Narrating Multiculturalism: Lydia Ko, Model Minorities, and the Mediated Kiwi Sporting Nation

This article explores the New Zealand media narrativization of Korean-born New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko. We excavate how Ko is mediated in a way that informs “narratives of nation”—by which journalists can stimulate a nation's self-image. First, we outline debates regarding media constructions of multiculturalist sporting nationalism, and representation of minority Asian athletes. We then contextualize Lydia Ko's emergence and presence as a prolific golfer. Third, we detail our approach to narrative analysis. Fourth, we analyze New Zealand media across 11 years from 2011 to 2022. Early coverage narrates Ko as an immigrant-outsider and questions her national allegiance. Subsequently, she is embraced as a “kiwi” in ways that both evoke longstanding national archetypes, and invokes new themes of an inclusive, tolerant nation. A “model minority” narrative recurs as Ko is taken as both a symbol of desirable “Asian” immigration, and an exemplary embodiment of a tolerant, progressive New Zealand. We discuss these themes in the context of New Zealand's contemporary nationhood debates.