How did New Zealand build and transform one of the world's first modern welfare states?
In Civilized Community: A History of Social Security in New Zealand, historian Margaret McClure delivers an authoritative account of the nation's shifting social safety net. From nineteenth-century charitable aid to the landmark 1898 Old-age Pensions Act, the revolutionary 1938 Social Security Act, and the turbulent market reforms of the late twentieth century, this study examines how policymakers, advocates, and citizens redefined state responsibility.
Drawing on archival records, government reports, and individual case accounts, the text explores:
- The tension between universal entitlement and targeted means-testing
- Evolving support structures for single mothers, widows, and families
- The unique impacts of welfare administration on M?ori communities
- Controversies over superannuation, unemployment relief, and economic restructuring
Essential for researchers, policy analysts, and students of political history, this comprehensive study uncovers the cultural values and political struggles that shaped public assistance across successive generations.