Zealandia is anational personification ofNew Zealand. In her stereotypical form, Zealandia appears as an evidentlyWestern European woman who is similar in dress and appearance toBritannia. Britannia is said to be the mother of Zealandia.[2]
As a direct reference to theUnited Kingdom and the old world, she brought a sense of history and classical respectability to thecolony during the formative years as a young nation.Zealandia appeared onpostage stamps, posters, cartoons, war memorials, and New Zealand government publications most commonly during the first half of the 20th century.[3] Zealandia was a commonly used symbol of theNew Zealand Centennial Exhibition, which was held inWellington in 1939 and 1940. Four large Zealandia statues exist in New Zealand towns or cities; one is inWaimate, one is inPalmerston, and one inSymonds Street,Auckland, and one inside the Auckland War Museum. The first two (in stone) areSecond Boer War memorials and the latter one (in bronze) is aNew Zealand Wars memorial. Some smaller statues exist in other museums and in private hands.
Zealandia also featured on one penny definitive postage stamps issued in 1901 and 1909 during the reign ofQueen Victoria andEdward VII when it went from being a Colony to aDominion and was also depicted on a stamp featuring the coat of arms issued in 1929.
The woman who appears on the left side of thecoat of arms of New Zealand is Zealandia.[2][4] Apart from the coat of arms, Zealandia is seldom depicted in works today, or indeed referred to.[3]
.svg)
![A political cartoon from 1900 using Zealandia to represent New Zealand[5]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aAustralian_ogre_1900.jpg)
