Title: Official Guide to the Government Court: N.Z. Centennial Exhibition

Author: Centennial Branch

Publication details: Centennial Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1940, Wellington

Part of: The New Zealand Centennial Publications

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Land Development Group

One hundred years ago New Zealand was a land of virgin bush, tussock and swamp. Except for the small beginnings of the timber and flax export trades and the isolated clearings of Maori and mission agriculture, there was no utilisation of land resources. Today, New Zealand is a country of prosperous farms. There are 4,000,000 acres of land in occupation, and nearly half of this has been brought in from dense forest. New Zealand's production of farm and forest products is now valued at £90,000,000 per annum, and she is the world's leading exporter of dairy produce, frozen lamb and crossbred wool.

The Government Departments which are concerned in the various phases of land development, namely, Lands and Survey, State Forest Service, Agriculture, Scientific and Industrial Research, Public Works (Hydro-electricity and Irrigation) and Internal Affairs (Reserves) have combined in a happy and appropriate series of exhibits depicting this glorious achievement of a century.

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