In the old days in NZ swimming costumes were not worn. In the colonial era matters became more restrictive and women were expected to be attired but not always girls. Naked swimming was the rule in the sea and rivers and in commercial pools as they became to be established. This, of course, generated many complaints, hiding behind the "old women and children will be offended" argument. Around 1910 the sentiment changed and the social space that allowed males to go naked in public disappeared but in certain quarters it was permitted and expected, such as within the NZ Armed Forces during WW1. With the digitization of early newspapers in NZ it is now possible to gauge the extent of male social nudity and the press is full of accounts of naked swimming, usually from the point of view of publishing an objection, but still the coverage does give an idea how widespread it was, even in the big cities, and City Council's such as the Wellington body, reflected the support nude swimming had in their by-laws.