTON HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS HISTORY AN OVERVIEW Notes on a New Zealand City (extract) National Film Unit 1971 An extract from documentary treatment of the urban settlement of Wellington. Using archival stills the 1840 mid 20th century period is analysed,from deep water port to manufacturing, from isolated hamlets to suburbs, and the effects of the tram and the motor vehicle on patterns of settlement marked the year which saw the beginning of the changes that would lead to trams changing the face of Wellington. The Wellington City Council began negotiations with the private company that owned and operated the tramway and in August of that year, control passed to the Council and the Wellington City Tramways Department was born. At issue was the future development of the city. At the time, Wellington City only covered Thorndon, Lambton, Te Aro, Mt Victoria, Mt Cook, Newtown and Berhampore. Into this area squeezed well over 40,000 people - over 10,000 more than live in the same area today. Wellington had become a highly congested and over-crowded city with slums developing in some quarters. In 1903, the predominantly rural area controlled by the Melrose Borough Council (consisting of Roseneath, Hataitai, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Island Bay, Melrose, Ohiro Bay, Happy Valley, Brooklyn, and Kelburn) merged with the WCC to became part of Wellington City. The union of these two local authorities helped opened up large areas of largely undeveloped land that was perfect for new housing... UNDER WELLINGTON What Lies Beneath: Under Wellington (extracts) Natural History New Zealand / TVNZ 2006 Considers the history of Wellington. Using the controversial relocation of historic houses and buildings for the new inner city by-pass as a means to look under some of the oldest structures in the capital, this episode follows the work of the archaeologists as they sift through the construction sites for evidence of early Te Aro occupancy and the development of social stratification, health issues, water reticulation and housing in the area, especially in Tonks Avenue. Looks at the 1855 earthquake which lifted Te Aro by four feet and the subsequent change of landuse that followed when it was no longer a swampy slum.

2 SILENT ACTUALITIES WELLINGTON SCENES 1922 Personal Record. Wellington Scenes (extracts) [ ] Early film of Wellington, school life, people swimming and relaxing at Island Bay. View of Evans Bay, Lyall Bay, Kilbirnie and Moa Point. Harbour and central city views from Tinakori Hill, the cable car and Skyline Restaurant. Central Wellington shots. Newtown and early versions of traffic congestion. Excellent pan shot from Mt Victoria shows left to right: the gas works on the Evans Bay shoreline; the hill that was to be removed to straighten and lengthen the airport runway in the 50s; the tightly spaced nature of working class Kilbirnie (later to be gentrified); Scotts College (built 1919); the tunnel through to Seatoun (the second tunnel, the first being opened for trams in 1906) and the eastern suburbs vista minus Mirimar South, Seatoun Heights and Strathmore. HARBOURSIDE 1922 Personal Record. Bigger & Better Wellington! (extract) F.E. Tomlinson 1922 Long shot of the compacted nature of the city against the harbourside. Close view of Queen's Wharf and the present day Shed 5 and Dockside. VISIT TO WELLINGTON 1929 Personal Record. Visit to Wellington Roy Rennie 1929 View of Kelburn from the city. Wellington city from Mount Victoria (panned from Wadestown to Wellington College). Bell Bus Sight-Seeing bus on Mount Vic. Panning view of eastern Wellington. Travelling down Alexander Road from interior of the bus. View of city from Brooklyn. Cable car descending into city, another arriving at Kelburn. City from Kelburn. AROUND THE TOWN 193- Personal Record. Around The Town (extracts) George Wood 193- Scenes around Wellington. Chinatown. Old St Patrick's College near Basin Reserve. De Luxe (Now Embassy) Theatre. Oriental Bay. Evan s Bay. Seatoun showing 1920s housing. Mount Victoria Tunnel. Horse drawn [rubbish collection] Adelaide Road. MARITIME CITY 1930 Maritime City (extracts) Government Publicity Office 1930 Views around Wellington city : the harbour setting, Lambton Quay ( the actual 1840 shoreline ). Courtenay Place showing busy tramways. The Lambton Quay shots at variance with Courtenay Place the wholescale demolition of the Quay buildings not as rigourously followed through in Courtenay Place thanks to the sharemarket crash of 1987.

3 EXPANSION AND INFRASTRUCTURE POST WWII STATE HOUSING REHABILITATION Rehabilitation and You (extracts) National Film Unit 194- Arriving in Wellington after four years overseas is a draft from the Middle East. Of all the state houses completed, 50% were allotted to servicemen irrespective of the civilian waiting list. The Rehabilitation Department also set up interest free loans for furniture, 1500 for those wishing to purchase a home. POSTWAR HOUSING BOOM HUTT HOUSING Weekly Review 181 (extract) National Film Unit 1945 HUTT HOUSING... first family moves to Waddington: The Patterson family move out of their basement flat and into a new state house in Waddington. For Mrs Patterson and her two children, it is the sixth shift in three years. The furniture lorry pulls up at the family s new home and is unloaded. The children will now have their own rooms and a yard to play in. A combination of postwar urban drift, manufacturing build-up, a large returning workforce, Labour housing policy within the general principles of the welfare state and the postwar baby boom, saw massive investment in the state housing sector. NAENAE / TAITA EXPANSION Weekly Review 176 (extract) National Film Unit 1945 PROGRESS REPORT...HOUSING AT THE HUTT: In Naenae, 1000 new state houses are being built as well as new roads and a reservoir. Diggers transport shingle across the Hutt River and asbestos rather than corrugated iron is used for roofing. Preparation is made for the construction of 1600 homes at Taita. A combination of postwar urban drift, manufacturing build-up, a large returning workforce, Labour housing policy within the general principles of the welfare state and the postwar baby boom, saw massive investment in the state housing sector. WAINUIOMATA Heartland: Wainuiomata - Beyond Nappy Valley (extracts) Morrison Grieve 1994 Gary McCormack does his thing over the Wainui Hill. Talks about the history and social dynamic of a dormitory suburb.

4 PORIRUA HOUSING EXPANSION Pictorial Parade 79 (extract) National FIlm Unit 1958 At Porirua, Wellington, land is cleared for a vast new building programme to provide facilities for a population of 60,000. To date, over 2,000 homes have been built, while earth moving, surveying and building are being done simultaneously. From Porirua to Titahi Bay, new towns are rising to cope with Wellington s continuing population growth. The key factor here is future fluctuation in industry and employment which would dramatically change the socio-economic dynamic of the region. WELLINGTON IN-FILL HOUSING & EXPANSION IN-FILL A Use For Refuse. Controlled Tipping [extracts] Public Works Department A crazy topography for a large scale settlement, the idea of filling in the gullies for roading and housing, and causing generations of cricket outfielders to rush to hospital for tetanus shots seemed like a reasonable option. The origins of some of our favourite recreational parks today e.g McAllister Park, Ian Galloway. PEPPERPOT STATE HOUSING Weekly Review 231 (extract) National Film Unit ,000th HOUSE: At Strathmore Park, the 20,000th state house was officially opened in view of the public. Mr Semple, hands the keys to Mrs Doyle, a young war widow with two children who was the first tenant. The second phase of purpose built state housing areas included interlocking areas such as Strathmore, Ngaio, Johnsonville and Khandallah along with major new developments at Taita. "Pepperpot" state housing was the general term for mixing the state and private construction of particular areas. This was both a social and practical initiative in state housing policy. SUBURBS & SUB-DIVISIONS Pictorial Parade 193 (extract) National FIlm Unit 1967 HILLS FOR HOUSES... A Wellington hillside is surveyed and levelled in preparation for further housing development. Jonah Lomu country, this Watts peninsular development became the present day Mapuia, overlooking Shelley Bay on one side and Peter Jackson's new studio construction on the Mirimar side. Developments like this line up with similar large scale ventures in Newlands and Brooklyn. Some involved serious leveling and others more closely followed the prevailing topography ANALYSING THE SUBURB Notes on a New Zealand City (extract) National Film Unit 1971 This extract looks at the effects of suburban expansion, the decentralisation of inner-city retail to the shopping mall (Johnsonville in this case), isolation and youth (Wainuiomata). What is not shown is an extensive extract on the 70s invention suburban neurosis.

5 INFRASTRUCTURE & POPULATION BOOM COOPERATIVES Weekly Review 392 (extract) National FIlm Unit 1949 NORTH TAITA...SELF - SERVICE: Strongly recommended by Aunt Daisy, a new co-operative shop is opened in North Taita by Walter Nash. After official duties are over, locals take the opportunity to shop in the new self help American style supermarket. PLUNKET Weekly Review 199 (extract) National FIlm Unit 1945 HUTT VALLEY: NEW PLUNKET ROOMS OPENED: Acting Prime Minister Mr Nash opens the new plunket rooms in Waterloo. Shows happy babies in the immaculate plunket rooms. NEW SCHOOL Weekly Review 376 (extract) National FIlm Unit 1948 HUTT VALLEY...NEW SCHOOL FOR TAITA! Taita Central School is opened by the acting Prime Minister, Mr Nash and the Minister of Education, [Mr McCombe] The new school will be of great value to the rapidly expanding Hutt district. HUTT VALLEY YOUTH CLUB 1958 Pictorial Parade 79 (extract) National FIlm Unit 1958 HUTT VALLEY - YOUTH CLUB: Teenagers from the Hutt Valley Youth Club, meet on Sunday afternoons during the winter months, at the Taita Community Hall. After 5 years the club has over 600 members and weekly programmes are organised by the Club Committee. Bert Robinson, who started the club and Betty Smith, secretary, find plenty of activities to interest members. Dancing, music, sports activities and games are just a few of them. Parents too, are encouraged to take an active part in the club. Post Mazengarb Report (1954). The Hutt Valley was central in the Report s findings regarding teenage delinquency. NEW ZEALAND S FIRST MCDONALDS McDonalds Advertising [1976] Features first McDonalds in NZ opened on 7 June 1976 at Cobham Court, Porirua. Obviously the Ronald McDonald advertisement is a U.S. generic but even the first non-u.s. visuals on the Porirua McDonalds ads featured middle-class pakeha characters.

6 HINTERLAND WAIRARAPA PASSING OF THE FELLS Pictorial Parade 43: The Passing of the Fells - New Wairarapa Railway National Film Unit 1955 The new Wairarapa Railway is opened by the Prime Minister, Mr Holland. The laying of tracks through the Rimutaka tunnel and the extensive work project finally concludes after six years, linking Wellington to the Wairarapa. THE FARM CONNECTION A New Zealand Station (extracts) NZ Loan & Mercantile 195- This film looks at the 7,500 acre Ditton Station in the Wairarapa which is owned by the Falloon family. The spring cattle sales at Masterton sale yards are in progress. There are shots of work on the station, shearing, the tallying of shorn sheep and the loading of wool bales bound for Wellington. KAPITI New Zealand Diary No. 2 (extract) National Film Unit 1946 FOOD...WELLINGTON S MILK SUPPLY : Farmers deliver milk supplies to the Wellington Municipal Milk Department Receiving Station at Otaki. Most of Wellington s milk supply is processed here. Tests are undertaken during pasteurisation and bottling.