Locked out: Lyttelton port dispute leaves lasting legacy 75 years later

Lyttelton members of the Waterside Workers’ Union during the 1951 lockout waiting to see if they can enter the port. PHOTO: TE ŪAKA / THE LYTTELTON MUSEUM Sunday marked 75 years since the 1951 Waterside Workers’ Union lockout started, part of New Zealand’s largest industrial dispute. Dylan Smits reports When wharfies arrived for work at Lyttelton on February 15, 1951, they found the entrances locked.