""Long journey for sevenpence" is the story of the 77,000 men, women and children who came to New Zealand from Britain as part of the New Zealand government's assisted immigration scheme between 1947 and 1975. Using interviews and questionnaires, Megan Hutching has created a lively account of the process of emigration from the point of view of the immigrants themselves, often in their own words. She recounts their experiences of the 12,000 mile sea journey to New Zealand and adaptation to life in a new country -- a new landscape, a new climate, new social and and cultural worlds. Not all agree it was the best thing they ever did, but most of them remained and consider themselves New Zealanders. Why did people in post war Britain want to make the long journey to the other side of the world? Besides answers to this question, in this generously illustrated history Hutching also explores New Zealand government policy and the reasons for the introduction of the assisted immigration scheme in 1947." -- Back cover.