New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, the southern man is a stereotypical male from the more rural South Island, well used to the solitude and conditions of open mountain or hill country, and completely out of his depth in the city. He is usually depicted as wearing an oilskin duster,

Swanndri Swanndri is a trade name for a range of popular New Zealand outdoor clothing, and also used informally to refer to their original long heavy bush shirt. The classic "swanny" or bush shirt is a heavy, hooded, woollen garment with a lace up s ...

and slouch hat, an image closely related to Kiwi stockmen. This stereotype is closely connected with a common trope in New Zealand fiction, the

man alone The man alone is a literary stock character. Usually an antihero, he is similar to the Byronic hero. The man alone tends to epitomise existentialism, and, in the words of the academic E. H. McCormick is "the solitary, rootless nonconformist, who i ...

. The stereotype draws on images of high country farmers and hunters, particularly from areas such as

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tribu ...

and the Mackenzie Basin, who work large sheep stations, often employing the horse and dog rather than mechanised transport, due to the terrain they have to cover. This archetypal New Zealand character, though strong in tradition, is one currently facing a threat to its existence in the outside world, thanks to changes in New Zealand's traditional rural ways of life.

In popular culture

The stereotype became better known through the advertising campaign of Otago's best known pale lager beer,

Speight's Speight's is a brewery located in Dunedin, New Zealand. The brewery is owned by the Japanese-controlled holding company Lion. It is best known for its Gold Medal Ale, one of the best-selling beers in New Zealand. The brewery also gave rise to ...

, in a series of advertisements that have been running since the early 1990s. Speight's sponsored the production of a bronze statue personifying the stereotype, "Southern Man" by

Sam Mahon Sam Mahon (born ) is an artist and author living in Waikari in North Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. He is the son of Peter Mahon, a lawyer notable for the Mt Erebus disaster inquiry. Works Sam Mahon has become involved with pr ...

, which has stood at the entrance to Dunedin International Airport since 2000. The stereotype was later acknowledged in a song regarded as an unofficial anthem of Dunedin City and Otago in general. Written by ad agency creative director Roy Meares, and produced and sung by Murray Grindlay, this song was performed for Otago Rugby and Speight's Breweries by local musician Denis Henderson. The southern man has also been connected with stage productions such as ''Richard Meros salutes the Southern Man''. The semi-autobiographical novels of

Barry Crump John Barrie Crump (15 May 1935 – 3 July 1996) was a New Zealand author of semi-autobiographical comic novels based on his image as a rugged outdoors man. Taken together his novels have sold more than a million copies domestically. Crump's 19 ...

, though set in the North Island, conform strongly to the southern man stereotype. The character of Uncle Hec (played by

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

) in the

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at ...

film '' Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' — based on a Crump novel — is a big-screen personification of the southern man character.Oliver, H.
Rooted in New Zealand: An interview with Sam Neill
" ''noted.co.nz'', 24 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Man New Zealand culture South Island