This badge is both a memorial and an acknowledgement of a significant legacy in education in Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Such badges are a particularly important part of remembrance culture among Pacific communities, and are sometimes worn on lanyards around the neck.

Te Papa (GH018458) The Fiery Canoe: Teresia Teaiwa (1968–2017)īadges are an effective way to carry a tiny portrait of a loved one near one’s heart. Gift of Bridget Mahy and Penny Mahy, 2021. Scarf knitted by Bridget Mahy, New Zealand. Scarf with badges and charms attached, 1980–90s. Most of Mahy’s scarf badges testify to her life with books, but they also hint at other interests, including two fan badges for the World Wrestling Federation stars Ravishing Rick Rude and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Not surprisingly, they celebrate the power of books.Ī Scholastic book badge simply states “Reading counts”, and other badges encourage people to “Be a read-a saurus”, “Make a book date” and “Buzz to your library” they announce that “Books are bewitching”, “take you higher” and that “Happiness is a good book”.Ī host of well-loved children’s characters also populate the scarf, from Lewis Carroll’s Alice and Beatrix Potter’s Mrs Tiggy-Winkle to Jill Marshall’s “sensational spylet” Jane Blonde, and the elusive smiling lion from Mahy’s own children’s classic A Lion in the Meadow. The scarf bears the many badges that Mahy picked up during her travels. Margaret Mahy (1936–2012), the celebrated author of books for children and young adults, wore this badge adorned scarf when she gave readings in schools and libraries. These excerpts are a few of our favourite, from the literary to the land march. Stephanie Gibson and Claire Regnault’s new book is a treasure trove of Aotearoa history, people and place, told through the medium of the badge.

A lion in the meadow by margaret mahy