A home at ‘Home’
Posted 9 October 2008 // Jock Phillips
Fantail on New Zealand Memorial, London
There are perhaps 100,000 New Zealanders in the United Kingdom at any one time. Where do they go to get a taste of Kiwi? Traditionally those on their OE turned up in their shorts at New Zealand House in London to read the papers and check the ads for flats with compatriots. Today the numbers are not so great. People can do such things online.
An Earls Court pub when the All Blacks are playing the Aussies is another traditional site, and still works pretty well – or it did two weeks ago. The black jerseys and beer-lubricated cheers quickly gave away people’s country of origin.
Two new sites have recently emerged for a slightly more refined contemplation of the land and culture across the seas. In November 2006 the New Zealand Memorial was opened at Hyde Park Corner. A haka party of bronze pedestals stands on a sloping hill, as if preparing for battle – or a game of rugby. Each is painted white on top to create the impression of the points of the Southern Cross when viewed from a distance. The pedestals are encrusted with evocative words and images – quotes from Katherine Mansfield and John Mulgan, the shapes of a carved waka, fantails and rugby balls. The day I visited, Kiwis singly and in small groups were wandering in silent contemplation. As a place to think about the complex relationship of New Zealand and the motherland, the memorial worked a treat.
The second site is a little less solemn – at least when you finally get there. But to approach the Centre for New Zealand Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London, in the heart of Bloomsbury, you do need to enter a remarkably imposing marble building. The director of the centre, Ian Conrich, tells you that the building had been ear-marked by Hitler for the centre of the new government following a successful invasion. It reeks of Albert Speer grandiosity.
But once you reach the doors of the centre the mood changes. Outside is a huge red polystyrene Māori warrior. On entering, you discover a feast: an almost-complete collection of New Zealand feature films (only three missing); an amazing collection of souvenir china of New Zealand towns and beauty spots; boxes of postcards also in a kitsch souvenir style. There is an impressive library of New Zealand books, and on the walls some appropriate paintings, including an original Nigel Brown of Katherine Mansfield (sorry to mention her yet again, but it is hard to avoid in this expatriate territory).
And once a week the room is turned into a lecture theatre for poetry readings or serious papers. Usually a dozen to twenty mainly ex-Kiwis turn up to listen. All this is the brainchild of Ian Conrich, who discovered New Zealand through its films. In this room you sense his infectious enthusiasm for his adopted country.
So whether your goal is serious study of NZ or just a light engagement with Kiwi Kulture, make sure you pay this place a visit – truly a home at ‘Home’ away from home.
