Home Online English Tutorials Kiwiana I

Kiwiana I

Deciding what makes Kiwiana depends a lot on who you are, your background culture and other influences that you have grown up with. For something to get the name Kiwiana it may have to meet the following requirements:

• Be recognised as familiar to many people across New Zealand
• Have stood the test of time (popular over time also)
• Hold a special memory or positive appeal
• It usually reflects a value/s or ideal/s that many people hold
• They are quite often unique to that community/country

Here are some items that have been called Kiwiana. Can you spot any common reasons why they might belong together in the same set/classification? What makes them different to each other? Do you notice which set has the most items of "Kiwiana" in it? Why? Are there any you think should be here?

Buzzy Bee

Making a lot of noise as it is pulled around on a string, this toy was popular in many homes. There are many toys sold, so why did this bee become so popular? If you were a toy designer you would want toys to have features that help sell your item. Think about this, maybe do a PMI (Pluses, minuses, interesting.)

Black Singlet and Gumboots

Coming from the farming side of New Zealand life, the black singlet and gumboots represent the country and its importance to New Zealand.The black singlet is warm, covers up the sweatfrom hard, manual work and is sleeveless for freer movement. Gumboots are loved by all those who encounter mud on the farm or puddles on the footpath! A famous New Zealand comic called Fred Dagg used both the singlet and gumboots as props in his comic routines. Black is a national colour for New Zealand and it crops up in a number of other areas such as the, "All Blacks". Checkout the gumboot song at: http://www.angelfire.com/co/fuzzywassyworld/thegumbootsong.htm

Fish & Chips

Shark and tattie… New Zealand has grown up with the corner fish & chip shop. But times change and a lot of other outdoor cafes and small restaurants with different menus have appeared. Large fast food chains have opened around the country. Fish & chips is still is probably one of the cheaper fast meals though. What do you think is the best fast food? How would you defend your ideas?

Jandals

Jandals entirely from rubber, they last for years and come in a variety of fashion colours . Popular for life in the summer sun including sunny beaches. The word Jandal comes from, "Japanese sandal" and became part of Kiwiana in the 1950's. Other countries call these "thongs or flip-flops".