Games 74 (1974) Part 1 of 5

The Commonwealth Games of 1974 were held in Christchurch, New Zealand and opened on January 24. The opening ceremony was attended by the Duke of Edinburgh. The Games closed on February 2 and were officially named "the friendly games". There were 1,276 competitors and 372 officials and attracted great public interest.
The main venue was the QEII Park, purpose built for this event. QEII Park was severely damaged beyond repair by the devastating earthquake that destroyed parts of the city on 22 February 2011.
The Games were the first large international athletic event after the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The Athletes Village at the student accommodation of Canterbury University, was temporarily fenced in and guarded for the duration of the games. Only official vehicles and persons were allowed into sensitive areas around the venues.
The Games were also the last time that the entire immediate British Royal Family (Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, and their children) visited New Zealand as a group. The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal residence during the games. Australia ended up topping the medals table at the games, with New Zealand finishing in 4th place.
The film was produced by the National Film Unit. This is the first of five parts of 'Games 74'. The other four clips can be found on the Archives New Zealand KZbin Channel / archivesnz
The National Film Unit was established to publicise New Zealand's participation and achievements during the Second World War. After 1945 the Film Unit expanded from producing weekly newsreels to making documentaries and films to the order of Government Departments. During its existence the Film Unit produced films for national organisations as well as many films on its own initiative. The private film industry in New Zealand relied heavily on the National Film Unit's extensive film processing facilities.
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