Social and Economic Development

New Zealand's provincial system of government was abolished in 1876 and a unitary system was inaugurated. An economic depression started in the early 1880's. Under the leadership of John Ballance the Liberal party came into power in 1891. With Richard John Seddon as prime minister, 1893 to 1906, many progressive social and industrial laws were passed. These provided for government intervention in labor disputes, regulation, of working conditions, old age pensions, public health measures, food and drug standards, and public financing of housing and farm purchases.

Meanwhile, introduction of refrigerated ocean transport had made possible the export, particularly to Britain, of meat, cheese, and butter. Sheep-raising on the South Island and a thriving dairy industry on the North Island restored the country to prosperity in the 1890's.

The Maoris had sunk to a deplorable condition. Although free primary education was available to them, they were living largely in ignorance and poverty. Gradually a reform movement arose among young, educated Maoris and part Maoris. Sir James Carroll, the first person of Maori ancestry to become a minister of the crown (Ministry of Native Affairs, 1899), encouraged the reform efforts of a group of younger leaders. Three of the group who attained ministries were Sir Apirana Ngata, first Maori graduate of the University of New Zealand (1893); Sir Maui Pomare, who took a medical degree in the United States; and Sir Peter Buck, who later was a professor of anthropology at Yale University.

Through government action and the efforts of individuals, the Maoris were taught improved health and sanitation practices, shown how to make better use of their land, and given a new appreciation of their own cultural heritage. The 1906 census showed, for the first time in decades, a rise in Maori population—the first step of a resurgence that would find them by the middle of the 20th century to be the largest group of Polynesians in the world.