A lovely cake tin made from Number 8 Wire
Number 8 Wire is, literally, a gauge of steel wire, popularly used in rural fencing. That’s fences around paddocks, not two gay farmers fighting each other with floppy swords.
But in New Zealand, the phrase, like other local oddities (women’s rubgy, Invercargill, our tender, ‘hands on’ approach to animal husbandry), has a deeper, more spiritual connection with the land.
Allow me to explain.
Apart from a few notable exceptions, historically, New Zealand has always been last in the queue when it comes to importing vital industrial materials, tools and technology (also fashion and attractive immigrants). Lack of proper equipment in the early days fostered in Kiwi blokes a knack for ‘getting shit done’ using whatever basic materials were readily and easily available to them at the time. In a country with 60 million sheep to fence in (and 10,000 natives to fence out) the most abundant of these materials was Number 8 Wire.
Out of this history grew the myth of the Number 8 Wire mentality (aka Kiwi ingenuity): that New Zealanders, particularly the men, are practical, lateral-thinking, problem-solving types, capable of inventing, or fixing, anything1 with whatever junk they have lying around in the garden shed.
It is no surprise that this concept first became popular during the late 1980s, coinciding with season one of the hit US television show, MacGyver.
And while most talk up Number 8 Wire mentality as a positive aspect of Kiwi culture, others argue that it is merely putting a brave face and positive spin on our cultural and industrial isolation – that New Zealand would be economically much better off if we had just imported, and learned how to use, the proper equipment in the first place. Like some fuck-off big Seimens heavy machinery. Or a few Japanese robots.
Because while it may get you from A to B, the rest of the world has shown an annoying, but not all together surprising, lack of desire to drive a car, fly a plane, or use a computer made out of thin loops of steel fencing.
1. Note this does not include emotional problems
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Thanks
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A formidable share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a little bit analysis on this. And he in reality bought me breakfast as a result of I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you turn into expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more details? It is highly helpful for me. Big thumb up for this blog post!
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Cheers
Grant is right about the photo – Number 8 wire is much thicker than that. It’s the stuff you see on really old saggy fences, not the thinner high-tensile wire that’s used for fences these days.
Lol, funny post dude
I haven’t checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I’ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend
There is “duct tape” here.
Although, as with most things, it’s too expensive to use. We went to buy a roll, $45.
Unbelievable!
http://www.mitre10mega.co.nz/shop/paint_decorating/paint_tools/norton_pvc_duct_tape_48mm_x_30m_364267/?result=1&sid=1
$10…..where the hell do you shop?
Bunnings. Yup, it’s true. I was amazed also. Just goes to show that you’ve got to be very careful or you’ll be had. Way too much of the opportunistic retailing. Now this was for a full roll, the kind that usually only goes for $5. Must be something new here, it has been used elsewhere for years.
Also, I don’t look at the cheap stuff “Made in China”, that’s immitation. I was looking for “real” duct tape, 3M and it was $45.
http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/catalog/product/3M-1910C-Silver-Utility-Duct-Tape?SKU=1068358
$6. I suggest you stop complaining about things that don’t warrant it.
Did you look at “country of origin”?
Other stuff that is disproportionaly expensive; paint, glass.
$6 may buy some crappy, faux version of some form of duct tape. If you’ve never been exposed to the “real McCoy” I’d suggest that you’re unaware of what quality is and you’ve learned to settle for mediocrity. Warehouse quality is known to be suspect.
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“An lovely cake..” that Bad England!
And that doesn’t even look like a coil of number 8 wire, it looks more like stuff you get from the $2 shop. Get a better photo of ‘real’ #8!
Grant.
Don’t you guys have gaffa tape out there?
Yes, but we only use that for it’s intended purpose: armed robberies.
Gaffer Tape: Used for turning ‘no no no’ into ‘mmmffg mmmfggg ggguhuh’
Yeah, try gagging hostages with Number 8 wire, that’s not pretty or clever.
Number 8 wire is REAL good for handcuffs though…