Interview with George Hopkinson

George Hopkinson was born in Temuka in 1908. Gives details of his family background. Describes the threshing mill and sawmill business owned and operated by his father. Notes that his family were the local scholars and members of the Presbyterian Church and comments on the Catholic/Protestant division in Temuka. Describes contact with local Maori. Talks about his childhood interests including reading and sport, his milk round and sitting next to Jack Lovelock at school.

Describes passing the Public Service Examination and being offered a job in the Land Transfer Office. Discusses transferring to State Advances Corporation in 1937. Describes achieving his LLB and his professional accountants exam. Discusses the Mortgage Corporation name change to State Advances Corporation in 1935 when the Labour Government paid out private shareholders and notes that the Corporation took over the mortgage work of Lands and Survey.

Mentions T.N. Smallwood and others. Refers to the first state house in Miramar in 1937. Discusses the relationship between State Advances Corporation and Treasury. Comments on the Royal Commission on State Services. Discusses the impact of World War II on the Corporation and the increase of rural work when the rehabilitation scheme for soldiers began. Describes overseeing a lot of the Porirua state housing. Talks about the grading of applicants by the Housing Allocation Committee. Comments on Ministers of Housing including Bill Fox, Bill Sullivan and John Rae and Prime Ministers Norman Kirk, Sir Keith Holyoake and Sir Walter Nash.

Describes time in Invercargill and Nelson as Branch Mananger before returning to Wellington in a variety of jobs culminating in Deputy Managing Director.

Venue - Lower Hutt : 1988

Interviewer(s) - Susan Fowke

Venue - Mr Hopkinson's home in Lower Hutt

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002221; OHC-002222; OHC-002223

Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3 Hours Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 406.

Alternative form available:

Listening copies available at OHLC-003034, 003035, and 003036.