New Zealand! New Zealand! In Praise of Kiwiana - Paperback | 161 pages - Published: 1989 - Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton - Fine condition Preface - As the world grows smaller, national identities blur under an overlay of Western consumer culture. Fortunately there is an equal and opposite reaction that sees a growing concern for traditional folklore and imagery. It is to celebrate Kiwiana, the New Zealand difference', that this book has been compiled. - In the case of Kiwiana, not all of it has survived the global villagising influences of television, travel and urbanisation, but recent years have seen an increasing interest in conserving what's left. - By and large, the bits and pieces that go to make up New Zealand's popular life and customs are pretty robust – the sheer isolation of the country saw to that. The early settlers, both Polynesian and Pakeha, had only what they brought with them: anything else they had to make themselves. Independence and resilience were traits necessary for survival. - Unlike many other colonised peoples, the indigenous Maori quickly adapted to the British way of life. The resulting mix of cultures inevitably deferred to the technological superiority of the latter, but common to both groups was work, recreation and mateship. The business of living was soon, unconsciously, forging a national identity. - The first 60 years of this century were characterised by a consolidation of popular culture, all the more so in the increasingly prosperous years following the end of the Second World War. For the baby-boom generation the quarter-acre section spread like a rash across freshly scraped hills. New roads sprang up to accommodate the Minors, Prefects, Vanguards and Veloxes. For the New Zealand bloke and his sheila and obligatory 2.6 kids there was also Plunket, Buzzy Bees, Saturday rugby and an occasional pav. And perhaps, now and then a bach in which to get away from it all. - New Zealand! New Zealand! is a fond remembrance of all that. If it tends to linger over the 1950s and 1960s then it is simply because this period spanned the authors' formative years, their earliest memories. As well, those halcyon days were ones in which New Zealand was often in the limelight. Our compatriots not only knocked off the world's highest mountain, but they also established an awesome reputation on the rugby field. Less noticed by the outside world were all the details in between. While this book can be no more than a selective lucky-dip into our popular culture, it will convey to the reader the strong sense of national identity that we feel is an integral part of the everyday and the commonplace. - In recording for posterity the aspects of Kiwiana contained herein, we realised there was a certain urgency. The availability of much of the material and access to prime sources was likely to become considerably more problematic with any further passage of time: mergers and takeovers can often result in a reduced regard for business archives, while the 'user-pays' mentality in government has resulted now and then in a lower priority being given to public access to records. - We were, however, fortunate in meeting with an enthusiastic and practical response to our research. - New Zealand! New Zealand! would have been impossible without the help of a multitude of individuals, companies and organisations. Our thanks to all of you, the makers and the keepers of our popular heritage, from Buzzy Bee to Weet-Bix. STEPHEN BARNETT RICHARD WOLFE Auckland, 1989 Author: STEPHEN BARNETT & RICHARD WOLFE ISBN 0 340 485817