Assisted immigration, 1947-75

Emigration poster

The Immigration Branch needed to advertise the scheme as widely as possible and mostly used the classified sections of British newspapers. Staff were willing to take advantage of any opportunity for publicity, however, such as having a stand at the 1951 Schoolboy's Own Exhibition, from which a live programme was broadcast on the BBC.

In 1947 the National Film Unit was commissioned to make a film, Journey for Three, designed to publicise the scheme by being shown at cinemas in the United Kingdom. The 1953 royal tour of New Zealand provided another opportunity for publicity when Cliff Smith, the Chief Migration Officer, appeared on the BBC's Radio Newsreel to talk about its effect in stimulating interest in migration in Britain, and in 1955 Immigration Branch staff appeared on a television magazine-style programme aimed at under 21-year-olds.

Queues outside London immigration office

Jack Brennan, the Chief Migration Officer in London at this time, remarked that the combination of the Suez crisis, the Hungarian uprising and an increase in petrol prices announced by the British government, resulted in counter and telephone enquiries at New Zealand House being about four times higher than normal.

International crises stimulated interest in emigration, but had little lasting effect on the volume of applications to emigrate.

Assisted Immigrants by Country

New Zealand Official Yearbook