Kiwiana: National Identity and Consumption

In this paper, we explore the role of consumption and consumption artefacts (called “Kiwiana”—which refers to those images which have been adopted as symbols of national identity) as part of the recent emergence of a shared New Zealand national culture. The rich tapestry of art, imagery and consumption objects which comprise Kiwiana serve as a shared identity and act as boundary markers to New Zealanders. We explore how this shared culture is co-created, how consumers, brands, and culture creators all act together to (unconsciously) co-create an ecology of meaning, a shared identity that the group members draw on in shaping their consumption behaviour.

Citation:

Sean Sands and Michael Beverland (2011) ,"Kiwiana: National Identity and Consumption", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Alan Bradshaw, Chris Hackley, and Pauline Maclaran, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 491.