STUDENT CHOICES FOR AS 3.5
Please note there are enough choices below now but if you get hold of the DVD you can do your homework on choices.
I am unpacking the material on the DVD so that it is in 'chunks' that can be dealt with easily
MASSI Z, SAM D, MASSI Z, SAM D TROY W
CAMERON W NICK J CATHERINE W
PATRICK G , REBECCA C, MICHAEL-RITA-SW, DAVE R, DARIUS H, DOMINIC S, EUAN F, AAKRITHI K, KATE C, SIDNEY K, SHAUNEY T, LISA B, ASMA I
DARIUS H
EUAN F
TREATY
PATRICK G
MAORI RESISTANCE
DARIUS H, SIDNEY K
MAORI SOVEREIGNTY
SIDNEY K
WAIRAU AFFRAY
LISA B
NORTHERN WAR
EUAN F
MIGRATION
NAT L, AAKRITHI K, KATE C, ASMA I
PASTORALISM/GOLD
EPELI L, MASSI Z, TROY W, SHAUNEY T
PASTORALISM/FARMING
MASSI Z, PATRICK G, EUAN F, ASMA I
WOMEN IN 19TH CENT
EPELI L, MICHAEL-RITA SW,
GOLD
REBECCA C, MICHAEL-RITA SW, DAVE R, DOMINIC S, NAT L, NICK J, CATHERINE W, LISA B
TIMBER
DAVE R
WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE
NICK J, CATHERINE W, KATE C
DEPRESSION
KATE C, SHAUNEY T
first one to put something on wikispace!
This is great DH - Mr P Describe developments in New Zealand’s gold industry between 1861 and 1900. Evaluate the impact of these developments on New Zealand society by 1900 (2009 Situations)
The period between 1861 and 1900 was marked by economic development in New Zealand’s gold industry. Rumor of gold prior to 1861 became reality when Gabriel Read first discovered gold in Otago sparking New Zealand’s first major gold rush. NZ gold status became part of an international circuit of would be gold miners who came from areas such as California, parts of Australia, South Africa and China. Not only did gold discoveries expand throughout NZ, the method of extraction also changed depending on the region such as alluvial and quartz mining (with technology evolving in each of those fields). The impact of Gold bought about huge developments on the lives of New Zealanders. This included many ending up with nothing with the odd few becoming rich out of gold. Traditional and Revisionist historians till this day also debate the importance of the Gold industry with some arguing that gold was concentrated in terms of time and location while others saw the economic benefits with NZ being part of the Pacific gold mining rim. Unsettled areas for settlement also grew and major demographic changes also grew as a result. (INTRO IS GOING TO BE GENERALISED DURING EXAM DUE TO TIME)
Gold was a highly sought after resource internationally. Rumour circulated as early as the 1820s of gold discoveries; however it is generally believed that gold was first discovered in New Zealand near Coromandel in 1852. It was Gabriel Read’s discovery of gold in Otago in 1862 that really sparked the motion of events leading to the firs t major rush in Gold. His gully was instantly turned in a canvas town full of would-be miners trying their luck in the Otago Goldfields. Another sighting of gold from an Irish and American spread the rush to Dunstan. By 1862 around 8000 miners had arrived from Victoria which was a significant amount as there had only been 300 men in Central Otago. Dunedin was subsequently transformed from 2000 to 12000 people by the conclusion of 1863. The discovery of gold very quickly altered the course of New Zealand’s colonial history as well as the development of Gold throughout its primary period of the 1860s-1870’s.
The primary period of extraction was from 1861-65 in Otago. Approximately 194 000 settlers came to New Zealand during the course of the 1860s hoping to strike it lucky. The majority of migrants were unmarried young-men leading to a drastic gender imbalance on the goldfields. Many of these migrants were part of a worldwide phenomenon. These miners had come from the far stretches of California, Australia and South Africa. These miners either moved on (as part of an international circuit) or employed themselves in other professions in the region. News of rich discoveries on the West Coast saw thousands leave Otago and the population of the coast reached 40 000 in 1866. Improvised towns soon sprang into existence particularly with a lot of Canvas until wood and stone became readily available. These towns soon became known as Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport (flourishing ports and commercial centres). Facilities and Infrastructure soon proliferated in Otago and West Coast regions such as punts and bridges to quickly cross rivers. The rush ended prematurely by late 1867 with only 18 000 people left concentrated in several South Island regions. As the decade concluded gold was discovered in the Thames area/Hauraki Fields. This led to a new development in New Zealand’s gold industry.
Goldfield prospectors swarmed into the Thames area looking for alluvial gold like such they experienced in Otago and the West Coast. None was found near Thames. However gold existed in the form of Quartz, not alluvial. There were also less important quartz mines in Otago, Southland and Nelson. This stage in the industry was primarily capital intensive unlike the situation in Otago which was primarily labour intensive. The high costs of extracting quartz Gold meant investment by businessmen in capital/machinery grew. Economic stimulus grew as a result. During the quartz stage of gold development, permanent settlements were more common. Communities such as Waihi and Thames were the economic hubs for industry, providing facilities and infrastructure to local miners. This contrasted greatly to alluvial miners previously in Otago as labourers in Thames did so for wages; not as individual entrepreneurs hoping to strike it lucky. Hence Thames was a permanent settlement for family based communities working on the gold fields, rather than Otago and co. being temporary settlements for entrepreneurs. The two stages in gold mining- Alluvial: Otago and Quartz: Hauraki Fields also saw developments in the method of which it was extracted. Alluvial goldfields extracted the budding entrepreneur looking to make a buck out of gold. The methods of extraction were relatively easy as alluvial gold was located in rivers and streams. Equipment used to separate gold from surroundings included shovels, pans, sluice boxes and cradles. However as easily accessible gold had been exploited, methods became more sophisticated and costly. Entrepreneurs often formed collectives to overcome the financial burden. Methods used to remove tricky overburden included the use of hydraulic hoses, explosives, river dredges and by partially damming the river. Hence we can see a technologic development in alluvial gold. When focus turned to quartz gold in the late 1860s-70s, technology had advanced substantially to accommodate the difficulty in extracting quartz gold. As this stage was capital intensive, investment from businessman was pivotal. The processes involved were drilling deep underground shafts in which explosives blasted rocks. Crushing batteries were then used to extract the ore, while sub-processes such as smelting were used to extract the gold from the ore. Therefore it is highly evident that there was a technologic development in & between alluvial and quartz mining.
The price of gold rose steadily with gold recovering methods becoming more productive (such as reworking earlier fields). Gold production continued after the rushes had ended after 1870. Quartz mining remained important throughout the century with a significant revitalization in 1889 through the use of cyanide. Towards the end of the century NZ produced $56 million in value from gold, a quarter from quartz and the remaining from alluvial gold. Thus a huge development has been seen in the gold industry over the 2nd half of the 19th century. These developments had varying impacts on NZ society, with an instant difference also seen in the development of the north and south island.
Gold was seen as an unsustainable industry during the 19th century in NZ. With limited resources i.e. rock ore, long-term economic activity wasn’t possible to achieve a positive Balance of Trade. This was evident with the period of alluvial gold mining where gold production was receiving huge export earnings during a short time frame. The second stage of industry was a more steady flow of income which arose with the depletion of alluvial gold, highlighting its non sustainability. Economically the income from gold sales had a dramatic impact on the states earnings and to a higher extent in the regions where gold was mined. Gold however did provide a later incentive for foreign investors to put money into the New Zealand economy through the Vogel Plan. Economically these were impacts on New Zealand society in the 19th century.
It can also be argued that Gold was a “boom and bust” industry. To traditionalist historians, this was an unstable economic activity. Historians debate the significance of the gold rush to NZ’s history. Traditionalist historians tend to believe that the gold rushes were relatively limited because they were primarily spatially and/or temporally concentrated (location and time). Other factors such as mining in other countries and gold depletion meant miners left immediately afterwards. However revisionist/other historians such as Belich heavily disagree stating that an international circuit of miners around the “Pacific gold-mining rim” where a there was a drop off for miners to work on mining and thus also stay permanently in NZ. Their values helped shape/impact New Zealand society particularly in the settlements they occupied, a vast, diverse multicultural society with positive attitudes to hard work. They carried a different culture to many of the British settlers who emphasized alcohol, gambling and lawless traits.
Unsettled spaces for settlement grew dramatically as a result of Gold in the 19th century. Gold’s regional impact was huge such to the extent where Dunedin became the largest city/settlement in NZ during 1861-65. These settlements bought about major changes in New Zealand’s demographic particularly gender and ethnicity. Facilities, infrastructure and accommodation needed to be provided which came in the form of clothing, alcohol, casinos and food stores. Budding entrepreneurs provided them with this and generally made more money than the gold miners. Transport routes grew as well, with 29 000 people living on the West Coast settlement where alluvial gold was also mined. This accounted for 12 % of the national Pakeha population. Hence the rapid growth of settlements was another impact of NZ gold development of New Zealand society.
Gold had provided so much for the South Island both economically and politically. It was during this period that the South Island really dominated over the North Island that was undergoing major conflicts between British and North Island Maori tribes. The pursuit of Gold and political dominance led to a sense of nationalism and rivalry between the South Island provinces. Eldred-Grigg concluded in ‘The Southern Gentry’ that gold and pastoralism fostered “such a powerful sense of provincial loyalty in Otago, Canterbury, and the West Coast, that the development of NZ nationalism was crippled before it began to emerge”. A sense of nationalism also led to rivalry between the provinces such as the Canterbury Provincial Council offering £1000 to anyone who found gold within the Canterbury province, hence the immense rivalry in gaining important status across the South Island. Therefore the South Island’s dominance of the North and its immense rivalry and to some extent nationalism impacted New Zealand society during the gold rush period.
The goldfields itself were lawless during the gold period. Despite lawlessness being largely prevented under the Gold Fields Act of 1858 murder, fights and claim jumping prevailed. This was largely due to the overly male society created from the gold rushes, combined with alcohol. This was further highlighted in 1865 where 72 pubs in Hokitika were packed with drunken miners. Hence it was a state of every-man for himself on the gold fields, a minor social impact during the gold rush years. (^^^ LEAVE OUT IF RUNNING OUT OF TIME ^^^)
The impact and treatment of Chinese miners was perhaps the most controversial and dirty during the Gold era. In 1865, Chinese, mainly from the Guangdong province were invited to rework the “once uneconomically” goldfields in Otago. They were the first large group of non-European migrants to travel to New Zealand. They lived secluded lifestyles building their settlements from rock and mud away from European settlements after bitter lessons learned in California and Australia. They were the subjects of racism throughout much of their stay, ultimately resulting in a poll tax being introduced by the government in 1881 to discourage migration (i.e. from the Chinese). A parliament inquiry also took place in 1871 due to the settler’s allegations that the Chinese were dirty and corrupt. This was found untrue; however it didn’t change the settler’s attitudes towards the Chinese. Other forms of anti-Chinese legislation were also passed from 1870 onwards to deal with ‘problems’ of Chinese migrants. This was clearly a racial impact that had a controversial effect on New Zealand society due to the Pakeha’s blatant racism towards the Chinese.
Therefore it can be concluded that the major developments in New Zealand’s gold industry had bought a mix of both positive and negative impacts on New Zealand society during the 2nd half of the 19th century. During this period gold development in its method of extraction, the location and the demography of people that came to New Zealand to search for gold. The impact of these such developments is mixed with aspects generally agreeable, some impacts straddling into other affairs/events (i.e. Gold and the Vogel Plan) and some impacts being the subject of debate such as gold being an unstable industry. Whatever way it is clearly evident that gold development during the 1860s onwards had varying impacts on New Zealand society.
Describe developments in New Zealand’s gold and pastoralism industries between 1861 and 1900. Evaluate the impact of these developments on New Zealand society by 1900
Made up question by Mr P. I found this on my computer. It needs considerable re-working - weak on pastoralism.
In the late 19th century two contrasting industries sprung up in New Zealand: Gold Mining and Pastoralism . There were huge differences between the two, which led to them having different effects on the country as it began to mature. Gold Mining was an extractive industry, Pastoralism was an ongoing one. Gold Mining was a flash in the pan, Pastoralism was focused on longevity. Gold Mining was the domain of the common man, Pastoralism the wander of the wealthy. Despite these differences they both wielded considerable influence over the groiwng political and economic landscapes of New Zealand in this period.
Gold Mining was an extractive industry – once the supplies ran out, there was no more gold to be had – and so offered nothing as a sustainable source of income. Gold mining was taken to by the poor hoping to strike lucky; they would move to the gold fields and pitch their tents, working hard, day-in day-out for very little reward. Gold diggers often left the fields empty handed and with no security for the future. Pastoralism was an almost entirely different entity: to get set up in the industry you needed to be wealthy; you needed a large section, you needed the resources. Pastoralism was therefore an industry owned by the upper classes. The rich got richer on the farms while the poor became relatively poorer on the goldfields. This disparity in fortunes between participants in the two industries is a large point of contrast.
Gold Mining’s short-term nature saw many give it a go and then just as quickly give up. This meant that there was high turnover on the goldfields – 184000 settlers came to New Zealand shores in the 1850s alone hoping to make a quick buck. There was no real organisation occuring; it was an ‘every man for himself’ situation and so the maxmium potenital benefits were not exploited (organised exporting, effiecent mining). In the end the industry collapsed when no ‘mother lode’, or large source of gold was to be found.
Again the Pastoralism industry developed much faster and with a much keener eye on long term prospects and stability. The industry began as a means of producing meat and wool for local use, feeding the new immigrants and providing them with a fabric from which they could make a plethora of goods. As the nation grew, and the skill of shearing and stripping sheep along with it, the industry turned to the valuable export market. With wool being a renewable resource, it was easily procured and then sold overseas for a profit, something unavailable to those in the gold mining industry. The final phase of growth in the pastoralism came with the introduction of refrigeration in the 1880s. Meat was now able to be stored for longer, and also shipped overseas allowing for greater production by those in the industry. Pastoralism was able to grow and diversify where Gold Mining could not, allowing itself to cement its place within New Zealand’s economy.
Despite there different final fortunes in the story of New Zealand both industries did have signifigant effects on the political and economic climate of the time. Gold Mining was a signifgant attraction for potential settlers, as they sought to make it big as some had done in California and Victoria. A huge influx of Chinese Immigrants was a result of this, and this led to some signifigant wielding of a big political whip. A Poll Tax and various immigration tests (being able to write english) were introduced in an effort to discourage these foreign settlers. These were political steps taken to keep New zealand as the ‘slice of english life’ the original settlers had envisaged.
Gold mining also had its own conributions to the fledgling New Zealand economy. Gold Miners would often spend their returns immediately in loical buysiness, desperate for the relative luury thre long awaited finds could afford them. This allowed for the profits to be reinvested in New Zealand business, helping to grow local communites, particulary in the south island region where the gold industry took off..
Where the gold industry helped local business prosper in the new new zealand economy, pastoralism provided profits mainly for those entreprenuers who ran it. They were the only ones who coud muster the capital required to set up a sheep farming (by far the most popular choie) business in the country at the time, and those that onsold their products made from wool did so for very little profit.
With the profits kept amongst themselves, this upper class of sorts continuted to prosper, forming the southern gentry, a collective of farmers who for years yielded great influence on the nz political scene, maintaing Cabntebrury as a region of great power amongst the newborn nation. As the industry developed though this power shifted back to the north island, as refgration allowedthe north island with its widespread population to make the most of farming.
In conclusion the two industrys Gold Mining and pastralism both developed signifgantly in the late 1800s, and both had grea teffects on the econimiuc and politiccal mood of the time.
Issue 3: The gold industry within New Zealand’s economy and society between 1861 and 1900 Description of the issue and its context Content could include: · The discovery of gold substantially and very quickly altered the course of New Zealand’s colonial history. The main period of extraction was 1861 to 1865 in Otago, but there were also sustained periods of extraction in Thames / Coromandel and on the West Coast of the South Island. · 194 000 settlers came to New Zealand in the 1860s, largely to find gold or to make money out of the huge support industry of publicans, theatre managers, store keepers, dancing girls, bankers, etc, which followed the miners. · Most migrants in this period were male, unmarried, and young, causing a huge gender imbalance on the goldfields. · The search for gold was a worldwide phenomenon. Many of New Zealand’s gold miners had mined in California, Victoria, and NSW. When they left New Zealand, they went on to Queensland, Western Australia, or South Africa. · The gold rush brought Chinese and non-British Europeans to New Zealand in large numbers for the first time. Terms / concepts / ideas Content could include: alluvial · quartz · migration · sluicing · dredging · support industry · a ‘Man’s Country’ · atomisation. Changes / trends / patterns over time Content could include: · Different types of gold mining existed in different places and at different times. In Otago and on the West Coast of the South Island, the gold was extracted through the washing of alluvial gravels, silts, and sand with simple cradles and sluice boxes (individuals), then with hydraulic sluicing systems using water races, pipes, and hoses (groups), and then with massive dredges that worked whole river beds (companies). On the Hauraki fields, the method of extraction was to crush gold-bearing quartz. This was no place for the individual miner. Local and overseas investors quickly formed companies to harness the capital needed. · Major migration changes and a regional imbalance in the gender demographics. · A shift in political power through ‘Middle Island Ascendancy’. · Treatment of Chinese; laws discriminating against them. Ways in which the issue influenced people Content could include: · Historians argue about the importance of the gold rush to New Zealand’s immigration and population history. Some argue that their impact was relatively limited because they were very concentrated in terms of time and location. Most miners who came to New Zealand left again. Others, like Belich, disagree. They point out that right around the Pacific gold-mining rim there was a drop-off. A large group of gold miners and their support industry stayed in New Zealand. Their values and aspirations were very important in the shaping of New Zealand society. · Gold contributed significantly to the economic and political dominance of the South Island during the second half of the nineteenth century. · Otago’s gold also created a sense of optimism for New Zealand’s economic future at a time when major wars were being fought in the North Island. · Gold also provided an incentive for foreign investors to put money into Vogel’s Plan. · Most of the gold went overseas, mainly to mints in Melbourne, but, thanks to the support industry, much of the money that was paid for the gold stayed in New Zealand.
Pastoralism
Describe developments in New Zealand’s pastoralism industry in the nineteenth century. Evaluate the economic and political influence that pastoralism had on New Zealanders during this time.
The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include: · Pastoralism began in New Zealand before 1840, with many Māori, whalers, and missionaries raising animals on pasture for trade with people nearby, with visiting ships, and for their own consumption. · Most of the early Pākehā settlers also kept animals for their own use (meat, milk, butter, and cheese) or to raise a small amount of income through small-scale trade. · Wakefield had largely discounted the prospect of large sheep runs. His ideal settlement was a close-knit arable farming community, but the east of both the South and North Islands contained vast areas of native grassland, ideal for pastoral farming. · 1600 sheep were taken from Australia to Nelson by Charles Bidwill in 1843 and in 1844 Charles Clifford and Frederick Weld drove 350 sheep from Wellington to the Wairarapa via the coast. Others began taking sheep into Otago and Canterbury in significant numbers. · A drought in Australia in 1850 brought Australian sheep and graziers to New Zealand. By 1870, virtually all the open grassland of New Zealand was being used for large scale pastoralism. · One of the most significant factors that led to the pastoralism boom was that the land for sheep runs didn’t have to be bought outright. It could be leased from provincial government or Māori. This allowed most of the capital to be used to buy sheep. · Wool was the most significant export derived from pastoralism until refrigeration reached New Zealand in the early 1880s. This opened up the export of meat, cheese, and butter and made small-scale farming much more viable. · The first refrigerated ship to carry meat from New Zealand to Britain was the Dunedin. The success of this venture led to the establishing of freezing works throughout New Zealand. · Refrigeration allowed the North Island pastoralism to catch up with the South Island. This shift was also due to sheep disease and the overgrazing of sheep farms in the South. Dairy farms became common throughout the country and especially in Taranaki and Southland. · The Liberal Government in the 1890s assisted the breakup of the great estates in the South Island (most of the land was controlled by a small group of affluent run-holders) in order to put “the small man on the land”. They also passed legislation that led to the alienation of significant amounts of Māori land in the North Island (“the greatest estate of all”) in order to open up the North Island to the dairy industry. The candidate’s response to the second part of the essay question could include: Economic impact · Wool was New Zealand’s largest export in the nineteenth century, and the wealth that it created encouraged overseas investment in New Zealand, but New Zealanders usually exported the wool without adding value to it. The New Zealand Historical Atlas shows that in 1881, only 18 percent of the wool that was exported was scoured and only 15 percent was washed. Wool didn’t create many jobs for New Zealanders. The work for shearers was seasonal. The wheat industry provided more work than the wool industry. · Refrigeration did lead to all-year-round employment in the meat and dairy industries. · Pastoralism and especially refrigeration led to the New Zealand economy being very closely tied with Britain’s (Belich refers to the “Protein Bridge”). Political impact // · Pastoralism made Canterbury the most politically powerful province during the Provincial era. Some historians have referred to a “Southern Gentry” made up of run-holders and have shown how this small group of men dominated Canterbury and later national politics. · Political power shifted from the South Island to the North Island as refrigeration (and governments) opened up opportunities for farming in Taranaki and the Waikato and the North Island population increased, ending “middle island ascendancy”.
Please note there are enough choices below now but if you get hold of the DVD you can do your homework on choices.
I am unpacking the material on the DVD so that it is in 'chunks' that can be dealt with easily
Revision material will go on to a new wikispace just for revision which I have set up at
http://level3historyrevision.wikispaces.com/
CAMERON W NICK J CATHERINE W
PATRICK G , REBECCA C, MICHAEL-RITA-SW, DAVE R, DARIUS H, DOMINIC S, EUAN F, AAKRITHI K, KATE C, SIDNEY K, SHAUNEY T, LISA B, ASMA I
first one to put something on wikispace!
This is great DH - Mr P
Describe developments in New Zealand’s gold industry between 1861 and 1900.
Evaluate the impact of these developments on New Zealand society by 1900
(2009 Situations)
The period between 1861 and 1900 was marked by economic development in New Zealand’s gold industry. Rumor of gold prior to 1861 became reality when Gabriel Read first discovered gold in Otago sparking New Zealand’s first major gold rush. NZ gold status became part of an international circuit of would be gold miners who came from areas such as California, parts of Australia, South Africa and China. Not only did gold discoveries expand throughout NZ, the method of extraction also changed depending on the region such as alluvial and quartz mining (with technology evolving in each of those fields). The impact of Gold bought about huge developments on the lives of New Zealanders. This included many ending up with nothing with the odd few becoming rich out of gold. Traditional and Revisionist historians till this day also debate the importance of the Gold industry with some arguing that gold was concentrated in terms of time and location while others saw the economic benefits with NZ being part of the Pacific gold mining rim. Unsettled areas for settlement also grew and major demographic changes also grew as a result.
(INTRO IS GOING TO BE GENERALISED DURING EXAM DUE TO TIME)
Gold was a highly sought after resource internationally. Rumour circulated as early as the 1820s of gold discoveries; however it is generally believed that gold was first discovered in New Zealand near Coromandel in 1852. It was Gabriel Read’s discovery of gold in Otago in 1862 that really sparked the motion of events leading to the firs t major rush in Gold. His gully was instantly turned in a canvas town full of would-be miners trying their luck in the Otago Goldfields. Another sighting of gold from an Irish and American spread the rush to Dunstan. By 1862 around 8000 miners had arrived from Victoria which was a significant amount as there had only been 300 men in Central Otago. Dunedin was subsequently transformed from 2000 to 12000 people by the conclusion of 1863. The discovery of gold very quickly altered the course of New Zealand’s colonial history as well as the development of Gold throughout its primary period of the 1860s-1870’s.
The primary period of extraction was from 1861-65 in Otago. Approximately 194 000 settlers came to New Zealand during the course of the 1860s hoping to strike it lucky. The majority of migrants were unmarried young-men leading to a drastic gender imbalance on the goldfields. Many of these migrants were part of a worldwide phenomenon. These miners had come from the far stretches of California, Australia and South Africa. These miners either moved on (as part of an international circuit) or employed themselves in other professions in the region. News of rich discoveries on the West Coast saw thousands leave Otago and the population of the coast reached 40 000 in 1866. Improvised towns soon sprang into existence particularly with a lot of Canvas until wood and stone became readily available. These towns soon became known as Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport (flourishing ports and commercial centres). Facilities and Infrastructure soon proliferated in Otago and West Coast regions such as punts and bridges to quickly cross rivers. The rush ended prematurely by late 1867 with only 18 000 people left concentrated in several South Island regions. As the decade concluded gold was discovered in the Thames area/Hauraki Fields. This led to a new development in New Zealand’s gold industry.
Goldfield prospectors swarmed into the Thames area looking for alluvial gold like such they experienced in Otago and the West Coast. None was found near Thames. However gold existed in the form of Quartz, not alluvial. There were also less important quartz mines in Otago, Southland and Nelson. This stage in the industry was primarily capital intensive unlike the situation in Otago which was primarily labour intensive. The high costs of extracting quartz Gold meant investment by businessmen in capital/machinery grew. Economic stimulus grew as a result. During the quartz stage of gold development, permanent settlements were more common. Communities such as Waihi and Thames were the economic hubs for industry, providing facilities and infrastructure to local miners. This contrasted greatly to alluvial miners previously in Otago as labourers in Thames did so for wages; not as individual entrepreneurs hoping to strike it lucky. Hence Thames was a permanent settlement for family based communities working on the gold fields, rather than Otago and co. being temporary settlements for entrepreneurs. The two stages in gold mining- Alluvial: Otago and Quartz: Hauraki Fields also saw developments in the method of which it was extracted.
Alluvial goldfields extracted the budding entrepreneur looking to make a buck out of gold. The methods of extraction were relatively easy as alluvial gold was located in rivers and streams. Equipment used to separate gold from surroundings included shovels, pans, sluice boxes and cradles. However as easily accessible gold had been exploited, methods became more sophisticated and costly. Entrepreneurs often formed collectives to overcome the financial burden. Methods used to remove tricky overburden included the use of hydraulic hoses, explosives, river dredges and by partially damming the river. Hence we can see a technologic development in alluvial gold. When focus turned to quartz gold in the late 1860s-70s, technology had advanced substantially to accommodate the difficulty in extracting quartz gold. As this stage was capital intensive, investment from businessman was pivotal. The processes involved were drilling deep underground shafts in which explosives blasted rocks. Crushing batteries were then used to extract the ore, while sub-processes such as smelting were used to extract the gold from the ore. Therefore it is highly evident that there was a technologic development in & between alluvial and quartz mining.
The price of gold rose steadily with gold recovering methods becoming more productive (such as reworking earlier fields). Gold production continued after the rushes had ended after 1870. Quartz mining remained important throughout the century with a significant revitalization in 1889 through the use of cyanide. Towards the end of the century NZ produced $56 million in value from gold, a quarter from quartz and the remaining from alluvial gold. Thus a huge development has been seen in the gold industry over the 2nd half of the 19th century. These developments had varying impacts on NZ society, with an instant difference also seen in the development of the north and south island.
Gold was seen as an unsustainable industry during the 19th century in NZ. With limited resources i.e. rock ore, long-term economic activity wasn’t possible to achieve a positive Balance of Trade. This was evident with the period of alluvial gold mining where gold production was receiving huge export earnings during a short time frame. The second stage of industry was a more steady flow of income which arose with the depletion of alluvial gold, highlighting its non sustainability. Economically the income from gold sales had a dramatic impact on the states earnings and to a higher extent in the regions where gold was mined. Gold however did provide a later incentive for foreign investors to put money into the New Zealand economy through the Vogel Plan. Economically these were impacts on New Zealand society in the 19th century.
It can also be argued that Gold was a “boom and bust” industry. To traditionalist historians, this was an unstable economic activity. Historians debate the significance of the gold rush to NZ’s history. Traditionalist historians tend to believe that the gold rushes were relatively limited because they were primarily spatially and/or temporally concentrated (location and time). Other factors such as mining in other countries and gold depletion meant miners left immediately afterwards. However revisionist/other historians such as Belich heavily disagree stating that an international circuit of miners around the “Pacific gold-mining rim” where a there was a drop off for miners to work on mining and thus also stay permanently in NZ. Their values helped shape/impact New Zealand society particularly in the settlements they occupied, a vast, diverse multicultural society with positive attitudes to hard work. They carried a different culture to many of the British settlers who emphasized alcohol, gambling and lawless traits.
Unsettled spaces for settlement grew dramatically as a result of Gold in the 19th century. Gold’s regional impact was huge such to the extent where Dunedin became the largest city/settlement in NZ during 1861-65. These settlements bought about major changes in New Zealand’s demographic particularly gender and ethnicity. Facilities, infrastructure and accommodation needed to be provided which came in the form of clothing, alcohol, casinos and food stores. Budding entrepreneurs provided them with this and generally made more money than the gold miners. Transport routes grew as well, with 29 000 people living on the West Coast settlement where alluvial gold was also mined. This accounted for 12 % of the national Pakeha population. Hence the rapid growth of settlements was another impact of NZ gold development of New Zealand society.
Gold had provided so much for the South Island both economically and politically. It was during this period that the South Island really dominated over the North Island that was undergoing major conflicts between British and North Island Maori tribes. The pursuit of Gold and political dominance led to a sense of nationalism and rivalry between the South Island provinces. Eldred-Grigg concluded in ‘The Southern Gentry’ that gold and pastoralism fostered “such a powerful sense of provincial loyalty in Otago, Canterbury, and the West Coast, that the development of NZ nationalism was crippled before it began to emerge”. A sense of nationalism also led to rivalry between the provinces such as the Canterbury Provincial Council offering £1000 to anyone who found gold within the Canterbury province, hence the immense rivalry in gaining important status across the South Island. Therefore the South Island’s dominance of the North and its immense rivalry and to some extent nationalism impacted New Zealand society during the gold rush period.
The goldfields itself were lawless during the gold period. Despite lawlessness being largely prevented under the Gold Fields Act of 1858 murder, fights and claim jumping prevailed. This was largely due to the overly male society created from the gold rushes, combined with alcohol. This was further highlighted in 1865 where 72 pubs in Hokitika were packed with drunken miners. Hence it was a state of every-man for himself on the gold fields, a minor social impact during the gold rush years.
(^^^ LEAVE OUT IF RUNNING OUT OF TIME ^^^)
The impact and treatment of Chinese miners was perhaps the most controversial and dirty during the Gold era. In 1865, Chinese, mainly from the Guangdong province were invited to rework the “once uneconomically” goldfields in Otago. They were the first large group of non-European migrants to travel to New Zealand. They lived secluded lifestyles building their settlements from rock and mud away from European settlements after bitter lessons learned in California and Australia. They were the subjects of racism throughout much of their stay, ultimately resulting in a poll tax being introduced by the government in 1881 to discourage migration (i.e. from the Chinese). A parliament inquiry also took place in 1871 due to the settler’s allegations that the Chinese were dirty and corrupt. This was found untrue; however it didn’t change the settler’s attitudes towards the Chinese. Other forms of anti-Chinese legislation were also passed from 1870 onwards to deal with ‘problems’ of Chinese migrants. This was clearly a racial impact that had a controversial effect on New Zealand society due to the Pakeha’s blatant racism towards the Chinese.
Therefore it can be concluded that the major developments in New Zealand’s gold industry had bought a mix of both positive and negative impacts on New Zealand society during the 2nd half of the 19th century. During this period gold development in its method of extraction, the location and the demography of people that came to New Zealand to search for gold. The impact of these such developments is mixed with aspects generally agreeable, some impacts straddling into other affairs/events (i.e. Gold and the Vogel Plan) and some impacts being the subject of debate such as gold being an unstable industry. Whatever way it is clearly evident that gold development during the 1860s onwards had varying impacts on New Zealand society.
Describe developments in New Zealand’s gold and pastoralism industries between 1861 and 1900.
Evaluate the impact of these developments on New Zealand society by 1900
Made up question by Mr P. I found this on my computer. It needs considerable re-working - weak on pastoralism.
In the late 19th century two contrasting industries sprung up in New Zealand: Gold Mining and Pastoralism . There were huge differences between the two, which led to them having different effects on the country as it began to mature. Gold Mining was an extractive industry, Pastoralism was an ongoing one. Gold Mining was a flash in the pan, Pastoralism was focused on longevity. Gold Mining was the domain of the common man, Pastoralism the wander of the wealthy. Despite these differences they both wielded considerable influence over the groiwng political and economic landscapes of New Zealand in this period.
Gold Mining was an extractive industry – once the supplies ran out, there was no more gold to be had – and so offered nothing as a sustainable source of income. Gold mining was taken to by the poor hoping to strike lucky; they would move to the gold fields and pitch their tents, working hard, day-in day-out for very little reward. Gold diggers often left the fields empty handed and with no security for the future. Pastoralism was an almost entirely different entity: to get set up in the industry you needed to be wealthy; you needed a large section, you needed the resources. Pastoralism was therefore an industry owned by the upper classes. The rich got richer on the farms while the poor became relatively poorer on the goldfields. This disparity in fortunes between participants in the two industries is a large point of contrast.
Gold Mining’s short-term nature saw many give it a go and then just as quickly give up. This meant that there was high turnover on the goldfields – 184000 settlers came to New Zealand shores in the 1850s alone hoping to make a quick buck. There was no real organisation occuring; it was an ‘every man for himself’ situation and so the maxmium potenital benefits were not exploited (organised exporting, effiecent mining). In the end the industry collapsed when no ‘mother lode’, or large source of gold was to be found.
Again the Pastoralism industry developed much faster and with a much keener eye on long term prospects and stability. The industry began as a means of producing meat and wool for local use, feeding the new immigrants and providing them with a fabric from which they could make a plethora of goods. As the nation grew, and the skill of shearing and stripping sheep along with it, the industry turned to the valuable export market. With wool being a renewable resource, it was easily procured and then sold overseas for a profit, something unavailable to those in the gold mining industry. The final phase of growth in the pastoralism came with the introduction of refrigeration in the 1880s. Meat was now able to be stored for longer, and also shipped overseas allowing for greater production by those in the industry. Pastoralism was able to grow and diversify where Gold Mining could not, allowing itself to cement its place within New Zealand’s economy.
Despite there different final fortunes in the story of New Zealand both industries did have signifigant effects on the political and economic climate of the time. Gold Mining was a signifgant attraction for potential settlers, as they sought to make it big as some had done in California and Victoria. A huge influx of Chinese Immigrants was a result of this, and this led to some signifigant wielding of a big political whip. A Poll Tax and various immigration tests (being able to write english) were introduced in an effort to discourage these foreign settlers. These were political steps taken to keep New zealand as the ‘slice of english life’ the original settlers had envisaged.
Gold mining also had its own conributions to the fledgling New Zealand economy. Gold Miners would often spend their returns immediately in loical buysiness, desperate for the relative luury thre long awaited finds could afford them. This allowed for the profits to be reinvested in New Zealand business, helping to grow local communites, particulary in the south island region where the gold industry took off..
Where the gold industry helped local business prosper in the new new zealand economy, pastoralism provided profits mainly for those entreprenuers who ran it. They were the only ones who coud muster the capital required to set up a sheep farming (by far the most popular choie) business in the country at the time, and those that onsold their products made from wool did so for very little profit.
With the profits kept amongst themselves, this upper class of sorts continuted to prosper, forming the southern gentry, a collective of farmers who for years yielded great influence on the nz political scene, maintaing Cabntebrury as a region of great power amongst the newborn nation. As the industry developed though this power shifted back to the north island, as refgration allowedthe north island with its widespread population to make the most of farming.
In conclusion the two industrys Gold Mining and pastralism both developed signifgantly in the late 1800s, and both had grea teffects on the econimiuc and politiccal mood of the time.
Issue 3: The gold industry within New Zealand’s economy and society between 1861 and 1900
Description of the issue and its context
Content could include:
· The discovery of gold substantially and very quickly altered the course of New Zealand’s colonial history. The main period of extraction was 1861 to 1865 in Otago, but there were also sustained periods of extraction in Thames / Coromandel and on the West Coast of the South Island.
· 194 000 settlers came to New Zealand in the 1860s, largely to find gold or to make money out of the huge support industry of publicans, theatre managers, store keepers, dancing girls, bankers, etc, which followed the miners.
· Most migrants in this period were male, unmarried, and young, causing a huge gender imbalance on the goldfields.
· The search for gold was a worldwide phenomenon. Many of New Zealand’s gold miners had mined in California, Victoria, and NSW. When they left New Zealand, they went on to Queensland, Western Australia, or South Africa.
· The gold rush brought Chinese and non-British Europeans to New Zealand in large numbers for the first time.
Terms / concepts / ideas
Content could include:
alluvial
· quartz
· migration
· sluicing
· dredging
· support industry
· a ‘Man’s Country’
· atomisation.
Changes / trends / patterns over time
Content could include:
· Different types of gold mining existed in different places and at different times. In Otago and on the West Coast of the South Island, the gold was extracted through the washing of alluvial gravels, silts, and sand with simple cradles and sluice boxes (individuals), then with hydraulic sluicing systems using water races, pipes, and hoses (groups), and then with massive dredges that worked whole river beds (companies). On the Hauraki fields, the method of extraction was to crush gold-bearing quartz. This was no place for the individual miner. Local and overseas investors quickly formed companies to harness the capital needed.
· Major migration changes and a regional imbalance in the gender demographics.
· A shift in political power through ‘Middle Island Ascendancy’.
· Treatment of Chinese; laws discriminating against them.
Ways in which the issue influenced people
Content could include:
· Historians argue about the importance of the gold rush to New Zealand’s immigration and population history. Some argue that their impact was relatively limited because they were very concentrated in terms of time and location. Most miners who came to New Zealand left again. Others, like Belich, disagree. They point out that right around the Pacific gold-mining rim there was a drop-off. A large group of gold miners and their support industry stayed in New Zealand. Their values and aspirations were very important in the shaping of New Zealand society.
· Gold contributed significantly to the economic and political dominance of the South Island during the second half of the nineteenth century.
· Otago’s gold also created a sense of optimism for New Zealand’s economic future at a time when major wars were being fought in the North Island.
· Gold also provided an incentive for foreign investors to put money into Vogel’s Plan.
· Most of the gold went overseas, mainly to mints in Melbourne, but, thanks to the support industry, much of the money that was paid for the gold stayed in New Zealand.
Pastoralism
Describe developments in New Zealand’s pastoralism industry in the nineteenth century. Evaluate the economic and political influence that pastoralism had on New Zealanders during this time.The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include:
· Pastoralism began in New Zealand before 1840, with many Māori, whalers, and missionaries raising animals on pasture for trade with people nearby, with visiting ships, and for their own consumption.
· Most of the early Pākehā settlers also kept animals for their own use (meat, milk, butter, and cheese) or to raise a small amount of income through small-scale trade.
· Wakefield had largely discounted the prospect of large sheep runs. His ideal settlement was a close-knit arable farming community, but the east of both the South and North Islands contained vast areas of native grassland, ideal for pastoral farming.
· 1600 sheep were taken from Australia to Nelson by Charles Bidwill in 1843 and in 1844 Charles Clifford and Frederick Weld drove 350 sheep from Wellington to the Wairarapa via the coast. Others began taking sheep into Otago and Canterbury in significant numbers.
· A drought in Australia in 1850 brought Australian sheep and graziers to New Zealand. By 1870, virtually all the open grassland of New Zealand was being used for large scale pastoralism.
· One of the most significant factors that led to the pastoralism boom was that the land for sheep runs didn’t have to be bought outright. It could be leased from provincial government or Māori. This allowed most of the capital to be used to buy sheep.
· Wool was the most significant export derived from pastoralism until refrigeration reached New Zealand in the early 1880s. This opened up the export of meat, cheese, and butter and made small-scale farming much more viable.
· The first refrigerated ship to carry meat from New Zealand to Britain was the Dunedin. The success of this venture led to the establishing of freezing works throughout New Zealand.
· Refrigeration allowed the North Island pastoralism to catch up with the South Island. This shift was also due to sheep disease and the overgrazing of sheep farms in the South. Dairy farms became common throughout the country and especially in Taranaki and Southland.
· The Liberal Government in the 1890s assisted the breakup of the great estates in the South Island (most of the land was controlled by a small group of affluent run-holders) in order to put “the small man on the land”. They also passed legislation that led to the alienation of significant amounts of Māori land in the North Island (“the greatest estate of all”) in order to open up the North Island to the dairy industry.
The candidate’s response to the second part of the essay question could include:
Economic impact
· Wool was New Zealand’s largest export in the nineteenth century, and the wealth that it created encouraged overseas investment in New Zealand, but New Zealanders usually exported the wool without adding value to it. The New Zealand Historical Atlas shows that in 1881, only 18 percent of the wool that was exported was scoured and only 15 percent was washed. Wool didn’t create many jobs for New Zealanders. The work for shearers was seasonal. The wheat industry provided more work than the wool industry.
· Refrigeration did lead to all-year-round employment in the meat and dairy industries.
· Pastoralism and especially refrigeration led to the New Zealand economy being very closely tied with Britain’s (Belich refers to the “Protein Bridge”).
Political impact //
· Pastoralism made Canterbury the most politically powerful province during the Provincial era. Some historians have referred to a “Southern Gentry” made up of run-holders and have shown how this small group of men dominated Canterbury and later national politics.
· Political power shifted from the South Island to the North Island as refrigeration (and governments) opened up opportunities for farming in Taranaki and the Waikato and the North Island population increased, ending “middle island ascendancy”.