Danger! Classic Kiwi safety films

Long before Ghost Chips, even before “don’t use your back like a crane”, life in Godzone was fraught with hazards. This NZ On Screen collection showcases vintage Kiwi public safety awareness films.

In the primer essays: unauthorised historian Paul Casserly sees what made educational films click in the age before OSH, and muses on the similarities between the symptoms of hypothermia and an office Christmas party. While archivist Clive Sowry looks at the context (spanning the 50s to the 70s) in which the films were made.

If there’s kitsch enjoyment to be had in the looking back (chimps on bikes?!) the lessons remain timeless, particularly as summer holidays approach and Kiwis swarm the beaches, motorways and bush. Remember:

It's better to be safe than sorry!

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Such a Stupid Way to Die

Short Film, 1971

After a science lesson (via Ray Henwood) a trip into the bush turns into a Stubbies-clad 70s Kiwi version of the Blair Witch Project. The message is serious, but the doom-laden tone induced titters in classrooms and scout halls throughout NZ for generations.

Monkey Tale

Short Film, 1952

Charlie the chimp channels Charlie Chaplin to impart safe cycling lessons to kids in this contribution to the zoo tea party and PG tips ads tradition. From pioneering director Kathleen O'Brien, it’s from another world to the brutality of modern road safety promos.

How to Drown

Short Film, 1951

In colonial times drowning was so rife it was known as 'the New Zealand death'. This jaunty film is an effort to rid our lakes, rivers and seas of the unfortunate tag through reverse psychology, as swimmers, fishermen and skylarking lads learn “how to drown”.

The Elysian Bus

Short Film, 1951

It's a Wonderful Life meets driver education in this film that aims to scare those who would be careless in bad weather. Something of a pea-soup fog precursor to Ghost Chips, the film sets up a mystery plot as five unfortunates meet at a purgatorial bus stop.

Pedestrians or Jaywalkers?

Short Film, 1952

Despite the big question promise of the title this film also takes a light-hearted approach as it shows road crossing dangers via bad examples in 50s Wellington. Timeless dangers include walking off the kerb carelessly, 'dithering', and over-confidence.

Keep Them Waiting

Short Film, 1963

Shot by Terry King and future Harry Potter cinematographer Michael Seresin, this black and white Tony Williams film answers its road safety instructional mandate with style, as slick editing, a ticking clock and a jazz soundtrack score a literal ‘lives collide’ plot.

Too Late to be Sorry

Short Film, 1966

This film dramatises what can happen when things go wrong handling guns, before a hunter imparts essential firearms safety rules. The rendering of the lesson might be hokey to modern eyes, but the message is timeless as ongoing hunting tragedy headlines attest.

White for Safety

Short Film, 1952

This isn’t an apartheid guide, but a 1952 road safety film. ‘Mrs White’ and ‘Mrs Black’ leave their homes for a bridge evening. Mrs White wears visible clothing and faces the traffic. Mrs Black dresses accordingly and goes with the flow. Predictable results ensue.

Click here for the Better Safe than Sorry collection at NZ On Screen.

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