Wealth from the gold fields transformed Dunedin into New Zealand's First Great City – the country's commercial capital and leading industrial centre.
In the wake of the gold rushes, it had the biggest businesses, strongest industrial base, most impressive buildings, and best civic amenities in the colony. Wool and grain production, textile and clothing manufacturing, and engineering industries helped maintain Dunedin's pre-eminent position – a pre-eminence showcased in two great industrial exhibitions held here in 1865 and 1889.
Dunedin was the largest population centre until Auckland caught up in the 1880s. However, it also had some of the worst social problems in New Zealand. In First Great City you will discover both the grand Victorian city of Dunedin and the world behind the façade, where lurked a darker side of life characterised by slums, a criminal underclass and terrible sanitation.
