Changing Times - New Zealand since 1945

This title was launched last week in Auckland and I have spent the weekend reading and dipping into it . It is of special interest to me as it covers the period of my lifetime .And how fascinating it has been reading about events I do not recall, the 1951 Waterfront strike, because I was too young, and others I recall so well, like the 1981 Springbok Tour protests and nuclear disarmament
The great talent of these two author historians is their ability to write so well for lay people and academics alike.

Here are the final two paras of their Introduction which I think captures exactly what the book is about:

In 1945, the altered balance of power after the war forced New Zealand’s leaders, albeit with initial reluctance, to emerge from the ‘insulated cocoon’ of empire.12 This book examines the key events and beliefs that propelled the country’s economic and cultural transformations, from the wake of the Second World War to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In doing so, it measures the distance and traces the continuities that separate and link the inhabitants of New Zealand in 1945 with those of the present day. It also assesses the degree to which identity — national, community and individual — was shaped and altered by overseas influences. While the country’s trajectory shared strong similarities with those of other developed countries around the globe, its experiences were filtered through a unique set of economic, political and cultural circumstances.

The book’s twelve chapters, which are arranged both chronologically and thematically, span the early post-war period to the present day, and engage with the key themes, ideas, people, places and events that forged the history of New Zealand in the second half of the twentieth century. In the course of our research, we were struck by the multitude of voices we were able to recover from the written record. Where possible, we have attempted to frame the story using the experiences and views of New Zealanders themselves — from the push of those advocating change, to the pull of those striving for continuity.

And the publisher's take on the back cover blurb:

Pirates in the Hauraki Gulf and jet planes landing at Mangere, pub liberations and post office protests, kohanga reo and carless days: Changing Times is a history of New Zealand since 1945. From a post-war society famous for dull conformity, this country has become one of the most ethnically, economically and socially diverse countries on earth. But how did we get from Nagasaki to nuclear-free? Why did we give up state control and embrace free-market ideology with such passion? What led us to abandon the six-o’clock swill and become a land of lattes? Changing Times is a dramatic account of the transformation of New Zealand life – a resonant reminder for all who lived through these turbulent times and essential reading for a younger generation who did not.

Changing Times - New Zealand since 1945
Jenny Carlyon & Diana Morrow
Auckland University Press - $45.00