NZ History MapAotearoa 1800–2000
Economy & industry

New Zealand connected to the world by cable

When
21 February 1876
Where
Cable Bay, Nelson · Rotokura
Reach
Nationwide

A submarine cable from Sydney landed near Nelson, cutting news from London from three months to a few hours.

Before the cable, the colony learned of events by ship. Afterwards, wool prices, war news and government instructions arrived the same day. The effect on business and politics was immediate, and it bound New Zealand more tightly into an imperial economy just as the Vogel borrowing made it dependent on London’s money markets.

Regions affected

NelsonTasmanNationwide

Sources

Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.

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