Development of Fashion Fitness Among New Zealand Women

The wellness industry attracts billions of dollars annually, with women fitness trends accounting for a significant share. But the situation has not always been as it is for women, considering that sweating was unladylike for much of the twentieth century in New Zealand, when women were exempted from all physical exercises for different reasons.

Call for Fitness

However, following the call for fitness to help New Zealand women slim and tone up in the 80s, the tables turned, and there was considerable interest in physical fitness and body shaping. As gymnasiums and organized workout programs got popular in New Zealand, there was a boom in aerobic classes, with New Zealand women flocking in droves to aerobics, jazzercize, dance classes, and health clubs.

Wearing for Fitness

As the fitness craze continued, fitness and fashion trends were wedded in various respects. Consequently, a vast collection of gym clothes aim’n NZ such as leggings, sweatshirts, and leotards got their space into fitness circles.

As expected, women show different preferences when it comes to gym clothes. This is influenced by the fact that people have varied workout plans, various senses of style, and other dealbreakers.

The fashion-fitness situation has not changed much in recent years. Instead, the industry has become a two-way exchange, with fashion collections from gym clothes aim’n NZ and other outlets striving to look active and athletic.

Hit the Gym with the Right Apparel

Regardless of the evolution of fitness trends in New Zealand, most women strive to have a decent gym clothes rotation for their seat sessions. While the options remain vast, any fitness enthusiast must know what to wear to the gym. At the same time, they should avoid ‘distractive’ outfits like those with poor fits, as they can limit your chances of realizing your fitness goals.

European Impact

New Zealand’s own Gold Rush

The gold rush in New Zealand is referred to as the Otago Gold Rush. This took place in the 1860s and it was the biggest gold strike in the country. As a result, many foreign miners came to the area and some of them had worked on other big gold strikes in places such as California and Australia.

While the rush started at a place called Gabriel’s Gully, it spread throughout the Central Otago region, leading to the development of the then very small settlement of Dunedin. It rapidly became one of the largest cities in New Zealand. People abandoned the smaller settlements to move to Dunedin.

The Maori people knew that there was gold in the Central Otago region but they had no interest in it as they had no use for it. Europeans did find some small quantities of gold near to the town of Palmerston in the 1850s but the size of the find did not attract miners.

Gabriel Read was an Australian who had mined for gold in many places before. He found evidence of gold in 1861 in a creek bed at a place now known as Gabriel’s Gully. This is close to the town of Lawrence. He published a letter about his find, although the rush did not start straight away until it was confirmed that he and a local council member had surveyed various points in the region and found gold almost everywhere.

Within a few months there were 14,000 prospectors in the area and further goldfields were discovered, most named after the prospector that discovered them. Most were abandoned by the prospectors by 1863, but companies continued to mine in the area.

New Zealand and the Europeans

It is recorded that the first arrival of a European in New Zealand took place in 1642 when Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer, reached New Zealand shores. He was responsible for charting the North Island’s west coast. However, his visit was notable for the fact that he never actually walked on land here. He simply went back to Batavia when his trip was done.

It was then left to James Cook, the British explorer, to take more of an interest in New Zealand. He arrived in 1769 for the first time and did visit the country on a further two occasions in his career. He became the first European to sail all around the islands and he was also responsible for mapping the country too. It was due to his work that New Zealand began to attract other explorers, along with traders and missionaries.

The Treaty of Waitangi proved to be a key turning point in the nation’s history. It was an agreement between the Maori people and the British, signed in 1840, which made the country part of the British Empire. However, this did not work out as planned for the Maori people. More and more British and other European settlers arrived, bringing with them infectious diseases and demands for land. The Maori people fell into impoverishment as a result. It was in the 1950s that greater recognition of the Treaty was achieved, after protests from the Maori people following further changes in their culture and lifestyle.

The British imposed a government in New Zealand in the 1850s and the New Zealand parliament was set to be one of the most progressive of its time. It was one of the first to introduce pensions for the elderly and the vote for women, and over time it developed a comprehensive welfare state.

New Zealand was also a very active part of the British Empire. During World War I it is estimated that 100,000 New Zealanders helped to defend Europe. The country was also a signatory to the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the war and joined the League of Nations. The support for their European counterparts was also evident in World War II where 120,000 New Zealanders signed up to fight, helping the Allies in both Europe and the Pacific.

History of women in New Zealand

The feminist movement in New Zealand dates back to the 1860s and women in the country campaigned on a number of issues before finally winning the right to vote in 1893. Middle-class women who were part of the feminist movement used newspapers to communicate with each other and set out their agenda. Women notably worked together on various campaigns, including the campaign for the Contagious Diseases Prevention Act.

It is estimated that in 1893 when women were first permitted to vote in New Zealand, over 90,000 cast a vote in the elections. It was not until 1919 that women were allowed to stand for election to the New Zealand parliament and unfortunately it took until 1933 for New Zealand to see its first female MP.

By the 1880, women in New Zealand were referring to the oppression of women as ‘white slavery’. They campaigned to make the streets a safer place and demanded that men take responsibility for giving women the right to walk safely in towns and cities. During World War I, the women of New Zealand campaigned successfully to put a stop to prostitution.

Maori women were not excluded from the feminist movement but they were able to develop their own type of feminism. This had its roots in the culture’s nationalism, rather than taking a lead from the European style of feminism.

It was in 1893 that the first female mayor in the history of the British Empire was elected. Her name was Elizabeth Yates and she was elected to the post in the town of Onehunga. During her time in office she proved herself to be more than capable of being a successful leader. She was able to cut the town’s debt and restructured the fire brigade. She developed initiatives to improve the town’s roads and sanitation systems. Naturally there were a lot of men who were unhappy about a woman being mayor and due to their hostility, she did not get re-elected.

There were a number of organisations set up by and for women in New Zealand, including the Women’s International League, the National Council of Women and the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement. They continued to organise campaigns about issues that are important to them, including campaigns against conscription and compulsory military training.