Wellington - Biography of a City

Wellington: Biography of a City explores in fascinating and vivd detail the life and times of a city at the heart of our nation. Starting with the raw-boned settlement era, this book examines over 170 years of civic history - how Wellington's founders weathered stormy fortunes and shaped its destiny.

After becoming the capital in 1865, the so-called 'Empire City' eased into a century of prosperity as a commercial, political and transport crossroards, forming the city as we know it today. We examine how Wellington responded to the massive social and economic upheavals of the twentieth century: the deadly 1918 flu epidemic, the Great Depression, strikes and protests, world wars and Beatlemania.

Through humble and sometimes tumultuouse times, modern-day Wellington has reinvented itself as a 'creative capital' - a vibrant and dynamic centre buoyed by the arts, tourism and film-making; a product of its lively and often-disputed past.