The children of New Zealand are probably the most fortunate in the world, for from ante-natal clinic to Vocational Guidance Centre the state watches over their welfare. This thesis is an attempt to find in the past the germs of this humanitarian spirit. Its scope was originally intended to extend to 1945, to trace the genesis of the work of the recent apprenticeship commission in the attention paid to children in the two fields of industry and education. It was soon evident, however, that this was too ambitious a project, and instead a short period has been covered – a period all important in determining the course which the colony was to follow. As the scope in time has been reduced, that of the subject matter has been extended. I have found it impossible to deal with the attitude towards children in industry without giving an account of the development of that industry, while the attitude towards education is only part of the spirit which has been shown also in other fields.