''Zealandia'' is a national personification of

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 count ...

. In her stereotypical form, Zealandia appears as an evidently

Western European Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

woman who is similar in dress and appearance to

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

. Britannia is said to be the mother of Zealandia. Denis James Matthews Glover
"A National Symbol?"
in ''

An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand ''An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'' is an official encyclopaedia about New Zealand, published in three volumes by the New Zealand Government in 1966. Edited by Alexander Hare McLintock, the parliamentary historian, assisted by two others, the ...

'' ( A. H. McLintock ed, 1966)

History

As a direct reference to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the old world, she brought a sense of history and classical respectability to the

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

during the formative years as a young nation. Zealandia appeared on

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

s, posters, cartoons, war memorials, and New Zealand government publications most commonly during the first half of the 20th century. Zealandia was a commonly used symbol of the

New Zealand Centennial Exhibition The New Zealand Centennial Exhibition took place over six months from Wednesday 8 November 1939 until 4 May 1940. It celebrated one hundred years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and the subsequent mass European settlement of ...

, which was held in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

in 1939 and 1940. Four large Zealandia statues exist in New Zealand towns or cities; one is in

Waimate Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main No ...

, one is in

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...

, and one in Symonds Street,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, and one inside the Auckland War Museum. The first two (in stone) are

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

memorials and the latter one (in bronze) is a

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the ...

memorial. Some smaller statues exist in other museums and in private hands.

Postage stamps

Zealandia also featured on one penny definitive postage stamps issued in 1901 and 1909 during the reign of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

when it went from being a Colony to a

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 192 ...

and was also depicted on a stamp featuring the coat of arms issued in 1929.

Coat of arms

The woman who appears on the left side of the coat of arms of New Zealand is Zealandia. Apart from the coat of arms, Zealandia is seldom depicted in works today, or indeed referred to.

Image gallery

File:Coat of arms of New Zealand (1911–1956).svg, ''Zealandia'' on the left side of the coat of arms of New Zealand used from 1911 to 1956. File:Coat of arms of New Zealand.svg, ''Zealandia'' on the left side of the coat of arms of New Zealand, used currently. File:Australian ogre 1900.jpg, A political cartoon from 1900 using ''Zealandia'' to represent New Zealand. File:New Zealand Centennial Exhibition - Certificate of Attendance.jpg, New Zealand Centennial Exhibition. c. 1939 File:Zealandia Symonds Street Auckland.jpg, The

memorial in Auckland File:Zealandia Symonds Street Auckland 5.jpg, The Bronze Zealandia statue in Auckland

References

External links

National song: "All Hail! Zealandia!"
composed by Robert Peel Crosbie, published in 1885 with a dedication to former premier Sir

Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime mi ...

.
Ah, Zealandia – what has become of thee?
. "Timespanner" (Avondale Historical Society), 28 January 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zealandia (Personification) National personifications National symbols of New Zealand