UBD Pictorial Map: New Zealand Scenes

Colorful promotional pictorial map of New Zealand.

It can hardly be said that the focus of this map is on the map itself – a small, inauspicious political map of New Zealand showing basic information is surrounding by bold and colorful illustrations depicting various seasonal activities and natural beauty present in the country. On the verso are sixteen advertisements for businesses ranging from restaurants to zoos in and around the Auckland area, and there is a large blank area on the front of the map where a brand sticker or label can be affixed.

The focus on promotion and advertising is consistent with other Universal Business Directory publications, which began in New Zealand in the late 1930s and was based on the long history of British directory publications (essentially dated lists of commercial enterprises). The company still publishes directories today under the name “Universal Publishers” and is well known for it’s UBD-Gregory’s street directories in Australia.