New Zealand Industrial Exhibition of Wellington medal

New Zealand Industrial Exhibition of Wellington medal awarded to Samuel Parnell in 1885.

Samuel Parnell (1810-1890) emigrated from Britain, arriving in Petone on 8 February 1840. He was a carpenter by trade, and believed that people should only work eight hours a day, sleep eight hours, play for eight hours and get paid eight shillings a day. He outraged many by keeping this opinion. The first strike took place in 1840: men constructing the Wellington-Petone road put down their shovels when asked to continue working more than eight hours a day. The idea spread to Nelson and Otago and gradually throughout the country, even spreading to Australia. Eventually to celebrate this event (though Samuel Parnell did not live to see this) a holiday was held in each province on different dates. Labour Day become a universal holiday in 1899.