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Kōrero: Kiwi

‘Goodnight Kiwi’

Video file

The ‘Goodnight Kiwi’, by animator Sam Harvey, appeared nightly to signal the end of transmission on Television New Zealand between 1981 and 1994. The animation ends with the kiwi, having turned out the light and put out a milk bottle, going to sleep in a satellite dish. It became a much-loved part of New Zealand culture. The instantly recognisable tune is 'Hine e hine', a lullaby written by Fanny Rose Howie.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

TVNZ Television New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Jock Phillips, Kiwi – A kiwi country: 1930s–2000s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/video/10197/goodnight-kiwi (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Jock Phillips, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.

Comments

Mary I Elder
17 May 2023
I still love this. I used to stay up each night to watch this. Very, very Kiwi