Examine how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society
Domain 6 (AS 91234) is an external standard on how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society. You must explain social, economic, political and cultural effects, show how those effects varied between groups, and assess short- and long-term change.
Core rules
- 'Affected' means consequences for people's lives and institutions, not just what happened.
- Cover different groups: Māori and Pākehā, women and men, workers and employers, urban and rural.
- Use evidence and examples, not generalisations.
- Distinguish immediate effects from lasting change.
- Evaluate: who benefited, who did not, and what stayed the same.
Worked example: the 1930s Depression and the first Labour government
The Depression brought falling export prices and mass unemployment. Relief work, wage cuts and poor housing affected workers and their families; many Māori faced unemployment and land pressure, and the Ratana–Labour alliance of 1936 changed Māori political representation. Politically, the Coalition government's response was widely seen as inadequate, helping Labour win in 1935. Labour's reforms - the 1938 Social Security Act, state housing and public works - expanded the welfare state and created a new expectation that government should protect citizens 'from the cradle to the grave'. Yet benefits were uneven, and Māori often received less. The event affected NZ society by reshaping the role of the state, party politics and social expectations.
Traps
- Recounting the event instead of its effects.
- Claiming all New Zealanders experienced change equally.
- Ignoring Māori, women or rural communities.
- Confusing cause with effect.
- Presenting only short-term effects.