The Goodnight Kiwi is an animated short which has been used to signal the end of nightly broadcasts on Television New Zealand channels. The Goodnight Kiwi features two characters: the eponymous Goodnight Kiwi (later also called TV Kiwi), and his companion, simply known as The Cat. The animation was introduced in 1975 on TV2, and used on South Pacific Television between 1976 and 1980. Between 1980 and 19 October 1994, the animation was screened again on TV2. This animation returned on 6 September 2007 for use on TVNZ 6 when the channel ended transmission at midnight. TVNZ U also used the Goodnight Kiwi at midnight before overnight service.
The short was animated by Sam Harvey (1923–2014),[1] with music arrangement by Bernie Allen and sound by Gary Potts.[2]
Three different clips have been used through time:
The first version of the clip was used when TV2 first signed off in 1975. In this version, the Kiwi was a director. The cartoon began with the Kiwi yawning in the director's chair. Kiwi wakes up the cat, while a few of broadcasting equipment move away. The Kiwi then goes to the back of the studio, cuts the power and turns on the outside lights. Then the Kiwi put the empty bottle and the cat outside, but without it knowing the cat goes outside again while Kiwi is waving to the audience. Following this, the Kiwi exits the studio, pulling down a shade revealing "GOODNIGHT FROM TV2". This version was thought to only exist in the form of small clips until TVNZ released it online for public viewing on 15 September 2016.[3]
The second version of the Goodnight Kiwi clip was used by South Pacific Television somewhere between 1976 and 1980 and saw the Goodnight Kiwi living in a television camera (his cat had disappeared). After dusting his camera, throwing a blanket on top of it, winking at the audience, and turning out the lights, the kiwi would close the side flaps on the camera and then the South Pacific Television logo (reading "GOOD NIGHT FROM SOUTH PACIFIC TELEVISION") would appear as the music faded out. This version was also thought to only exist in the form of small clips until TVNZ released this version to their YouTube channel on 4 November 2019. During transmission breakdowns, a still picture of the Goodnight Kiwi was often used, in poses including one of sweeping the floor and accidentally smashing one of the television monitors with a broom, or accidentally cutting a wire.
The third iteration appeared in 1980 and aired on both channels until 1989. The one-minute-long animation begins with Goodnight Kiwi and the Cat in the master control room. Kiwi shuts down the screens and starts an audio cassette playing an instrumental arrangement of the lullaby "Hine E Hine" by Fanny Howie, this is accompanied by a continuity announcer bidding goodnight to viewers, Kiwi walks through the studio while Cat jumps and pulls faces into a camera. Kiwi turns out the lights, puts an empty bottle on the porch and locks the door, while the cat heads upstairs to the studio roof. The Kiwi follows and rides an elevator (presumably just after it had been used by the cat) to the top of a transmission mast. At the top, Kiwi covers himself in blankets (in which the cat was already curled up) and goes to sleep in a satellite dish with the Cat sitting on his stomach. The animation closes with the words: "Goodnight from TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND".(untilThere was a slight variation of the ending – from 1989 onwards, the Goodnight Kiwi was only seen on Channel 2 (TV1 adopted its closedown sequence, featuring the National Anthem) and ended with a voiceover stating "it's goodnight from Channel 2" and displaying the Channel 2 logo. On 19th October of 1994, the last Goodnight Kiwi was broadcast on TV2. On the next day, TVNZ started to broadcast for 24 hours on both TV1 and TV2, so there was no need to use the Goodnight Kiwi cartoon anymore. The Goodnight Kiwi clip was used from 1980 to 1994 in its "first era". Later TVNZ revived The Goodnight Kiwi cartoon in 2007 and used to end programming on TVNZ 6 because the channel did not broadcast for 24 hours. The only difference between the original and the TVNZ 6 version was that the cartoon was displayed in 16:9, instead of 4:3, with some parts being cropped. There was also a lower third, which was displayed at the end of the cartoon. Lower third displayed: "Goodnight from TVNZ 6".
This same cartoon was also used for TVNZ 7, which displayed this same version as TVNZ 6, but with a lower third saying: "Goodnight from TVNZ 7". There was also a small alteration later on its final day, saying: "Goodbye from TVNZ 7". The Goodnight Kiwi was the last video ever played on this channel, as TVNZ 7 pulled the plug on June 30, 2012.
The animation, characters and music are regarded as part of New Zealand culture and icons of kiwiana.[4]
Eric Kearley, head of the TVNZ Digital Channel Launch team at the time, stated in a message board response that the Goodnight Kiwi would return to TV on Freeview on TVNZ 6 which began broadcasting on 6 September 2007 – a move which proved popular with New Zealand television viewers.[5] New Christmas animations featuring the Kiwi and Cat characters were introduced by TV One on 1 December 2008.
It was also the final clip played on TVNZ 7, with the message "Goodbye from TVNZ 7", before the station was shut down at midnight on 30 June 2012, and converted to TV One Plus 1 (now TVNZ 1 +1), a 1-hour delayed broadcast of TV One (now TVNZ 1).
In 2019, the Kiwi returned once more as a TV series. The Goodnight Kiwi Stories featured prominent New Zealanders – including PM Jacinda Ardern – reading children's books in English and/or te reo Māori to help kids get to sleep. The show is only available on TVNZ+ (formerly TVNZ OnDemand).[6]
There is a Matariki television special, Kiwi and Cat: Mānawātia a Matariki, where Kiwi and Cat learn about the stars of Matariki. The special features guest cameos.[7]