The New Zealand Male….

A Man’s Country in 1800’s

New Zealand was considered to be a ‘man’s country’.

Victorian England had grown increasingly concerned that their culture had become soft, mainly because increasing urbanisation had meant that more and more men were in sedentary occupations.

The Kiwi male is ….

rural, unintellectual, strong, unemotional, democratic, has little time for high culture, good with animals (particularly horses) and machines, and is able to turn his hand to nearly anything.

The men who came to New Zealand were mainly manual workers who valued physical labour.

For Example -clearing the bush setting up farms building roads gold mining

The life-style was tough!

Diet was monotonousHousing poorWeather was harshWork dangerousTransport systems were precarious

A Culture of Mateship developed

Often men would team up to clear land or mine

A distinctive language developed eg pigs became grunters

Tales of adventure would be exaggerated

Women became considered a threat to mateship

Pubs grew in number…..

Pubs grew in number and men would make special trips to the nearest pub.

Many of them lived at great distances from the nearest pub, they would tend to go there and binge drink.

Restrictions to drinking….

1881 Licensing Act. This allowed areas to vote for prohibition if they wanted to and Sunday opening was abolished

1883 hotels were required to close by 11pm as opposed to midnight

1910 the legal closing time was changed to 10pm and the drinking age was increased from 18 to 21

1912 - Barmaids were made illegal

6 O'clock Swill

Six p.m. closing for pubs was introduced as a 'temporary' wartime measure in December 1917. It was made permanent the following year, ushering in what became know as the 'six o'clock swill', as patrons aimed to get their fill before closing time.

6 O'clock SwillSix o’clock closing became a

part of the New Zealand way of life. In the short period between the end of the working day and closing time at the pub, large numbers of men crowded together to drink as much beer as they could before the so-called ‘supping-up’ time of 15 minutes was announced.

6 O'clock Swill

The hour between 5 and 6pm became an intense time.

The concept of sculling and open throat drinking was born.

In the pub they could meet with their mates and also let themselves go. Unacceptable behaviour in polite company became the norm inside the pub.

6 O'clock Swill

Six o’clock closing has been seen by many as teaching two generations of Kiwi men to drink as fast as possible, contributing to a binge-drinking culture. While early closing was promoted as a way of ensuring that men got home to their families at a respectable hour, critics questioned the condition that most men returned in.

Further restrictions followed...

1914 a law was passed that said that no liquor was to be sold to any persons under the age of 21

1916 a War Regulation Amendment Act made ‘shouting’ illegal. Although this was impossible to enforce it did show how dangerous the idea of mates had become.

1917 a temporary law was put in place that saw pubs closing at 6pm and this was made permanent in 1918

1922 the Hockley commission made it illegal for women to be served in a public bar.

The exclusion of women meant...

“Drinking in the pub became a central test of male identity for

many New Zealand men. To drink in vast quantities was to be ‘one of the boys’, not to drink was to be ‘a

wet blanket’

Rugby and drinking were linked..

Rugby was considered the sport that demanded displays of masculinity.

Rugby demanded displays of….

DeterminationCourageLoyaltySelf-disciplinePhysical strengthMasculinity

Truby King wrote in 1906

“that too much intellectual work, too much cram, paved the way for nervous instability, sexual irregularities and insanity itself. Too much reading, Truby King implied, would encourage effeminacy and the sin of masturbation.”

Rugby and drinking were linked -

Beer drinking was tied in with the game and the after match functions were a large part of the play where the usual singing, yarning, ribbing and giving of nicknames occurred.

Rugby was seen as an alternative to romantic love and so if a man married and opted for domestic life it was seen as a betrayal to the team.

The New Zealand Soldier was seen to be...

LoyalBraveAdaptableShowed InitiativeEgalitarian (Lead by example)

Attitudes towards women…..

Boys soon learnt that it was unacceptable to show their emotions and that if they were too familiar with their mothers then they would considered unmanly.

Young men grew up seeing marriage as a duty and that above all it would take them away from the mateship they enjoyed with other men.

1967 …... The 6 O’clock Swell ends

Pub environments improved to encourage men to stay longer and to attract females.

The 1970’s and 1980’s saw an increase in wine sales and the introduction of export quality beers.

Rugby loses Favour…...

Rugby went into a period of disfavour with the Spring Bok tour and the number of casualties that were coming out of the game.

Other sports became more popular such as yachting, basketball and skiing.

Endurance races such as the Speights Coast-to-Coast and the Auckland Ironman were gaining prominence.

However….

Male sport still dominates both the media and male conversation.

AND The Values remained…..

Physical StrengthSelf-disciplineLoyalty to matesAbility to show initiative

Since World War Two….

New Zealand has become an urban society, which has changed the choices available to men.

Gay culture could thrive, men could choose other pursuits other than rugby and a new corporate elite grew where-by dress and business prowess became valued.

Beer Advertising still plays on these Myths of masculinity…….

However…..