The word kiwi is now synonymous with New Zealander, but it wasn't always that way. The small brown bird appears on our $1 coin, and its visage graces everything from shoepolish to bacon. But how did such the strange looking, flightless bird rise to such lofty heights?
On this day in 1904 a cartoon by J.C. Blomfield appeared in the New Zealand Free Lance, which is thought to have been the first time New Zealanders were depicted as the quirky-looking creature. And by 1908 the kiwi was the dominant symbol for New Zealand in cartoons, especially sporting ones.
To tell us more about how the kiwi made its cartoon debut, we are joined by author, historian, and founder of the New Zealand Cartoon and Comics Archive, Ian F Grant.
