Imagining Auckland : print media constructions of civic identity in the early 1950s : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University. EMBARGOED until 16th March 2028

Abstract

Many New Zealand historians have grappled with the idea of Pākehā identity and the values and principles, which define what it means to be a New Zealander. However, what did it mean to be an Aucklander in the early 1950s? This thesis examines how Auckland’s print media helped to construct Auckland’s “imagined community,” and how notions of Britishness, Māori and women were incorporated into, or excluded from this “imagined” identity.¹ The way in which Auckland’s civic identity was constructed, and perceived, during the early 1950s will be considered through an examination of three key events in the city: the 1950 British Empire Games, the destruction of Ōrākei in 1951–52, and the royal visit to New Zealand of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953-54. Auckland’s civic identity was shaped by civic elites to project modernity, loyalty to Great Britain, utopianism, egalitarianism and to promote the myth of, ‘best race relations,’ all of which masked inherent inequalities and injustices. This thesis highlights the role of print media in romanticising tikanga Māori as a point of Auckland’s exceptionalism, whilst simultaneously under-reporting how their traditional way of life was eradicated from the city. It asserts that Māori were accepted as part of Auckland’s constructed civic identity, only when they were prepared to assimilate. It demonstrates that women were a decorative aspect of Auckland’s “imagined community,” consistently presented in terms of stereotypical feminine attributes and domesticity, whilst their achievements and contributions were minimised. Auckland’s projected image, as egalitarian and progressive, was in many ways shallow and served a broader political and economic purpose; to cement Auckland’s status as New Zealand’s pre-eminent city. This thesis also demonstrates that Britishness was a core facet of Auckland’s constructed civic identity, reinforced during the official occasions of the British Empire Games and royal visit, but also more widely apparent through spontaneous demonstrations by ordinary citizens. This thesis offers insights into the construction of Auckland’s “imagined community,” through extensive analysis of editorials, articles and letters to the editor, published in the 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘡𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘥, 𝘈𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 and 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴; Auckland-based newspapers which generated extensive commentary on the three selected events. Combined with the use of an extensive range of primary material and ephemera, this thesis establishes that both conformity and dissent existed in relation to the way Auckland’s identity was perceived and presented, particularly in relation to Britishness, race and gender. It contributes to a wider understanding of the diversity of views of Aucklanders in the early 1950s, within the context of significant national and international events.

¹ B. Anderson, 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴: 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮, UK: Verso, 1991 edn., 6-7.