Ninety seventy-five in New Zealand – it was a balmy time of both change and comfort in Aotearoa. The population had just cracked more than three million, a half-dozen eggs cost 80 cents, Robert Muldoon and his National Party won a landslide election, and the metric system conversion was well on its way.
Times have certainly changed in 50 years – but some things might not have changed as much as you think. Read on for a nostalgia hit!
A woman reads the news – finally!
New Zealand made more feminist history in 1975, becoming the first Commonwealth country to have a primetime female newsreader. Jennie Goodwin became a fulltime news presenter on TV2 on Monday, June 30, 1975, completely dispelling the belief that women lacked the authority or mana to present current affairs or news. Angela D’Audney had sparked a debate two years earlier when she was called in for an emergency shift. Described by Judy Bailey as a “trailblazer”, Jennie paved the way for all women in television. “At the time, I don’t think I fully appreciated the reality of what I had achieved,” Jennie told NZ On Screen. “It hasn’t been until many years later that I’ve thought about that honour. I’m rather proud of blazing the trail for future female newsreaders.”
Muldoon takes the election in a landslide
In an exact reversal of fortune from three years earlier, which saw Labour come to power in a dramatic landslide fashion, Robert Muldoon’s National Party swept the 1975 election, winning 55 seats to 32. Labour, having lost their leader Norman Kirk, who passed away in 1974, suffered defeat after only one term, with National’s dominant campaign, buoyed by “Rob’s Mob” proving successful, as well as the slogan “New Zealand – the way YOU want it”.
‘Not one more acre’
For New Zealanders, 1975 is best remembered for the indomitable Dame Whina Cooper. Te Rōpū Matakite (those with foresight) was launched at Māngere Marae in early 1975 and after six months of planning, a hīkoi from the far north to Parliament began on September 14, led by Whina, to protest and call for the end of the sale of Māori land. At 79 years old, Whina, who had already led a life of service to Māori, walked more than 1000km to Wellington, uniting protestors under the call of “not one more acre”.
The 1975 Māori land march, much like 2024’s Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, garnered significant media attention, both locally and internationally, and 5000 people were present to hand over the petition, featuring 60,000 signatures, to then-PM Bill Rowling. The hīkoi contributed to the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal and has had an enduring legacy for all New Zealanders 50 years on. Whina, who passed away in 1994, aged 98, was named the New Zealand Herald’s New Zealander of the Year in 1975 in recognition of all her achievements.
Home got a lot Closer
New Zealand loved a soap opera in 1975, but until then, Kiwis had to make do with British imports such as Coronation Street – which had already been going 15 years! – for our telly entertainment. That was until New Zealand got our very own soap, Close to Home. Long before Dr Ropata even went to Guatemala, we followed the trials and tribulations of the Heartes, a middle-class family from Wellington with a distinct Coro-vibe.
For the first time, we saw our own lives reflected back to us (albeit with veeeery clipped British-Kiwi accents) as, for eight years, we got to know Don and Val Hearte’s large family. Throughout the show’s run, we had car crashes, one daughter packed off to a commune, mental health struggles, psychiatric hospitals, hurricanes, weddings, tonnes of crime and even an explosion. Starring Ilona Rodgers, John Bach, Ginette McDonald, Ian Gilmour and Bill Stalker – with a star turn from a teenaged Jennifer Ward-Lealand – Close to Home was as Kiwi as it got for a long time on our screens… until we headed to Ferndale, at least!
We get two TV channels
In what was a real thrill for little old New Zealand, our telly watching choices doubled in 1975 with the introduction of the imaginatively named TV2, which began broadcasting on Monday, June 30, 1975. Highlights included the beginning of beloved Kiwi institution Goodnight Kiwi for the channel’s closedown – and which also helped the vast majority of parents get their kids to bed because “the TV told you so”.
It was an exciting time for telly – colour TV had only become widely available the year before and the famed Avalon TV studios opened in Wellington in March. Hunter’s Gold and Gather Your Dreams were early examples of the Kiwi dramas the channel showed – as well as a radical US cop show, Starksy and Hutch.
But it was only Auckland and Christchurch who got the first glimpse at TV2 – the rest of the country, unfortunately, had to wait just a little bit longer!
A woman conquered the Cook Strait
In a feat for female athletes everywhere, American Lynne Cox became the first woman to swim from the North Island to the South in 12 hours, 7 minutes on February 4, 1975. Battling huge seas and strong winds, she was just the fourth person to ever swim the 22.5km strait.
Pop culture
Here’s what you loved to watch and listen to in 1975:
- John Hanlon’s Lovely Lady was the first Kiwi song to make it to number one in the music charts, followed by Mark Williams’ Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life.
- Freddy Fender’s Wasted Days and Wasted Nights was the longest song at number one.
- Our first-ever Telethon raising more than $500,000 for St John Ambulance
- The Kiwi version of Play School began on Television One.
Grocery prices
Perhaps don’t look at this list if you’re planning on popping to the supermarket later because, gosh, things have changed! Here’s what New Zealand were shelling out for basics in 1975:
- Chesdale Cheddar Cheese: 47c
- Choysa tea bags (50): 47c
- Chelsea sugar (big bag): 63c
- Edmonds Lemon Jelly Crystals: 40c
- Sanitarium Weet-Bix (big box): 57c
- Wattie’s can of garden peas: 40c
Famous Kiwis born in 1975
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