1Episode Eleven: The Golden Weather 1949-1965 This episode tells the story of one of the most prosperous and stable periods in our history, the 1950s and early 1960s. It was a time of suburban growth, full employment and farming success, as New Zealand basked in "the golden weather." In the years following the Second World War, people were looking for economic and personal security. By the early 1950s women were marrying younger and the "baby boom" had begun. We see women staying home, with children and the new electrical appliances their domestic companions. The growing affluence was based on an international demand for our farm products, especially wool. Godfrey Bowen shears his way to the world championship and Tiger Moths fly as aerial topdressing brings more farmland into production. But the boom times were threatened in 1951 by a long-running industrial dispute on the wharves. The militant unionists were eventually defeated by a hard-nosed government, led by the combative Prime Minister, Sid Holland. As the 1950s progressed, infrastructure and industry developed. New suburbs grew out from the city centres and hydro-electric dams were built on our major rivers to meet the growing demand for power. We follow young Maori as they pour into the cities attracted by the bright lights and good job prospects. In one generation Maori turned from a largely rural to a largely urban people. Maori and Pakeha men were obsessed by sport, especially rugby. We watch the most exciting rugby tour to ever come to this country, the Springboks in 1956, and see Snell and Halberg grab gold at the 1960 Olympics. The programme shows how the golden weather was threatened by anxieties and conflicts from the outside world. This was the time of the Cold War, when New Zealand joined a military alliance with the United States and many people feared annihilation in a nuclear catastrophe. It was also a time when parents were disturbed by another change, the rise of the teenager. We see young people with jobs and money being attracted to American pop music and culture. The programme ends as our first rock star, Johnny Devlin, bursts on to the scene and the rebellious Anna Hoffman upsets the staid folk of Auckland. [Television New Zealand, Monday 05 December 2005, 15:20]