The day before 9/11: A look back at what New Zealand life looked like before the twin towers fell

Friday, 10 September 2021

September 11, 2001, is a day etched into people's memories. Many New Zealanders will recall waking up to a spring day, making a coffee and then switching on their radio or television to learn of a terror attack unfolding in New York City.

New Zealanders here and all over the world huddled around TVs watching the horrific footage of two planes crashing into the World Trade Centre, people jumping from windows, and the twin towers crumbling into dust.

Twenty years ago, the world as we knew it changed forever. But from what? When people think of 2001, the events of 9/11 understandably take centre stage.

So what was life actually like in New Zealand in the days leading up to that life-altering terror attack? We flick back through the history books.

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The attacks on the World Trade Centre actually occurred in the early hours of September 12, New Zealand time. September 11 here was just another typical Kiwi day.

Newspaper articles in The Press that day show that one of the biggest stories was about Air New Zealand's finances, and the airline’s desire to sell its Ansett subsidiary business.

In New Plymouth, a couple in their 70s made it into theTaranaki Daily News for winning nearly half a million dollars in Lotto.

The upcoming November screening of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone was mentioned in The Waikato Times.

The Evening Post reported on a man burning his Wellington Lions rugby jersey that day in disgust at the team's performance against Southland the Saturday prior.

While a day earlier, The Timaru Herald’s front page included a Coupland’s Bakery ad, showing a 700g loaf of white sliced bread cost just 99c.

When the events in New York City began unfolding, and it became clear that it was indeed a terrorist attack, many New Zealand journalists were woken in the early hours and called into the office to cover the breaking news. That morning, The Press quickly updated its front page on the attack, and also printed a special afternoon edition.

Back then Helen Clark was in her first term as prime minister, and was on a flight to Hong Kong in the moments before the twin towers were struck.

Dame Silvia Cartwright was the New Zealand Governor-General at the time, just a few months into the position.

In September 2001, the price of New Zealand homes was drastically different – the average national value was $182,870 (it’s now $937,000, CoreLogic figures show). While in Auckland, the average value in September 2001 was $260,253 (it's now $1.34m).

Petrol was also cheaper, with the price around $1.51 per litre back in September 2001.

That year it was common to see people smoking inside pubs, bars and restaurants because it was still allowed back then. While the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore were often seen on ours roads as they were among the best-selling vehicles at the time.

Inside Kiwi homes, the trend of knocking down walls to open up kitchen and living room spaces had begun. Some Kiwi kids might remember playing with furbies and Bratz dolls, while the Age of Empires computer game was still all the rage, and who could forget the length of time and startling screech of the old dial-up internet trying to connect.

Teenagers might recall begging their parents for a Sony PlayStation or a Nokia 3310 (let's face it, that was mostly to play Snakes II on), or buying tangy fruits pottles at the cinema for the first ever screening of The Fast and the Furious movie.

Back in 2001,The Weakest Link graced our TV screens, with Louise Wallace as the host, as did Mercy Peak. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Malcolm in the Middle were popular TV shows then too. That year was also the end of an era for Xena: Warrior Princess, with the airing of the series finale.

In the weeks before 9/11, Jurassic Park III was released in New Zealand cinemas, as was A Knight's Tale. (As mentioned before, the first Harry Potter film wasn’t out until November, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring also wasn’t released until later that year).

In terms of pop culture, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were a hot item, Nelly Furtado was consistently on the radio, and The Rock was well into his WWE wrestling career.

Despite Star Wars: Episode I being out for a while by September 2001, it’s safe to assume its popularity had lingered among Kiwi fans.

After a public campaign that year, more than 53,000 New Zealanders declared themselves as Jedi in the 2001 census.

For those who remember travelling before 2001, it’s likely you’ll be able to recall there being less security, and fewer long queues at airports.

The hijacking of four planes which crashed into the World Trade Centre towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania in the US on September 11, led to boosted security measures in airports across the world.

A lot changed that day. While the events of 9/11 occurred on US soil, the aftermath of it reverberated around the world, including in Aotearoa New Zealand.