Images and identity : the demonstration of New Zealand's national identity through the propaganda of the Second World War : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts in History, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

From introduction: This thesis, then, will examine the way in which the New Zealand government selected, produced, and disseminated propaganda and publicity material aimed at the home front in order to determine the extent to which there was a national sense of a unique New Zealand experience in the years 1939-1945. The first chapter puts the research in context, examining the literature around propaganda and national identity as well as detailing the government bodies and figures referenced in this work. My second chapter examines the New Zealand-produced propaganda, seeking to determine what was distinct about New Zealand’s publicity. This chapter gives an overview of the aspects of New Zealand material that were distinctive, including visual symbols and references to life on New Zealand’s home front. This second chapter acts as a summary of how New Zealand material was identifiably made in New Zealand for a New Zealand audience. My third chapter deals with the use of British material, which was requested by New Zealand for various reasons. I examine how British material was used to supplement the New Zealand-produced propaganda, not replace it, and how the British Ministry of Information methods and material were used to inform the working of the New Zealand Publicity Department. The most notable aspect of British material in New Zealand was the alterations made in order to make it suitable for circulation; the introduction of New Zealanders into the material was common. The film Next of Kin, which was significantly altered for release in New Zealand, is used as a case study to illustrate the way in which British material was used by the Publicity Department, and the chapter also analyses why British material was not the dominant aspect of New Zealand’s publicity campaigns. My fourth chapter examines the way in which New Zealand interacted with the propaganda of the other dominion nations. Material was frequently sent back and forth between New Zealand and the other dominions, and, as with British material, was used as examples by the Publicity Department. The New Zealand government was very aware of what worked elsewhere and whether it would also be successful in New Zealand, and I again use Next of Kin to demonstrate how New Zealand did not blindly follow any other nation, even Australia. I also examine the way in which New Zealand’s special relationship with Australia manifested in the exchange of publicity material. In the fifth chapter, I look at the way the New Zealand government interacted with the New Zealand public and the sense of public accountability that drove many of the nation’s publicity campaigns. The government was particularly sensitive to the opinions and reactions of the public, taking note of compliments and complaints and attempting at all times to avoid what might be upsetting. New Zealand’s propaganda campaigns also had a distinctly ‘personal’ touch, as J.T. Paul, Director of Publicity, cultivated a close relationship with the public. Finally, in a concluding discussion chapter, I bring these concepts together with the literature to assess the extent to which the propaganda of New Zealand reflected a distinct national identity. By examining the way the Publicity Department combined publicity from Britain and the other dominions with the material produced locally, I am able to evaluate the effectiveness of a uniquely New Zealand approach, which communicated a distinct New Zealand experience of WWII – concluding that by WWII New Zealanders had a strong sense of national identity and their country’s unique place in and contribution to the international war effort.