Upper Hutt resident Rachael Ayling is amped for the city's Bogan Day Out festival. Video / Mark Mitchell
Upper Hutt is hosting the first annual Bogan Day Out festival at Brewtown on Saturday.
The city has embraced its bogan roots, with a temporary “Welcome to Bogan Town” sign approved by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Resident Rachael Ayling will be attending and is looking forward to having some beers and watching the chilli-eating contest.
Rachael Ayling grew up in a converted army shed, drives a Holden Commodore, has a wardrobe full of black clothing and is amped about Upper Hutt officially being transformed into “Bogan Town”.
“You can take the girl out of Upper Hutt but you can’t take Upper Hutt out of the girl,” she says.
The city is hosting the Bogan Day Out festival this weekend at Brewtown, where punters have been told to prepare for a wild ride of barbecue, trucks, chilli eating, live music and “all the bogan fun you can handle”.
The New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi has even approved temporarily changing the sign at the city’s entrance to read “Welcome to Bogan Town”.
The new welcome sign to Upper Hutt. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ayling said being from Upper Hutt “gives you that badge” of being a bogan.
However, she didn’t necessarily identify with being a bogan until people pointed a few things out to her.
“The cars, people wearing black, the jeans, having beers after work and catching up with mates, music, definitely music. It’s a bit of a lifestyle without even realising it.”
Ayling admitted to wearing animal print in her 20s but now her wardrobe is mostly black.
She said mullets suited some people, but when it came to flannel: “Stop wearing it.”
Ayling has an extensive collection of black shoes and handbags that match her black Holden Commodore and black Staffordshire bull terrier, Gaffy.
Rachael Ayling with Gaffy. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Her dad is a panel beater and has fixed several dents in the car. She would quite like to get the windows tinted at some stage.
Her parents raised her in an old army shed they turned into a home, complete with a snooker table and a bar.
“We had lots of parties growing up, friends over all the time, barbecues all the time - it was a really cool upbringing.”
Ayling will be attending the Bogan Day Out festival on Saturday and was happy to spot a Lion Brown Lounge as part of the lineup.
“It’s my birthday on the day so I’ll be catching up with some mates - hopefully, it’s nice and sunny - and having some beers. I’m interested to watch the chilli eating contest.”
Dr Dave Snell will be speaking at Whirinaki Whare Taonga this weekend about the history of bogans.
Asked to define a bogan, he said it was usually someone from the working class who listened to metal and rock music.
“If you think of the biggest bogan centres in New Zealand, you’re talking about West Auckland, Waikato and Upper Hutt. Those are pretty working-class areas.
“I did have someone in my book, a bogan in Auckland, who said that the term bogan is just so the rest of New Zealand could feel like they’re a Westie.”
Up to 5000 people are expected to attend the Bogan Day Out festival. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“Boganism” was almost an extreme form of Kiwi identity, Snell said.
“If you think about boganism as easygoing, having a barbecue and a beer with your mates ... there’s a bit of bogan in everyone.”
He suggested this was why bogan culture was so enduring in New Zealand.
While Upper Hutt is celebrating its bogan roots, it is also changing, with new offerings like Brewtown attracting big gigs from the likes of Six60 and Fat Freddy’s Drop.
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said Brewtown was now an integral part of the city’s tapestry, providing a significant boost for the local economy.
Brewtown operations manager Phil Gorman, who lives in Upper Hutt and proudly sports a mullet, said it was the first time he had seen something draw so many visitors to the city.
“Upper Hutt has always been looked upon as Wellington’s poor cousin. Heck, even Lower Hutt’s poor cousin!
“But the addition of Brewtown has absolutely elevated the city into a unique destination within the Wellington region. In all my memories of living here, we’ve never had anything quite like this.”
Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.
