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Story: Arts and the nation

Cover of the first issue of Zealandia, 1889

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Cover of the first issue of <em>Zealandia</em>, 1889

As the Nelson Evening Mail noted at the time, the cover of the literary magazine Zealandia was a melange of popular nationalist symbols. The land is represented by snowy mountains, flax bushes, ferns, a nīkau palm and a beech tree, while a huge moa and a small kiwi represent New Zealand's fauna. The idea of 'Maoriland' gets a nod, with a Māori chief in the foreground and waka (canoes) and a kāinga in the distance.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: Zealandia, vol. 1, no.1, 1889 (S-L-1263-Cover)

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Arts and the nation – The 19th century, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/44998/cover-of-the-first-issue-of-zealandia-1889 (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 15 April 2014.