Close message

Kiwiana

Kiwiana celebrates unique icons that are a part of New Zealand culture and identity. For example Buzzy Bee, the ‘Sure to rise’ cookbook, hei tiki, Hokey Pokey ice cream, gumboots, Anzac biscuits, pāua, and spending summer at a bach. SCIS no. 1808296

Filter by media type

Display as

This Inquiry Exemplar is a curated set of quality resources designed to inspire and support approaches to teaching through inquiry.

Pavlova

A delicious and contentious Kiwi favourite.

NZ flag cartoon

NZ flag cartoon

Cartoon depicts two men chatting in a cafe about whether to have a referendum on changing the New Zealand flag. One man agrees, but wants it to include changing other Kiwiana icons. Refers to Prime...

King Country places

King Country places

A sample of the kiwiana icons found on Ōtorohanga’s main road.

Ōtorohanga, the kiwi town

Ōtorohanga, the kiwi town

The kiwi - a flightless, fast-running bird with many mammal-like features - is New Zealand's national bird, and New Zealanders are often known as Kiwis. Kiwi are prominent in Ōtorohanga, with three...

Fern

Image of a fern.

Marmite

I miss Marmite so much I decided do a spot of historical research. Marmite Souffle anyone? How about whipping up a Marmite-y savoury pudding? Brew up a hot drink to defy the cold on an icy winter d...

Goodnight kiwi

In the days before 24-hour television, there was Goodnight Kiwi, a short animation from Sam Harvey that bade viewers goodnight once the day's broadcasting ended. Each night the plucky Kiwi shut up ...

It will always be a symbol of Kiwiana!

It will always be a symbol of Kiwiana!

Commentary on New Zealand's drinking culture, showing a silver fern leaf made out of liquor bottles. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Hokey Pokey

Short video about the classic New Zealand treat, hokey pokey.

Sure to Rise

Footrot Flats

In 1986 Footrot Flats: The Dog's (Tail) Tale and its theme song ‘Slice of Heaven’ were huge hits in New Zealand and Australia. The adaptation of Murray Ball's beloved Footrot Flats comic strip mark...

The song Slice of Heaven

The song Slice of Heaven

The 1986 adaptation of Murray Ball's beloved Footrot Flats comic strip was a huge hit in Aotearoa and Australia. Born from a John Barnett idea, the movie’s trailer doubled as a promo for the Dave D...

Kiwiana to be taught at university

Canterbury University is expecting a new course in Kiwiana to be a big drawcard for both domestic and international students.

Otorohanga to get five metre pukeko

Otorohanga to get five metre pukeko

Cartoon about Otorohanga's Project Kiwiana.

Taihape, gumboot capital

Gumboots – black rubber Wellington boots – were celebrated by satirist John Clarke in his comic persona as laconic farmer Fred Dagg, who sang the boots’ praises in the 1970s. In the 1980s, sufferin...

Gidday Kiwis! cartoon

Gidday Kiwis! cartoon

Leader of the New Zealand First party, Winston Peters, dressed in a checked short and a baseball cap, yells out 'Gooday Kiwis!' as he bursts out of a large egg surrounded by a shower of iconic New ...

Hei Tiki

Video about the significance of the hei tiki.

Prince William and the Buzzy Bee

Prince William and the Buzzy Bee

This excerpt from TV One's 6.30PM News shows a famous photo opportunity from the 1983 Royal Tour downunder by Prince Charles and Princess Diana (with the recently issued baby William in tow). The s...

Jaffas race down Baldwin St

Jaffas race down Baldwin St

More than 70,000 Giant Jaffas have been rolled down the steepest street in the world as part of the Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival.

Fish and chips

The staple takeaway meal in New Zealand, fish and chips, has been popular for decades. The fish is usually elephant fish, blue warehou, red cod, or shark species. They are sold generically as ‘fish...

The great Swanni migration

The great Swanni migration

The flock of swan-like flying shirts refers to the iconic New Zealand brand Swanndri closing its Timaru mill and moving its manufacturing base to China.

Sir James Wattie

Sir James Wattie

Sir James Wattie with three of his long-serving employees by the production line for tinned spaghetti at the Wattie's factory in Hastings. From left: Sid Fox, John Cole, Jack Dooley, Wattie. Photog...

Phar Lap (1926-1932)

Article about the champion racehorse, Phar Lap.

Inside a hāngī

This cross-section drawing shows the careful layering of food and cooking materials that produces a successful hāngī. . First a pit is dug in the earth and a hot woodfire is lit in the bottom with ...

Final leg for returning All Blacks

Final leg for returning All Blacks

The All Blacks arrive in Auckland with the World Cup at 7am tomorrow and celebrations have already soared to new heights.

Pāua

Image of a pāua shell.

Jandals

A pair of black and yellow rubber " GO NAKI " jandals.

Pohutukawa

A photograph of a flowering Pohutukawa.

Anzac biscuits

Anzac biscuits baked at home by Hart. Yum. Shared as part of Auckland Museum's Kai to Pie exhibition

ANZAC biscuits

The Four Square man

The Four Square man

This print by artist Dick Frizzell celebrates an icon of New Zealand life for many decades. The Four Square brand has been used to market this chain of grocery stores since 1924, when the company s...

Kowhai

A low-statured kowhai, perhaps a Sophora molloyi cultivar.

Bach at Te Hatepe

Bach at Te Hatepe

Summer in a bach beside the sea was a very Kiwi pastime last century. The number of baches has fallen since this colour photograph was taken in the mid-1980s. At this time people began to realise b...

Morepork and pungas

Morepork and pungas

An art print of a morepork and pungas by Juliet Peter.

A Buzzy Bee

A print of A Buzzy Bee by Robin White.

All Black tries

All Black tries

Five full body caricatures of the All Black Players who scored tries in their 45-6 defeat of France on 27 November 2004. The try scorers were Rodney So'oialo, Jerry Collins, Byron Kelleher, Dan Car...

The Tip Top cow

This prize-winning Jersey cow was one of a herd supplying cream to the Karaka Tip Top ice cream company in 2005. She was dressed by Tracey Collins to represent one of the four supreme ice cream fla...

Haka!

Issue No 184 October 8, 1969 - One of the Ngawhetutini group from Manurewa, which gave a demonstration at the recent Maori Competitions, is caught in a striking movement during the recent festiv...

Red band gumboots

Red band gumboots

These Red Band gumboots were made by the New Zealand company Skellerup, and are the most iconic and well-known gumboot in New Zealand, particularly for rural workers. Skellerup first started making...

Silver fern

A photograph of a New Zealand silver fern.

Morning tea

A Kiwiana themed morning tea.

Crown Lynn kiwi vase

Crown Lynn kiwi vase

vase, ceramic, Kiwi on a rock base standing next to fern-like flora, base and figure are a single cast, brown and maroon trickle glaze effect, hole in the flora and part of the kiwi's rear make the...

An illustration from Hutu and Kawa

An illustration from Hutu and Kawa

An illustration from Hutu and Kawa find an island (1957) by Avis Acres

The big chill and the big drill

What was the weather like in Antarctica and what kinds of animals lived there?

Poi E - Patea Māori club

Classic 1980s song by the Patea Māori club.

World-changing New Zealanders

Features 40+ definitive short biographies of New Zealanders who have changed or benefitted the world.

backcountry huts

Backcountry huts are an enormous resource for New Zealander.

The People’s bird

The Kiwi has given its name to both a nation’s inhabitants and its culture.

The 1994 original world famous in New Zealand L&P ad.

How to understand a New Zealander

Article describing common terms/phrases used in New Zealand.

The Gumboots song

The New Zealand gumboots song by Fred Dagg.

Afghan biscuits

Recipe for the traditional New Zealand Afghan biscuit.

New Zealand waiata with poi performed by Nga puna o wairea.

Shrek the sheep

Shrek a nine year old merino sheep was discovered with a 38cm long merino fleece.

Otorohanga: kiwiana town of New Zealand

Celebrate the icons, heroes and heritage that make us uniquely ‘Kiwi”. Includes teaching resources.

22 BIG things in New Zealand

We may be a small country but we compensate with a bunch of very BIG things!

A Pukeko in a ponga tree

A Kiwi version of the 12 days of Christmas song.

Weetbix commercial

Weetbix commercial from 1990.

Official website of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team.

Whites Aviation Ltd

Leo White's company took some of the most iconic aerial photographs of our beautiful country.

The native flora of New Zealand is unique as it evolved in isolation for millions of years.

Camp mother and camp leader

Camp Mother and Camp Leader are the Topp Twins’ best-known and well-loved characters.

Chesdale cheese

TV advert animation with Ches 'n' Dale singing about Chesdale block cheese.

What is a Marae?

Article about the Marae.

A gallery of images related to Kiwiana.

Contains information about animals native to New Zealand.

Wattie's tomato sauce

Wattie’s tomato sauce advertisement.

Billy T James ranks as a key figure in the development of Kiwi comedy.

A gallery of images related to koru patterns.

Recipe for whitebait fritters

How to make the best whitebait fritters.

Kiwi - words and phrases

Words and expressions commonly used in New Zealand with their equivalent definition.

A gallery of images related to Kiwiana.

Kiwiana quintessentially kiwi

Christchurch City Libraries explores our ‘kiwi-ness’ in this guide to Kiwiana.

Kiwi snacks ranked in order of greatness

Which Kiwi snack is the best? We've ranked them in order of greatness.

Article about a range of quirky objects that define what it is to be a New Zealander, or 'Kiwi'.

We don't know how lucky we are

A Kiwiana classic song, by comedian John Clarke.

We’re all going on a caravan holiday

Before motels caravans gave suburban families freedom to holiday wherever they chose.

Funny New Zealand TV ads

Funny classic New Zealand TV Ads.

Sweet as kiwi lump story

Article about the history of pineapple lumps.

Song about being kiwi.

From pohutukawa to pavlova, Kiwiana are unique cultural icons.

Auckland bridge gets bungy

Auckland bridge gets bungy

Commercial bungy jumping began in 1988 after Kiwi entrepreneurs, A. J. Hackett and Henry van Asch developed their innovative idea (and rubber bungy cords) with the help of Auckland university scien...

Tip Top Ice Cream Company Ltd

Tip Top Ice Cream Company Ltd

On the look-out for a name for Len Malagan and Bert Hayman’s new ice cream company, they overheard a conversation at a restaurant where a gentleman used the expression ‘tip top’ to describe the ser...

All Black silver fern

All Black silver fern

In the past, New Zealand was covered in bush which contained the attractive silver fern. Early settlers were amazed by the beauty of this plant and it was soon adopted as emblems on the front cover...

It's only a game. Yeah right

It's only a game. Yeah right

Perhaps one of the most recognisable and humorous advertising campaigns from the last 15 years has to be the laconic Tui 'Yeah right' advertisements. Topical, irrelevant and often humorous they per...

Buzzy Bee for the Royal Baby

Buzzy Bee for the Royal Baby

Although the origins of the Buzzy Bee, one of New Zealand’s most recognised pieces of kiwiana are somewhat clouded, the buzzy bee is credited to Auckland brothers, Hec and John Ramsey. John Ramsey ...

Bach at Te Hatepe

Bach at Te Hatepe

Summer in a bach beside the sea was a very Kiwi pastime last century. The number of baches has fallen since this colour photograph was taken in the mid-1980s. At this time people began to realise b...

Footrot Flats

Late last century, Footrot Flats created by Murray Ball was one of New Zealand’s most loved and popular cartoon series, and has subsequently become an iconic slice of Kiwiana. The series presented ...

Duck shooting clothing

Duck shooting clothing

"SWANNDRI Coats, all wool and guaranteed waterproof. Come and see them at H. E. Murch's, Draper."

Anna Pavlova

This striking portrait of Anna Pavlova certainly captures the essence of this famous Russian prima ballerina. Pavlova danced her way across the world stage into the hearts of youngsters and adults ...