The Hocken Blog
type: channel
description: Thoughts from the staff of the Hocken Collections - Te Uare Taoka o Hākena
date: 2026-02-20T07:04:45Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Dum-de-do! Cookie Bear’s story
items: A Different Light : First Photographs of Aotearoa – closing 7 Feb 2026
items: Hudson and Cadbury records made available
items: A Century of Anzac Avenue and its Trees
items: Unpacking the suitcase: some history of the Rehabilitation League
items: In the Detail: Whitcombe & Tombs and the Private Eye
items: Joe’s Cabin: a photographic occasion in Silverstream Valley
items: Unearthing 19th Century New Zealand Photography
items: University of Otago colleges – a few flashbacks
items: Stranger than Fiction: Split Enz at 50

Dum-de-do! Cookie Bear’s story
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2026-02-20T01:00:09Z
subject: Archives and manuscripts
subject: Business history
subject: Ephemera and posters
subject: Food and drink
subject: Magazines, journals, periodicals and newspapers
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist Cookie Bear is back! Many were disappointed when, in April last year, Griffin’s announced he would no longer feature on Chockie Chippie and Hundreds & Thousands biscuit wrappers. Last week the company posted on social media: ‘We heard you, New Zealand. Thank you for sharing your stories, […]
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2930" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/MS-5414_012_006.jpg" alt="" width="448" height="451" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/MS-5414_012_006.jpg 1000w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/MS-5414_012_006-298x300.jpg 298w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/MS-5414_012_006-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/MS-5414_012_006-768x773.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px" /> Cookie Bear with children on train float at the Oval, Dunedin. MS-5414/003/001. CC-BY-NC. Cookie Bear is back! Many were disappointed when, in April last year, Griffin’s announced he would no longer feature on Chockie Chippie and Hundreds & Thousands biscuit wrappers. Last week the company posted on social media: ‘We heard you, New Zealand. Thank you for sharing your stories, memories and love for Cookie Bear – it’s clear he’s been missed.’ In coming weeks he will once again be seen on full-size biscuit packets. Cookie Bear started out with the Hudsons brand, owned by Cadbury Fry Hudson Ltd. At Hocken, we recently catalogued papers from the Dunedin Cadbury factory, so we thought we would share some of what we have learned about Cookie Bear’s story. In the 1970s, Hudsons and Griffin’s were the biggest players in the New Zealand biscuit industry. Griffin’s (then owned by Nabisco) had the largest share of the overall biscuit market, but Hudsons had the biggest share for chocolate biscuits. Hudsons made more than 50 different biscuit varieties, with the most popular including Chocolate Chippies (introduced in 1955), and the jam-filled Shrewsbury (introduced in 1959). The company was always looking to improve its advertising campaigns in a highly competitive market. Some recent media reports have dated the origin of Cookie Bear 1968, but he in fact made h…

A Different Light : First Photographs of Aotearoa – closing 7 Feb 2026
type: item
creator: scoro68p
date: 2026-02-04T22:24:59Z
subject: Exhibitions and events
subject: Historical photographs
subject: Photography
subject: Treaty of Waitangi
description: Hocken Collections Māori Archivist Rauhina Kohuwai-Banks (RKB) sat down with Curator of Photography, Anna Petersen (AP), to kōrero about A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa, an exhibition showcasing the history of photography in Aotearoa, now in its last week at the Hocken Gallery. RKB Tēnā koe Anna, thank you for sitting down to talk […]
encoded: Hocken Collections Māori Archivist Rauhina Kohuwai-Banks (RKB) sat down with Curator of Photography, Anna Petersen (AP), to kōrero about A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa, an exhibition showcasing the history of photography in Aotearoa, now in its last week at the Hocken Gallery. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-2905" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/P1910-005-1-020-300x220.jpg" alt="" width="637" height="467" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/P1910-005-1-020-300x220.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/P1910-005-1-020-1024x751.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/P1910-005-1-020-768x564.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/P1910-005-1-020-1536x1127.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2026/02/P1910-005-1-020-2048x1503.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px" /> Moeraki Kāik, 1864-1865. Joseph Perry photograph, P1910-005/1-020. RKB Tēnā koe Anna, thank you for sitting down to talk with me about A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa, an exhibition which you co-curated alongside Shaun Higgins (from Tāmaki Paenga Hira) and Natalie Marshall (from the Alexander Turnbull Library). You also contributed to an illustrated publication of the same name, edited by Catherine Hammond and Shaun Higgins. How did you get involved in co-curating the exhibition and what was the hope for this collaboration? AP Well it fell naturally, because I’m Curator of Photographs at the Hocken, and the show was curated by the photography curators at the three participating institutions. I think the hope, the initial hope for the collaboration – because it did evolve from a memorandum of understanding between the University of Otago and the Auckland Museum – kind of changed a bit. It was first envisaged that the exhibition would accompany a conference held by the Centre for Research …

Hudson and Cadbury records made available
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2025-12-09T12:00:14Z
subject: Archives and manuscripts
subject: Business history
subject: Ephemera and posters
subject: Photography
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist Several years ago, Hocken collected a large quantity of archives from the old Cadbury factory in Dunedin. We are pleased to share the news that these are now catalogued and available for viewing in our reading room. We are also in the process of putting selected […]
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2762 size-large" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/12/MS-5400_0960_003-1024x814.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="814" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/12/MS-5400_0960_003-1024x814.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/12/MS-5400_0960_003-300x239.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/12/MS-5400_0960_003-768x611.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/12/MS-5400_0960_003-1536x1221.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/12/MS-5400_0960_003-2048x1629.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Packing Moro bars, 1991. Ref: MS-5400/0960/003. Several years ago, Hocken collected a large quantity of archives from the old Cadbury factory in Dunedin. We are pleased to share the news that these are now catalogued and available for viewing in our reading room. We are also in the process of putting selected images from the collection into our Digital Collections site. The records relate to R. Hudson & Co. and its successors Cadbury Fry Hudson (from 1930), Cadbury Schweppes Hudson (from 1973), Cadbury Confectionery Ltd (from 1991), and Cadbury Ltd (from 2009). They add to a smaller collection received in 1984. The Cadbury factory closed in 2018 with the loss of more than 350 jobs. It was the 150th anniversary year of local operations, which began with a biscuit factory opened by Richard Hudson in 1868. The loss has been felt deeply. Production shifted to Australia, and almost all of the old factory buildings are gone. Hocken is privileged to hold a permanent archive of the business. Particularly significant is the record of staff activity – both work and social, over many years in the local community. We are grateful to Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelēz International, for donating the bulk of the collection. Our thanks…

A Century of Anzac Avenue and its Trees
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2025-11-17T01:00:58Z
subject: Historical photographs
subject: Research
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist Last month, a wind storm saw the dramatic toppling of two of the big old elm trees next to our building on Anzac Avenue. Fortunately nobody was hurt, and our building was undamaged, but we were sad to lose the trees. It seems timely to look at […]
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2737" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/11/Anzac-trees-2025-a-1024x719.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="719" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/11/Anzac-trees-2025-a-1024x719.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/11/Anzac-trees-2025-a-300x211.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/11/Anzac-trees-2025-a-768x539.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/11/Anzac-trees-2025-a.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Last month, a wind storm saw the dramatic toppling of two of the big old elm trees next to our building on Anzac Avenue. Fortunately nobody was hurt, and our building was undamaged, but we were sad to lose the trees. It seems timely to look at the history of Anzac Avenue and its trees, especially as the avenue opened one hundred years ago today, on 17 November 1925. When it opened, Anzac Avenue linked the Dunedin Railway Station with the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition at the newly reclaimed Lake Logan. The Exhibition combined international trade fair, funfair, and festival on a grand scale. It was the largest event of its kind held in the country up to that time. The site was selected two and a half years before the event and required much preparation. The reclamation of Lake Logan had been begun by the Otago Harbour Board in the early 1910s. There was some opposition, as it had been a popular and sheltered place for recreational boating. The slow pace of reclamation was accelerated once the Exhibition site was confirmed. The roadway was planned even before the Exhibition was thought of. Proposals for the lake site had included sports grounds and residential housing. The construction of the road was a condition of the Harbour Board when it agreed to handed over the reserve to the City Council f…

Unpacking the suitcase: some history of the Rehabilitation League
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2025-07-02T02:45:48Z
subject: Archives and manuscripts
subject: Historical photographs
subject: World War II
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist The suitcases made by Disabled Servicemens Products were popular luggage items for many years, and occasionally still turn up in secondhand shops. Sometimes made from leather, but more usually from a type of fibreboard called Vulcanite, examples can often be identified by a red and gold label […]
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2636" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/91-002_010_051-label.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="331" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/91-002_010_051-label.jpg 999w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/91-002_010_051-label-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/91-002_010_051-label-768x509.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /> Disabled Soldiers Product label. 91-002/010/051. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2661" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/MA_I314338_TePapa_Suitcase_full-1024x484.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="236" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/MA_I314338_TePapa_Suitcase_full-1024x484.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/MA_I314338_TePapa_Suitcase_full-300x142.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/MA_I314338_TePapa_Suitcase_full-768x363.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/07/MA_I314338_TePapa_Suitcase_full.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /> Suitcase, 1950s, by Disabled Soldiers Products. Te Papa GH024140, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The suitcases made by Disabled Servicemens Products were popular luggage items for many years, and occasionally still turn up in secondhand shops. Sometimes made from leather, but more usually from a type of fibreboard called Vulcanite, examples can often be identified by a red and gold label with the manufacturer’s name and a symbol of a steel helmet beneath crossed rifles. Records of the Dunedin Branch of the Rehabilitation League in the Hocken Collections tell something of the story behind these and other products, and of an organisation which began rehabilitating soldiers and evolved into a broader vocational assessment and training …

In the Detail: Whitcombe & Tombs and the Private Eye
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2025-06-12T00:18:37Z
subject: Uncategorized
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist Zooming in on the detail of a newly-digitised photo, I noticed first-floor signage reading ‘City Private Detective Agency’, ‘Macrae’. The photo shows a building that still stands in Princes Street, Dunedin. It was built in 1915 for Whitcombe & Tombs, the large firm of booksellers, stationers, and […]
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-2563" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae2-1024x700.jpg" alt="" width="673" height="460" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae2-1024x700.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae2-300x205.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae2-768x525.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae2-1536x1049.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae2.jpg 1670w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 673px) 100vw, 673px" /> Zooming in on the detail of a newly-digitised photo, I noticed first-floor signage reading ‘City Private Detective Agency’, ‘Macrae’. The photo shows a building that still stands in Princes Street, Dunedin. It was built in 1915 for Whitcombe & Tombs, the large firm of booksellers, stationers, and printers. This later became Whitcoulls, which continued on the site until 1985. At the tiled entrance to what is now the Art Fun Wear shop, the monogram ‘W & T Ltd’ can still be seen. After a little of my own detective work it turns out John Cameron Macrae had an office here in 1924. Born in 1881 in Clacknaberry, Inverness, Scotland, Macrae had been a police constable on the West Coast and claimed sixteen years of police experience. His advertisement stated ‘Investigations made and Information obtained in all matters within the dominion, also United Kingdom and United States. All information strictly private. Divorce Cases a specialty. Also, Rents and Accounts Collected’. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2564 aligncenter" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae3-984x1024.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="499" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Macrae3-984x1024.jpg 984w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2025/06/Ma…

Joe’s Cabin: a photographic occasion in Silverstream Valley
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2024-07-31T02:53:18Z
subject: Historical photographs
subject: Photography
subject: 1880s
subject: Diaries
subject: Dwellings
subject: Family life
subject: John Elder Moultray
subject: Silverstream
subject: Whare Flat
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist There are many photographs of sombre-faced Victorians in the Hocken Collections, but few first-hand accounts of the circumstances and experiences surrounding their creation. A photo titled ‘Joes Cabin’ comes with a description that might change first impressions. Taken at Silverstream Valley near Dunedin on 28 December 1886, […]
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2516" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-1024x687.jpg" alt="" width="584" height="392" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-1024x687.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-300x201.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-768x515.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-1536x1031.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-2048x1375.jpg 2048w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2024/07/MS-4847_003_037a-447x300.jpg 447w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" /> There are many photographs of sombre-faced Victorians in the Hocken Collections, but few first-hand accounts of the circumstances and experiences surrounding their creation. A photo titled ‘Joes Cabin’ comes with a description that might change first impressions. Taken at Silverstream Valley near Dunedin on 28 December 1886, it is pasted into a trip diary of John Elder Moultray. A professional artist, born in Edinburgh, Moultray was in his early twenties. ‘Joe’ is identified as ‘Joe C – a man who works on the [water] Race’, with a cabin in the Silverstream Valley. On Christmas Day the two men shared hunting tales at Whare Flat. Moultray recorded: ‘As it was now getting late Joe left to go to his cabin and as I have promised to photograph not only it but himself wife and baby as well he is thoroughly delighted at the prospect of being took’. On 28 December, Moultray wrote: ‘Really and Truly this is actually a fine day. Now don’t look astonished but get your hat and come out? After breakfast I took the camera and went over to Joes to fulfil my promise. The sun shone brilliantly. The birds were chattering with spasmodic delight, …

Unearthing 19th Century New Zealand Photography
type: item
creator: Anna Blackman
date: 2023-04-27T04:18:16Z
subject: Historical photographs
subject: Photography
subject: Research
description: Tēnā koutou katoa, ko Scarlett Rogers tōku ingoa, nō Ōtepoti ahau. I am currently a student at the University of Otago and am doing my last paper to complete my Bachelor of Applied Science with a double major in History and Physical Education, Activity and Health. I have a passion for both the history of […]
encoded: Tēnā koutou katoa, ko Scarlett Rogers tōku ingoa, nō Ōtepoti ahau. I am currently a student at the University of Otago and am doing my last paper to complete my Bachelor of Applied Science with a double major in History and Physical Education, Activity and Health. I have a passion for both the history of Aotearoa and the outdoors, hence the combination of art and science within my degree. This summer (2022-2023) I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship from the Centre for Research on Colonial Culture (CRoCC), and Uare Taoka o Hākena Hockens Collections welcomed me as part of their team to carry out research. I was assigned to work with the Pictorial Department where I helped the Hocken Librarian with a publication that was being prepared in conjunction with an upcoming exhibition. This project is a collaboration between Uare Taoka o Hākena Hocken Collections, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand. When I was told I would be helping with a publication that involved all three of the above institutions, I felt like I had landed on a gold mine. This internship very quickly became a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for me as a student in the History department, who is very interested in both history and writing. My role within this project was to research and write a chronology from 1840 to 1899 that captured the rapid changes in photographic technology as well as society in Aotearoa in this period. Another focus was to approach the chronology from a Te Ao Māori lens. This aspect of the research was particularly important as it tied into the research CroCC covers. I was also assigned to write a glossary that focused on the key photographic terms covered in the book. Another aspect of my role was to attend the publication meetings and take minutes. These meetings were eye-opening because they gave me a sneak peek into the world of publishing. It was great to listen in on the creative c…

University of Otago colleges – a few flashbacks
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2023-02-23T00:50:22Z
subject: University of Otago
subject: 192 Castle College
subject: Aquinas College
subject: Arana College
subject: Caroline Freeman College
subject: Carrington College
subject: City College
subject: colleges
subject: halls of residence
subject: Hayward College
subject: Helensburgh House
subject: Knox College
subject: Selwyn College
subject: St Margaret's College
subject: students
subject: Studholme College
subject: Te Rangi Hiroa College
subject: Toroa College
subject: UniCol
subject: University College
description: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist With many students settling into their University of Otago colleges, here are some flashbacks to colleges and halls of residence back in the day. Many were captured for the university’s marketing and publicity purposes, others were formal records.
encoded: Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist With many students settling into their University of Otago colleges, here are some flashbacks to colleges and halls of residence back in the day. Many were captured for the university’s marketing and publicity purposes, others were formal records. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-2459" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/Selwyn-787x1024.jpg" alt="" width="584" height="760" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/Selwyn-787x1024.jpg 787w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/Selwyn-231x300.jpg 231w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/Selwyn-768x1000.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/Selwyn.jpg 922w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" /> Selwyn College tennis team 1972. Individuals unidentified. Morris Kershaw photograph, ref: 84-086/66. Hocken Collections – Uara Taoka o Hākena. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2447 size-full" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/23-61.jpg" alt="" width="912" height="602" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/23-61.jpg 912w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/23-61-300x198.jpg 300w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/23-61-768x507.jpg 768w, https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/23-61-454x300.jpg 454w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px" /> Toroa International House (now Toroa College) in 2001. Individuals unidentified. University of Otago Marketing and Communications Department, ref: MS-5249. Hocken Collections – Uara Taoka o Hākena. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-2460" src="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/St-Margarets-1024x767.jpg" alt="" width="584" height="437" srcset="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thehockenblog/files/2023/02/St-Margarets-1024x767.jp…

Stranger than Fiction: Split Enz at 50
type: item
creator: Hocken Collections
date: 2023-01-26T00:18:49Z
subject: Entertainment
subject: Exhibitions and events
subject: Music
subject: Popular culture
subject: Uncategorized
description: Post researched and written by Amanda Mills, Curator Music and AV Collections October 2022 marked 50 years since the formation of Split Enz, one of the most significant bands to emerge from New Zealand, and one which launched the careers of Tim and Neil Finn, Phil Judd, Noel Crombie, and Eddie Rayner. Before the ‘Enz’, […]
encoded: Post researched and written by Amanda Mills, Curator Music and AV Collections October 2022 marked 50 years since the formation of Split Enz, one of the most significant bands to emerge from New Zealand, and one which launched the careers of Tim and Neil Finn, Phil Judd, Noel Crombie, and Eddie Rayner. Before the ‘Enz’, they were ‘Ends’, with their original line-up of Brian (Tim) Finn, Phil Judd, Miles Golding, Mike Chunn, and Mike Howard – a five-piece who favoured acoustic folk-pop music. Idiosyncratic, creative and unique, they were unlike anything in the Aotearoa New Zealand music scene. Time, exposure, and evolving music styles meant their sound and image changed over the years, moving through art-rock, prog-rock and post-punk with a distinctive flair for stage (and costume) theatrics. Split Enz, 1975. [Unknown Otago Daily Times photographer]. 1975. P1998-028/01/20-001. Hocken Photographs Collection, Hocken Collections, Uare Taoka o Hākena. Permission to use kindly granted by Allied Press and Tim Finn. 1973 was a key year for Split Ends and began on January 6 with a performance at the Great Ngāruawāhia Music Festival. To say they weren’t the favourite act on the bill is an understatement. Split Ends were booed offstage by 18,000 Black Sabbath fans who did not appreciate their sound, which, according to Phil Judd was (at the time) a “lightweight, puny-sounding acoustic affair” (RNZ, 2005). The experience at Ngāruawāhia was disappointing, but the band were on a trajectory, recording early songs ‘Split Ends’ and ‘For You’ at Stebbings Studios before starting a New Zealand tour. The band line-up was also evolving: Mike Howard and Miles Golding exited the band and were replaced by Geoff Chunn on drums, and Wally Wilkinson on guitar. Honing their sound for the rest of the year, Split Ends’ spot on the New Faces television talent show cemented them as a band to watch, although they came second to last in the final – one judge told them they would be ‘too clever’ to suc…