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Overview
The 'Goodnight Kiwi' is a beloved part of New Zealand’s broadcasting history, and a kiwiana icon. This badge calls for the return of the Goodnight Kiwi – an animated character who along with its cat, said goodnight to viewers when Television New Zealand ended its broadcasts each night between 1981 and 1994.
The animation was set to the famous lullaby ‘Hine e hine’ written by Fanny Rose Howie (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou, 1868-1916), and followed the kiwi as it turned off transmission and the lights, put out a milk bottle, and settled into a satellite dish to go to sleep, with its cat on top of the bedspread.
For many viewers who were young at the time, the Goodnight Kiwi became a symbol of staying up past bedtime. The double irony that kiwi birds are nocturnal and endangered by cats was not an issue.
This badge re-envisages cartoonist Sam Harvey’s animation in a more colourful palette than the original. It was worn by a New Zealand nurse working in Australia. Because it was such a beloved part of New Zealand's popular culture, wearing it was a way to identify as a New Zealander, and was a great conversation starter, particularly with other expats.
Over the years, people have called for the return of the Goodnight Kiwi, and it has reappeared over the years on Television New Zealand, including on TVNZ 6 and 7. In 2019, The Goodnight Kiwi Stories series featured the kiwi and cat alongside prominent New Zealanders reading children’s books (including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern).