{"product_id":"old-pictorial-map-of-new-zealand-1945-auckland-wellington-southern-alps-cook-strait-export-import-charts","title":"Old Pictorial Map of New Zealand, 1945: Auckland, Wellington, Southern Alps, Cook Strait, export-import charts","description":"\u003cp\u003ePromoting the Products and Industries of New Zealand, published in 1945 by The New Zealand Map Company, is a spirited, image-rich celebration of a nation at the threshold of postwar reconstruction. A thematic, pictorial design animates the islands with vignettes of farm, field, and mine, while crisply colored symbols and captions guide the eye from paddock to port. At center stage are ingenious infographics—pie charts that quantify exports and imports by commodity and destination—translating complex trade flows into instantly legible form. Issued as New Zealand recalibrated its economy after the Second World War, the map captures both continuity and change: a dominion still anchored in wool, butter, and cheese, yet increasingly bound to global markets by ships, rails, and cables.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cartographic skeleton is equally engaging. North and South Islands are divided by provincial boundaries that clarify administrative and economic geographies, then stitched together by railway routes, steamer lines, and marine cables. Mountains and notable bodies of water—Southern Alps cresting the South Island, the volcanic plateau of the North Island, the Tasman Sea and Pacific horizons, and the chokepoint of Cook Strait—provide the physical stage on which commerce moves. Key cities and towns are prominently placed: Auckland and Wellington as principal gateways; Christchurch and Dunedin as southern anchors; Hamilton at the dairying heart; Tauranga and Napier facing rich horticultural districts; Palmerston North, Invercargill, Nelson, New Plymouth, and Greymouth linking hinterland and harbor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross this framework, vignettes broadcast the country’s productive mosaic. In Canterbury and Otago, flocks mark the preeminence of wool, while creameries and churns emblemize butter and cheese—industries that transformed with refrigerated shipping. The Waikato around Hamilton bears the hallmarks of intensive dairying; the Bay of Plenty near Tauranga suggests orchards and canneries; Hawke’s Bay around Napier evokes pastoral prosperity. On the South Island’s West Coast, Greymouth stands among coal seams and timbered slopes, while Otago’s goldfields echo a mineral legacy retooled for modern industry. The graphic density is intentional: it allows the viewer to read climate, soil, and relief into commodity patterns, revealing how New Zealand’s varied terrains underwrite its export wealth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map’s infographics are unusually sophisticated for a mid-1940s popular production. Distinct pie charts disentangle exports and imports, not only by commodity but by destination and source, conveying at a glance where New Zealand sells its butter, wool, and cheese, and from whom it acquires machinery, fuels, and manufactured goods. The United Kingdom and Commonwealth partners clearly loom large, while trans-Pacific ties broaden the picture. These diagrams converse with the depicted steamer routes and cable lines, making explicit the infrastructure that turns provincial abundance into international trade. It is a visual argument as much as a map: data-driven, confident, and keenly attuned to the language of modern commerce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBehind the design stands The New Zealand Map Company, a domestic cartographic firm adept at translating national identity into persuasive graphics at a critical historical moment. In 1945, such a map would have served chambers of commerce, classrooms, and boardrooms alike—part booster, part briefing, and wholly emblematic of a small nation’s global reach. Today its rarity is striking: unrecorded in standard references, with only two institutional examples traced, at UCLA and the Christchurch Library, cataloged under a variant title. That scarcity, coupled with its eloquent blend of pictorial charm and statistical clarity, makes it a singular lens on New Zealand’s postwar self-portrait—optimistic, industrious, and outward-looking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCities and towns on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAuckland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWellington\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChristchurch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDunedin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHamilton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTauranga\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNapier\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePalmerston North\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInvercargill\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNelson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew Plymouth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreymouth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVignettes representing various agricultural and mineral products\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePie charts detailing:\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExports and their destinations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImports and their sources\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCommodities for both exports and imports, with significant shares of agricultural products such as butter, wool, and cheese highlighted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvincial boundaries outlined across both islands\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRailway routes, steamer routes, and marine cables indicated\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMountains and notable bodies of water marked for geographical context\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap title: Promoting the Products and Industries of New Zealand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublication year: 1945\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker\/publisher: The New Zealand Map Company\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign and style: Thematic, pictorial map highlighting agriculture, industry, and trade; vibrant colors depict commodities and industries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThemes and topics: Focus on agriculture and mineral industries; trade infographics via pie charts of exports and imports\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGeographic coverage: New Zealand’s North and South Islands with provincial boundaries and regions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical significance: Post–World War II economic and trade context; reliance on agricultural exports and key import sources\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRarity: Unrecorded; two known copies at UCLA and Christchurch Library (under a different title)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612804415879,"sku":null,"price":42.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612804448647,"sku":null,"price":113.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67612804481415,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":67612804514183,"sku":null,"price":42.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67612804546951,"sku":null,"price":113.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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