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Since the colonisation of Aotearoa, design and art forms have largely been influenced
by Eurocentric notions, values, and principles, which to this day dominate our
landscapes. Through my research, I have attempted to decolonise the 1920s Arcadia
branded tea image by Trevor Lloyd by reframing and redefining the imagery in the
poster. From this process, I have emphasised the need for a shift in paradigm by
creating a more authentic representation of Māori.

New Zealand emerged from the First World War with a mostly unchanged economy
(McLintock, 1966). The early 1900s represented for Māori the “Turn of the Tide”
(Sorrenson, 1967, p. 16-22) out of the direct effects of colonisation and the New
Zealand Wars. Throughout this period, there was a firming up of Māori social, political
and cultural standing leading to changed standards of living and a de-escalation of the
political climate from the more turbulent time seen post contact and the New Zealand
Land Wars. This changing of Māori position was led by Māori leaders such as Apirana
Ngata, James Carroll, Wi Pere, Maui Pomare, and Te Rangihiroa. These leaders were
able to leverage and enable opportunities for Māori issues to be brought to the fore,
such as ceasing the purchasing of land and allowing Māori some control over their
land. However, with an increased awareness of Māori issues came heightened
visibility into Māori culture and ways of living, enabling Pākehā society to exploit them
(Butterworth, 1972). During this time Pākehā still viewed Māori as inferior, uncivilised,
lazy and improvident and these views were commonplace in the media.

Trevor Lloyd, an Auckland-born illustrator and cartoonist, became well known for his
use of Māori motifs and people in his cartoons (Whittaker, 2011). He was particularly
interested in Māori culture and language, with his own house, the “Whare Tane”, built
to resemble a traditional Māori dwelling. He also accumulated a vast collection of
Māori artefacts that he had found combing through pa sites, caves and beaches in the
west coast of Auckland (Perry, 2010).

Lloyd’s Arcadia branded tea poster, not to mention his whole way of living, is an
example of cultural appropriation. It is the unauthorised taking of Māori art forms,
language, symbols and taonga by a man who represents a group in a more powerful
political position. Here is a Pākehā man living in a Māori wharenui-styled home
designed by a Scottish-born architect, with Māori carvings and artefacts that he has
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taken without consent, covering his whole home. In addition to this, Lloyd was seen as
a Māori enthusiast despite his racist portrayals of the indigenous people.

In his poster advertising Arcadia tea, the Māori man is presented as savage and
uncouth drinking tea out of the teapot with a huia feather in his hair. For Māori, the
huia feather is a revered symbol adorned by rangatira. He has used Māori symbols for
economic gains without any regard or respect for the culture. Tea was deeply
embedded in colonisation (Bind, 2012; Pollock, 2013) and this depiction showed a
common attitude of mockery at Māori imitation of Pākehā behaviour. Many other
artists during this time drew vignettes of daily Māori life which reflected a wider
prejudice. Academic Maharaia Winiata describes it as ethnic stereotyping “applied by
an in-group majority to an out-group minority” (Matthews, 2018a).

For my reimagined poster I decided to move away from the concept of selling for
economic gain as this was a byproduct of colonisation; Māori were traders. I wanted
to create a more authentic representation of Māori by telling a story about the
korimako’s call alerting people that it is time for a cup of tea - “me kapu tī tātou”. The
slogan “Kawakawa tea: nature’s remedy to all man’s problems” arose from the fact
that kawakawa tea was a natural remedy (Vennell, 2019) as well as this idea that
people would come together over a kapu tī to talk through problems, no matter how
many cups it took. I attempted to represent a more humanistic and holistic
relationship that is founded on a connection to people, the environment and the land
because after all, Māori are Tangata Whenua - people of the land.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bind, J. (2012, May/June). Time for Tea. N

​ ew Zealand Geographic, ​(115). Retrieved from
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/time-for-tea/

Butterworth, G. V. (1972, June). A Rural Māori Renaissance? Māori Society and Politics
1920 to 1951. T​ he Journal of the Polynesian Society, 81​(2), 160-195. Retrieved from
http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/?wid=4415&page=1&action=null#note2

Matthews, P. (2018a, Jun 3). ‘Cunning, deceitful savages’: 200 years of Māori bad press.
Stuff.​ Retrieved July 19, 2019, from
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/103871652/cunning-deceitful-savages-200-years-of-
mori-bad-press

Matthews, P. (2018b, Oct 2). Racism and cartoons: Where do you draw the line?. S
​ tuff.
Retrieved July 19, 2019, from
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107316404/racism-and-cartoons-where-d
o-you-draw-the-line

McLintock, A. H. (1966). The First World War and the 1920s. In T​ e Ara - The
Encyclopaedia of New Zealand​ (p. 6). Retrieved July 19, 2019, from
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/history-economic/page-6

Perry, J. F. (2010). Lloyd Trevor. In D

​ ictionary of New Zealand Bibliography: Te Ara - The
Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. ​Retrieved July 19, 2019, from
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3l9/lloyd-trevor

Pollock, K. (2013). Tea, Coffee and Soft Drinks - Tea and Coffee. In T​ e Ara - The
Encyclopaedia of New Zealand​ (p. 1). Retrieved July 19, 2019, from
https://teara.govt.nz/en/tea-coffee-and-soft-drinks/page-1

Sorrenson, M. P. K. (1967). M
​ āori and European Since 1870.​ Auckland, New Zealand:
Heinemann Educational Books.

Vennell, R. (2019). The Meaning of Trees. Auckland, New Zealand: HarperCollins New
Zealand.

Whittaker, E. (2011, Oct 21). Where ‘Kiwi’ began. S

​ tuff​. Retrieved July 19, 2019, from
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/5822619/Where-Kiwi-be
gan