Kiwiana and NZ Design – Loving Your Kiwi Pride

Gumboots, ‘Buzzy Bee’ toys, marching girls, a meringue dessert, shell ashtrays, and a cookbook may not appear terribly important things. However to most Kiwis (New Zealanders), such things assume vital importance as key icons of Kiwiana! So, what is Kiwiana? It may be explained as all the weird and wonderful quirky items from our heritage that contribute to our sense of nationhood — our NZ identity.

What is a Kiwi?
To appreciate Kiwiana, it is crucial to initially know what precisely a kiwi is. A kiwi is a flightless nocturnal native bird, and the national bird of New Zealand. It has a long beak with nostrils on the end, and fossicks about at night consuming small insects. However, over the years, New Zealanders have been labeled as ‘Kiwis’ as well. There is a unique ‘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 refered to as a ‘kiwi’ in Europe and America and ‘Kiwi’ nugget (shoe polish) is known universally, although it is an Australian item!
Kiwifruit

The Kiwifruit, often simply known as a ‘kiwi’ is of Chinese origin, but grows within our country. It was originally called a ‘Chinese Gooseberry’ by New Zealanders, however once New Zealand started to export them, it was decided to give them a fresh name. ‘Kiwifruit’ was the choice, because it would associate the fruit with New Zealand. The decisions was timely, and New Zealand enjoyed record exports during the international 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’.

How To Buy Kiwiana?
Most opportunity and nz gift stores have a decent range of Kiwiana, but if you want the real thing, go to one of the regular of garage sales that happen across New Zealand almost every weekend.

Looking for the best priced Kiwiana and NZ Design gifts? The best I’ve found is http://www.noozealand.co.nz./ who stock a huge range of Kiwiana & NZ Design gifts, and guarantee to be the lowest priced throughout the country. Now thatis a recipe for success.