The Golden Kiwi lottery began in 1961 and ended in 1989. Before 1961 New Zealanders could take part in a philanthropic art union lottery, however the prizes were so small that many New Zealanders illegally engaged in lotteries overseas. In response, the government established a national lottery with prizes attractive enough to entice local gamblers. Under the leadership of Leon Götz, Minister of Internal Affairs, the 'Golden Kiwi' lottery was created in 1961 with a first prize offered of £12,000 - the equivalent of $500,000 in 2013. Tickets went on sale for the first draw on December 4th, and sold out almost immediately. The popularity of the lottery continued for several years, and public demand for tickets grew so great that a black market for them developed. The Golden Kiwi lottery was criticised by many church groups however, who saw government endorsement of the lottery as glamourising gambling. Eventually, despite its initial popularity, public interest in the Golden Kiwi lottery waned and by 1989 it was replaced by new forms of gambling which are still in use today - Lotto and Instant Kiwi.

These tickets come from a series of publicity material for the Golden Kiwi Lottery, from the Department of Internal Affairs. Included in this series are designs and final copies of posters, advertisements, tickets, and signs.

Archives reference: ABQQ 7587 W4530/81 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=1650181 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material supplied by Archives New Zealand