Kiwiana and NZ Design – Loving Your Heritage
Gumboots, ‘Buzzy Bee’ toys, marching girls, a meringue dessert, shell ashtrays, and Edmonds cookbook may not seem terribly relevant objects. But to the majority of Kiwis (New Zealanders), such items assume vital importance as key icons of Kiwiana! So, what is Kiwiana? It could be explained as all the weird and wonderful quirky items from our past that contribute to our sense of nationhood — our NZ identity.
What is a Kiwi?
To appreciate Kiwiana, it’s useful to first know what precisely a kiwi is. A kiwi is a flightless nocturnal native bird, and the national bird of New Zealand. It has a elongated beak with nostrils on the end, and fossicks about at night eating small insects. However, over the years, New Zealanders have been labeled as ‘Kiwis’ also. There is a irreverant ‘kiwi’ sense of humour, a kiwi ‘do-it-yourself’ way of lie, and Kiwiana means the things that contribute to our sense of being Kiwi. Just to confuse you, the kiwifruit is often called a ‘kiwi’ in Europe and America and ‘Kiwi’ nugget (shoe polish) is recognised throughout the world, although it is an Australian product!
Kiwifruit
The Kiwifruit, usually simply known as a ‘kiwi’ is from Asia, but grows across NZ. It was originally refered to as a ‘Chinese Gooseberry’ by Kiwis, but once New Zealand started to export kiwis, it was decided to give them a better name. ‘Kiwifruit’ was the decision, because it would associate them with NZ. The choice was timely, and NZ enjoyed record exports during the global Kiwifruit boom. While kiwifruit are now grown throughout the world, you can always tell if a kiwifruit is from New Zealand, as it will be branded ‘Zespri’.
Where Can You Find Kiwiana?
Most opportunity and souvenir shops have a decent range of Kiwiana, but if you want the real thing, go to one of the thousands of garage sales that happen throughout NZ every weekend.
Hunting for the best priced Kiwiana and NZ Design presents? The best I’ve found is http://www.noozealand.co.nz./ they stock a massive range of Kiwiana & NZ Design gifts, and guarantee to be the cheapest throughout the country. Now that’s a combination for success.