A Nation Wins its Spurs: Military Performances and National Identity in New Zealand’s Royal Visits, 1901-1927

Early royal visits to New Zealand were episodes of intense symbolic activity. These events are generally understood as affirmations of British identity. However, this article shows how the tours of 1901, 1920, and 1927 were also used to promote the country’s distinct character. It examines the visits’ military narrative, showing how rhetoric and performances cast Pākehā (New Zealanders of British descent) as a martial people who combined patriotism and vigour. Continuity with British fighting traditions was portrayed as a human timeline: a carefully organised sequence of veterans, recently returned soldiers, and new recruits. Uniquely colonial attributes were epitomised by unorthodox military heroes such as the Rough Rider and the Digger. In the aftermath of World War I, when the British world seemed to need replenishment, the dominion’s special character was symbolised by young New Zealanders. Conventional military reviews were superseded by massed displays by school children, as military performances for visiting royals began to favour images of rebirth and rejuvenation.