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Story: Clothes

Queen Elizabeth II wearing a korowai, 1954

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Queen Elizabeth II wearing a korowai, 1954

Queen Elizabeth II was gifted a korowai (woven cloak) during her first tour of New Zealand in 1953–54. New Zealand does not have a specific national dress, but Māori cloaks are often worn by dignitaries as a symbol of the country.

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New Zealand Herald

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How to cite this page

Fiona McKergow, Clothes – Clothing and identity, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/41162/queen-elizabeth-ii-wearing-a-korowai-1954 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Fiona McKergow, published 18 March 2013.