Abstract

"New Zealand Banking Iconography in London: Co-Creating Wealth In The Context Of Colonalism and the British Empire"

Lucy Newton, Henley Business School (l.a.newton@henley.ac.uk)

This paper investigates the representations of people, place and community in banking and the co-creation of wealth in the British Empire. We focus, specifically, on the New Zealand (Aotearoa) banks, which were based in London as part of their formation in the nineteenth century. New Zealand was founded in 1841 as a settler colony in the British Empire. Its establishment resulted in the exclusion of the Polynesians, who had created a distinctive Māori identity there. New Zealand became a dominion in the British Empire in 1907 and it gained independence in 1947. While New Zealand remains a Commonwealth country and retains links to London, several banks moved out of their London offices in the second half of the twentieth century. Despite such changes, structural inequalities also remain in society.

We examine the iconography used in architecture and the artefacts displayed in these buildings to represent the New Zealand bank in London. London-based New Zealand banks had the dual task of representing their community in New Zealand, but also appealing to Eurocentric society there. They acted as agents of empire; building connections to co-create wealth for those in the colony (and later dominion) and also in London, as a global financial center. New Zealand banks had much choice in the design of their organization but also its iconography. Were the London offices headquarters rather than overseas branches? Should the bank build offices in London and adopt design specific iconography and motifs? Or move into existing buildings with a well established social capital? These choices — and the decision leave these buildings — said much about the bank’s chosen identity and who it sought (or not) to represent. To answer these questions about banking communities and financial inclusion, the paper uses photographs and artwork, archival material and popular material from the London press.