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City History - 1939 - 1972

Some of the major events that occurred in Wellington city between 1939 and 1972 are listed below:

1939 - 1940: Centennial Exhibition

Over six months in 1939 and 1940 Wellington hosted the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, celebrating a century since the Treaty of Waitangi signing.

Despite the outbreak of war, the exhibition was a lavish affair. Held on 55 acres of land at Rongotai it featured three exhibition courts, grand Art Deco-style edifices and a hugely popular three-acre amusement park dubbed Playland.

When the exhibition closed in May 1940 more than 2.5 million people had passed through the gates.

1943: Battle of Manners Street

US Marines marching in formation down Lambton Quay. 1942.

A wartime street brawl between US Marines stationed in Wellington and New Zealand troops erupted outside the Manners Street Allied Services Club on 3 April 1943.

The 'Battle of Manners Street' was said to have been racially-motivated. Over 1000 servicemen, many wielding belts and knifes, were caught up in the fighting.

The melee lasted four hours before being brought under control by military and civil police; but not before scores had been injured.

1951: Waterfront Lockout

T Wells addressing waterside workers. 16 May 1951.

The Waterfront 'Lockout', a bitter dispute between members of the New Zealand Waterside Workers Union and wharf bosses, crippled Wellington docks from February to July 1951.

Wellington faced food shortages while the dispute over wages and working conditions raged.

The dispute ended on 12 July when the watersiders voted to end their strike. One estimate put the cost of the dispute to the New Zealand economy at £48 million.

1954: Royal Tour

Royal Visit, reception at Town Hall, Cuba Street. 11 January 1954.

Thousands of people lined Wellington streets in January 1954 to catch a glimpse of the newly-crowned monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Her Majesty's royal limousine travelled down streets bedecked with a million begonias grown in City Council nurseries especially for the occasion.

Following the royal procession, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were feted by city officials at a civic reception at the Town Hall.

1959: Airport Opening

Helicopter view of the opening of Wellington Airport, showing crowds inspecting aeroplanes. Circa October 1959.

Wellington's new airport at Rongotai officially opened on 24 October 1959.

Construction began in 1952 and was a feat of civil engineering involving 135 acres of land reclamation, extensive road building and shifting of the sewer outfall. In addition, 180 houses were moved to complete the runway.

The airport cost £5 million to build. The City Council contributed £1.5 million.

1964: The Last Tram

New Zealand's Last Tram to Newtown Tram Barns.

Wellington's 'last tram' made a slow journey from Thorndon to Wellington City Corporation's Newtown Depot in May 1964, with Mayor Kitts at the wheel.

Trams had been a much-loved fixture in Wellington streets for more than eight decades but the increasing popularity of private motorcars saw successive line closures from 1949.

The trams were replaced by a city-wide network of electric trolley buses imported from Britain.

1964: Beatles Tour

The Beatles on the balcony of the Hotel St George, Wellington. August 1964.

Beatlemania gripped Wellington in June 1964 when British pop quartet The Beatles arrived in the city to play two concerts at the Town Hall.

An estimated 6000 fans greeted The Beatles' arrival at Wellington airport in late June. Thousands more gathered outside the St George Hotel on the corner of Willis and Boulcott Streets, where the band was staying.

The concerts lasted 30 minutes apiece, with John Lennon famously storming off-stage at one point dissatisfied with the sound system.

1968: Wahine Sinking

Wahine shipwreck from deck of Aramoana. May 1968.

A fierce Southerly storm caused the passenger ferry Wahine to run aground and sink at the entrance to Wellington Harbour on 10 April 1968.

The sinking was one of New Zealand's worst maritime disasters. Of the 733 passengers and crew aboard, 51 people died.

The ship ran aground on Barrett Reef, eventually foundering at Steeple Rock near Seatoun Beach.

1967 - 1972: Urban Motorway Construction

Construction of Motorway over Bowen Street, Thorndon 1973.

In the late 1950s an urban motorway skirting the city's Western foothills was mooted by the City Council.

Following years of backroom politicking, construction began in 1967. The first stage was opened in 1969 amid a chorus of strident opposition. Construction finished in 1972.

A large section of historic Thorndon was demolished to accommodate the new motorway. In addition, the roadworks bisected historic Bolton Street Cemetery with thousands of settler graves having to be exhumed.