Flavour of New Zealand

01-Jan-1976
The Standard Tertiary Bursary was introduced. It gave an allowance for full time students at universities, technical institutes, community colleges, and teachers colleges. ²

05-Mar-1976
Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) was introduced in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch and other centres soon followed. Push-button phones were also introduced. ³

23-Mar-1976
With the new National government concerned about the rising moral and ecconomic costs of the Domestic Purposes Benefit, the Minister of Social Welfare, Bert Walker, made a speech to the Christchurch Rotary Club in which he threatened legal action against beneficiaries in de facto relationships. ³

23-Jul-1976
As it had promised during the election campaign, the National government introduced a national superannuation scheme which gave every citizen a subsatntial pension at the age of 60. ³

11-Aug-1976
Wellngton's Circa Theatre gave the first performance of Roger Hall's Glide Time. The play, and its radio and television versions, based around a group of civil servants and their 'working' life in the bureaucracy, became one of the most successful New Zealand comedies. ³

09-Sep-1976
The Wanganui Computer Centre was set up to hold records from the departments of Justice, Police, and Transport. Individuals were to have access to information about them. ³

04-Nov-1976
After Labour MP Colin Moyle criticised the inegrity of Prime Minister Muldoon's accountancy firm, Muldoon claimed Moyle had been picked up by the police for suspected homosexual activity. The 'Moyle Affair' led to a judicial inquiry and Moyle's resignation from Parliament. Moyle was back in the house from 1981-90. ³

18-Dec-1976
White Island erupted. The series of eruptions continued until 1981. ²