There is no shortage of thought-provoking analysis in this beautifully presented book.
There are numerous stunning and evocative photographs, but it is the blend of history and theory which makes it a fascinating read. How did black become the default colour of New Zealand? Did the nation choose the colour,
or the colour shape the nation? Why is it that so much of New Zealand film and fiction is said to brooding, dark and uneasy?
And why black? Black is the colour of mourning, of grief and despair, of menace and intimidation (think bikie gangs, movie villains), of evil. It is certainly not the colour of gaiety.
On the positive side, it can be the colour of legal authority (judges), of priests and other religious people, of top people in business and it definitely has a role in chic and elegant fashion.
Various theories are advanced as to how it all came about, some more convincing than others. They range from simple serviceability (think Fred Dagg), to relative poverty and prosperity, to colonial cringe and emergence from colonial cringe, and even to Queen Victoria wearing black mourning garb for decades.
All of these theories probably played a part. But I suspect the main reason may be a rather more simple and obvious one - emulating the colour of the successful national rugby team.
