NZR Publicity & Advertising

INTRODUCTION

The creation of a special section within the Railway to oversee the production of printed material to support and promote the railway was a far-sighted move for its time. It stemmed from the notion that more money could be made if outdoor advertising was managed directly by NZR rather than just leasing sites to contractors, for them to reap the bigger profits. That was in 1915, and by 1920 an art studio had been formed to produce and manage all the material that was required for advertising and promotional purposes. Before long The Studio's were also producing material for other Government departments and private industry. So from small beginnings, a small empire grew that dominated New Zealand's outdoor advertising market for more than 50 years, and created a wealth of unique rail promotional material for both national and international markets.

The full story of the Book-Railway Studios:Railway Studios is told in a prolifically illustrated book by Peter Alsop, Neill Atkinson, Katherine Milburn, and Richard Wolfe, published by Te Papa Press in 2020.