NEW ZEALAND TODAY

[Music] new zealand with a population of just over two and a half millions suffered a severe economic crisis credit must go for helping the country back on the road to recovery it was during 1958 to 59 that the income from meat exports surpassed wool sales and became new zealand's most important asset [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Music] [Applause] [Music] of the country's 49 million sheep and lambs 21 million are killed every year up to 16 000 may be slaughtered in one day in enormous freezing works where each carcass can be on board a ship banned for britain and other overseas markets within 48 hours the whole industry has been scientifically geared to the complete utilization of each carcass and nothing is wasted all edible offers are exported for the manufacture of pig and poultry food and inedible parts are processed into fertilizers in the 80 years since refrigerated ships came into being new zealand has become the world's greatest exporter of meat and dairy produce its 49 million sheep and six and a half million cattle provide 90 percent of its overseas earnings new zealand is also the world's second biggest wool supplier and successful interbreeding has produced sheep which provide good meat and wool except for small amounts for domestic mills all the country's wool is sold overseas britain is by far new zealand's biggest customer taking just under half the total exports exports vital to the country's economy depending as it does on overseas earnings to pay for imported machinery consumer goods and raw materials second only an export value to meat dairy farming in new zealand has benefited greatly from the very high price of cheese which counterbalanced the guaranteed price to the farmer for his butter fat for with increased dairy production in britain and europe the demand for new zealand's dairy products has fallen there are about 40 000 dairy farms in new zealand most of which are between 60 and 120 acres the majority being in the temperate climate and good rainfall areas of the north island many farmers are share farmers one farmer owning the land the other the cattle and both sharing the proceeds from milk production nearly all dairy factories are cooperatively owned and payments are made on the basis of the milk supply small farmers greatly outnumber the bigger land owners many of whom are restricted by the government from purchasing any more land this farm with a hundred dairy cattle covers about 120 acres on north island it is typical of the share farmer system with the government guaranteeing prices for dairy products [Music] [Music] new zealand has enormous potential wealth in her natural resources timber forests are among the greatest in the world covering vast areas like this quarter of a million acre estate which was wasteland 30 years ago today it is the largest man-made forest in the world feeding the hungry mills of an expanding industry [Music] [Music] [Music] timber also provides the raw material for one of new zealand's newest industries pulp for paper making and newsprint new zealand's newsprint plant is the fourth largest in the world at kawarao the biggest plant jointly owned by government and private enterprise produces pulp and newsprint and large quantities are shipped overseas mostly to australia and britain most industries under trade unionism have a 40-hour week and some have already begun agitating for an even shorter working week union demands have boosted the average wage in new zealand to 13 pounds a week and despite the comparatively high prices of many products new zealanders are on a private spending spree of their own many are buying their own homes some with the help of state-assisted loans new houses are mushrooming all over new zealand especially around the large cities such as auckland and the capital wellington many houses are built under government or local planning schemes as opposed to the unplanned building of 20 or so years ago people working in the cities are now moving out to the suburbs and new motorways and travel services are struggling to cope with the increasing numbers of commuters auckland boasts one of new zealand's proudest achievements the new harbour bridge which now cuts the traveling time between the city and the new housing estates some houses can be described as luxurious by any standard but the great majority are plain modest homes planned for the average new zealand worker and his family demand for new houses is high but despite the cheapness of wood they are difficult to obtain in the low and medium price range either to buy or to rent a two-bedroom house costs anything from three thousand pounds upwards and mortgages for older properties are difficult to arrange there are still many old houses in new zealand often overshadowed perhaps by the new housing estates but nevertheless in evidence in the towns and cities some appear almost untenable but are still occupied despite the country's competitively fast building program there are still only eight new houses available for every thousand people in new zealand new houses need power and new zealand like many other mountainous countries has enormous potential power in her rivers and lakes great hydroelectric projects have harnessed lakes and mountain streams transforming their power to provide 95 percent of new zealand's electricity which is carried from one end of the country to the other even to the most remote regions the most spectacular and ambitious achievement in new zealand is undoubtedly the harnessing of the enormous thermal steam jets which for centuries have been roaring uselessly from the earth the first electricity from these geothermal power stations is now being generated at wyraki in the north island the geezers are only active in the volcanic region of new zealand's north island and no one has yet offered any concrete explanation for their fantastic eruptions but it is generally believed they are the products of constant pressurization deep down in the bowels of the earth which turns water into steam where a great steam-clouded valley once echoed to the deafening crescendo of untamed energy now stands a fantasia of towers and pipes these carry the steam to nearby power stations which in turn feed new zealand's new homes and schools state schooling is provided free for all children until they're 19 and education is compulsory from 7 until 15. new zealand claims to have achieved equality for all in education nearly 90 percent of all primary and secondary school children are educated at state schools the rest at private schools or church schools in the larger cities [Music] [Applause] there is also a university in each of the four main cities wellington auckland christchurch and dunedin all education is interracial much is co-educational and providing equal opportunities for the maori population in some predominantly maori areas however there are some maori schools the maoris have quickly absorbed western habits and civilization since european settlement of new zealand began 150 years ago at that time they were living in the stone age their social organization was on a tribal basis but as long ago as 1840 new zealand's first governor proclaimed the maoris and europeans equal under law although this didn't make the two races one overnight they are today approaching uniformity both in economy and culture and one or two maoris hold important positions in government and industry despite their acceptance of western civilization however native polynesian customs are proudly maintained like the maoris many other new zealanders have adopted new colors new habits that come with the changing world while black-coated youths in tight-fitting trousers roar up auckland's main street on motorbikes and in dilapidated cars every evening many people are indulging themselves in other forms of expression or relaxation new zealand's fine scenery and sporting facilities make it a tourist paradise yet tourist facilities in new zealand are constantly under fire rigid regimentation of hotel guests irritates foreign visitors unimaginative cooking does not improve matters either when coupled with the restrictions on labor which limit evening dining to one hour in practically every hotel and guests are restricted to their hotels for their food for the same labor restrictions also apply to outside restaurants which are compelled to close at six o'clock new zealand's licensing laws are chaotic and what is referred to as the six o'clock swill is a common sight when the labour party came into power in 1935 after many years in opposition one of its first acts was to make membership of trade unions compulsory today there is practically no unemployment and new zealand has been described as a workers paradise new zealand workers strongly resent any intrusion into their leisure hours however they also resent having to eat thursday's bread on monday morning because union restrictions forbid baking at the weekend industrialists and others have suggested that union restrictions on working hours are hindering attempts to bring about increased production and better more competitive prices to overseas buyers new zealand desperately needs new industries to compete in world markets this is particularly important in the light of the projected changes in british economic policy since the common market negotiations in brussels the british government has always borne in mind the effect upon new zealand of britain's entry into the common market and of course there has been some relief in new zealand that the problems which would have arisen have been postponed the united kingdom still takes just under half of new zealand's exports but there is growing concern over the possibility of regulated imports of foodstuffs into great britain nevertheless economic ties with britain remain very strong and although trade between the two countries has fallen slowly but steadily during the last decade it must be remembered that many industrial enterprises have been built up with british capital and technical advice new zealand must expand her economy further if she is to recover fully her own internal prosperity to offset the present uncertainty of markets for her agricultural products and to hold her own in an increasingly competitive world you