Abstract:
Masculinities remain under-studied facets of New Zealand's history. Jock Phillips' 1987 book, A Man's Country?, which documented the Pākehā male stereotype, provoked much discussion amongst New Zealanders. Many have taken Phillips's assertions at face value and his work has become a "blokes' bible", rather than a platform for further questions. This thesis takes seriously one expression of masculinity that historians have often glossed over - do-it-yourself (DIY) culture. It explores DIY culture and masculinities between 1945 and 1976 through three examples: the suburban home, motorcars and baches. New Zealanders, particularly New Zealand men, have acquired a reputation as do-it-yourselfers. Practical and versatile skills have been presented as timeless elements of New Zealand national identity and New Zealand masculinities. This has been easily explained as part of the 'number-eight wire tradition', established by Pākehā pioneers in the nineteenth century, a tradition that became cliché by the twentieth century. In the early twenty-first century, advertising hyperbole postulates that DIY is in New Zealanders' DNA. These skills have often been universalised with little attention paid to their historical or international context. This thesis interrogates ideas of masculinity between 1945 and 1976 to further understand the complexities of DIY culture. It does so by exploring the extent to which men's engagement in improving and maintaining their homes was an updated portrayal of the pioneering man, by considering how car maintenance developed to be part of domestic masculinity and how the 'kiwi' bach, so often associated with the DIY ethos, challenges cultural myths of egalitarianism and uniqueness.
