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Kōrero: New Zealand identity

Writing bureau

This bureau was made in 1865 by Anton Seuffert. The inlaid veneers of New Zealand woods feature a number of New Zealand icons – most prominently, the tree fern in the centre. Ferns, especially the silver fern, had become symbols of New Zealand by the mid-19th century. Other icons represented on the cabinet include a moa, a scene with lake and mountains, and a Māori man and woman.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: PF000079

by Anton Seuffert

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Fiona Barker, New Zealand identity – Symbols of identity, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/zoomify/34629/writing-bureau (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Fiona Barker, i tāngia i te 17 April 2012.