New Zealand's First Exhibition.

An interesting illustrated pamphlet, published in 1925 at the time of Dunedin's third Exhibition, gave a summary of New Zealand's first Exhibition, which was undertaken in 1865 at a critical juncture in the national history. Though gold discoveries might have brought prosperity to Otago, the North Island was in the throes of the Maori War, which so engrossed the attention of Sir George Grey, the Governor, that he had reluctantly to withdraw from opening the Exhibition and, indeed was not able to visit it at all. In spite of the North's preoccupation with the war, 31,250 people inspected the 1,598 exhibits during the time, between 12th January and the 6th May, 1865, that the Exhibition was open.

Housed in a specially erected, rather ornate stone building with two large towers and four small ones, the exhibits were nearly all displayed according to their geographical origin and not in their thirty-eight classes. The majority of the 1,214 exhibits were of New Zealand origin, and 202 from Australia. India and England contributed interesting displays. Canada, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Austria were also represented.