The award-winning authors of this small book with a big heart delve into Te Papa's collections of over 1600 badges to examine how New Zealanders have used badges to join, belong, resist, defy and celebrate. From protest groups and Girl guides to sports clubs, animal breeds, tino rangatiratanga and suffrage, there has been a pin for almost every New Zealand cause and endeavour. Through different themes, they explore what we've worn over the years and why, and New Zealanders' passion for badges, for 'joining and belonging'. With a lively text and a wide range, this is accessible social history at its best.

For a small, peaceful democracy in the South Pacific, New Zealand has had its fair share of major protest issues, and over the decades New Zealanders have become adept at mobilising around causes. From protest about war - be it the New Zealand Wars, the Great War, the Vietnam War or the invasion of Iraq - to trade union action, protests against apartheid and nuclear ship visits, protest for the rights of women and LGBTQI people, protests for better race relations and to protect the environment, and protest to save key services and protect heritage, Aotearoa New Zealand has a long legacy of activism. This richly illustrated book brings together the objects made by protesters to proclaim and symbolise their causes and their struggles. From banners to badges, t-shirts to teatowels, posters to photographs, it is a vivid reflection of 250 years of resistance and persistence.