The high spot of New Zealand culture is mostly mutton, roast lamb if you’re lucky.
A few days ago Travel MSN UK published a list of the Most Boring Places on Earth.
It was based on feedback from users of the site’s message board, readers were asked which places they thought were the dullest on the planet. “Home” came first in the first 4 locations, understandable because afterall this is a travel site, Brits aren’t shy of saying what they think about their own backyards under such circumstances.
The readers’ first placed foreign destination, New Zealand, may come as a surprise to a few but not to others. The country has long aspired to be the premier destination for cashed-up adrenaline junkies, how can it be boring? Interestingly it’s not just travellers that responded to the survey but migrants living in New Zealand too.
“…And so to perhaps one of the most surprising entries on the world’s most boring places list. The filming of the Lord of the Rings in New Zealand must have roughly quadrupled the number of British people who fantasise about the country as a place of mystery and beauty to which they long to escape.
Should they do so, however, they may find they have underestimated the (large) extent to which sheep outnumber humans in the country.
“We moved to New Zealand for a change of lifestyle,” says Richard Fromage, one of several users disillusioned with the twin Antipodean islands. “We certainly got it: we felt like we’d moved into semi-retirement.”Another user calls the country “dull“, with a “pompous” population who enjoy a “boring lifestyle“. Yet another observes: “All you ever get from the Kiwis is how beautiful it is.” So why are they all in the UK, he asks.
Yet Lalua is probably speaking for many when she says: “I lived in New Zealand for a year and thought it was very beautiful and the locals warm and friendly.”
But this is nothing new. Travel journalists have been taking their professional lives in their hands and saying New Zealand is boring for some years.
In 2002 Round the World Netjetter “Ellie” caused an absolute uproar when she described New Zealand in the Guardian newspaper as “One of the dullest places on earth.” It quickly earned her the title of “public enemy number one” within New Zealand and even prompted a rebuttal from the tourism minister of the day. This is what she said that caused so much offence to so many:
Nice hills and rivers don’t hide the fact that NZ is one of the dullest places on earth
“Describing travelling in New Zealand, I feel like the woman who swallowed a thesaurus in an incident described as tragic, awful, calamitous, disastrous and lamentable. There are lots of ways to describe the country, but it all boils down to the same thing: it’s pretty. The Marlborough Sounds? Well, yes, they’re beautiful. Fjordland? Dramatic. The glaciers? Remarkable. The mountains? Impressive. Waterfalls? Sensational.
What about the landscape, surroundings, terrain and views? Oh yes, they’re all charming, dazzling, lovely, spectacular and striking. And they are. But nice hills and rivers don’t hide the fact that New Zealand is essentially one of the dullest places on earth.
Take the Tranzscenic railway which runs from Greymouth to Christchurch. It is touted as one of the world’s best train journeys. And while New Zealand remains as far away from most other countries as it is, Kiwis can probably convince themselves that this is true. But really, it’s no nicer than that scenic bit in Staffordshire that British trains go through when they head north.
While Helen Clark, the country’s prime minister, was in the UK trying to convince Britons that New Zealand is dynamic and ready for the 21st century, I was touring some of the cities here. Wellington, the capital city, has a population half the size of that of Luxembourg. Auckland, with over a million people, is supposed to be a cosmopolitan city. Nearly a third of the people in New Zealand live there. But a bustling city it certainly isn’t.
One of the most frequently heard compliments about the country is that the people are friendly. They are, actually, but alas, friendly doesn’t equal interesting. No wonder so many Kiwis spend years working for minimal wages in bars and pubs across the UK. I would too, if it was the only way to get away. The national bird is flightless and even the national fruit was brought here from somewhere else – China, in fact. Even New Zealand-born Russell Crowe has just applied for an Australian passport.
It’s not that New Zealand isn’t pleasant. As I’ve said, parts of it are very nice to look at indeed. It just lacks something. Personality, perhaps? The prettiest part of the country is the west coast of the South Island, which plays host to the Franz Josef and the Fox glaciers. I took a helicopter ride to a point on the Fox glacier where, kitted out with hobnailed boots, crampons and a walking stick, I hiked on the ice for a couple of hours. Because the glacier moves new paths and footholds have to be cut every day but, as this was the luxury helicopter hike, someone else did that for me.
The glacier can actually move up to 4m a day, surprisingly quick for New Zealand where “no worries” and “chill out” are regular refrains. “This hole is several hundred metres deep,” said Ricky, the guide, pointing to a crack in the ice. I promptly dropped my sunglasses down it. This was the second pair to go, the first having committed suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Apart from the scenery, there are two things New Zealanders are proud of: Lord of the Rings, and being reigning champions of the America’s Cup. Actually, make that three. New Zealand is also proud of being a nuclear-free zone. But this is one of the things the London Borough of Hackney boasts about, and you wouldn’t want to spend three weeks touring Dalston, would you?
“I was in Lord of The Rings,” said Dave, my bus driver. “I was one of the army fighting the Orcs in part two.” We were driving through Twizel, a village on the South Island. “This here,” said Dave, “was part of Middle Earth.”
Ask a New Zealander to tell you something interesting about their country and after hesitating for several minutes, they’ll probably come up with the America’s Cup. For the uninitiated, this is a yacht race. As Team New Zealand are the reigning champions, a whole harbourside development in Auckland has been built on the America’s Cup theme. “Look, there are our boys out on the water, practising,” said the guide on my dolphin-spotting expedition. “Now all turn round and bow to them. They are our heroes.”
The country has been living off this piece of sporting success for years, and probably will continue to do so for years to come. Which would be rather like the Brits still basking in the glory of their 1966 World Cup victory. Something we’d never do, surely?”
Here are some fairly typical responses from the NZ public to her critique of “God Zone”
- “NZ lacks personality? You wouldn’t know “personality” if it bit you on the arse, I’m afraid. All I can say is that it’s high-and-mighty, jealous attitudes like yours which lost Britain its Empire!”
- “For sure, New Zealand is a very small country, but for such a small and dull country we still manage to beat you in the recent cricket test and we often beat you by large and memorable scores in the rugby. Sure, our native bird may be flightless but you are wrong about the kiwifruit. See – we New Zealanders are interesting people.”
- “It’s a pity that you felt so bored in “Godzone”. We certainly must be dull: we have no terrorists attacking us, no children being attacked by mobs and killed in front of housing estates and we enjoy a pretty fair amount of racial harmony for a country with such a diverse ethnic population. We also do not have to step over young men with dogs selling the Big Issue on the streets because they don’t have a home to go to, most of us don’t have to commute for ages just to get to work, and we don’t get frozen in our moderate winters. We may indeed be dull for loving a lifestyle that can be found nowhere else on earth. If so, good on us!”
We are wondering what will happen when the news of the Travel MSN UK survey gets out!
See also:
The History of the Kiwi Fruit – Wikipedia
See also blog posts New Zealand’s problems with:
Crime
Child Poverty
Homeless People
Tourist Attacks
Armed Robberies
Racism
And
That’s cold – exposing the myth about a sub tropical New Zealand
Migrants’ Tales: First hand accounts of migrant life in New Zealand.
Today’s posts – click here
E2NZ.org 
New Zealand is both boring and violent. Sounds like a paradox until you realise that they drink and brawl to escape the facts of poverty and nothing to do.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8860560/Victim-was-reading-in-bed-when-stabbed Victim was reading in bed when stabbed
“A 21-year-old man was reading a book in bed and munching on a bag of potato chips when he was stabbed in the face and throat by an intruder who had sneaked into his home. The man spent the weekend in hospital after being repeatedly stabbed with a kitchen knife on Friday, allegedly by a mental health patient who had escaped his minders.It is understood the 22-year-old patient was being transported from a Mash Trust mental health provider in Karori Rd to the mental health in-patient unit at Wellington Hospital.”
[Don’t troll (other places and Kool-Aid). Admin]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10894019 “Police say a man who was holed up inside a Taupo house and believed to have had access to a firearm is now in custody. At 9.30pm last night a woman turned up at a police station to report a domestic assault, leading police to try to make contact with a man in the house on Rangitera Street, Taupo.”
Forgot to say…. This page has actually cheered me up a bit. Knowing that it’s not just me.
Like the user above I googled ‘Auckland is boring’ in the hope people would convince me otherwise…
I have moved to Auckland (for a short time) and can’t wait to leave. There is just nothing to do here! It’s not as if you feel safe here either. A lot of people roaming the streets are VERY intimidating and vocal to boot. At night you walk down some places and feel like you will be pounded upon. Now i’m from London, so it’s not as if i’m from some little village, but even in London at night in busy places, you feel safe because there are so many people having a good time. Here you get loud, intimidating idiots who put you un-at-ease.
Anyway I could ignore that, but what do people do here??? I honestly don’t know. For a city of one million people, there is nothing to do, nowhere to go…
I understand why… lack of culture, being so far away from everything, winter (with no christmas to look forward do in winter, it’s pretty much boredom central).
I often find myself wishing there was more to do, Auckland is a pretty boring place to live but we moved here so that when we have kids they can grow up in a safer environment. GB is dirty in places, yeah some people are racist and yeah some people haven’t got time to help others, like in NZ. BUT. On a bank holiday weekend I never found myself googling Britain is Boring….I just googled Auckland is Boring, hoping that I had missed something and there was in fact loads to do to keep you occupied…and there isn’t, there just isn’t anything happening anywhere…… Nice scenery, Nice people….but very very boring. Not surprised the only young people who live in Auckland are foreigners, all young Kiwis moved out to find some excitement!!!
I agree auckland is very boring, move to wellington, an amazing city
Another thing that I would like to mention is that NZ is also a very PC (politically correct) place where you actually can’t put the hard word on people when they have digressed and committed bad blunders.The culture of cringing political correctness drives me nuts. It is a horrible thing that is “dangerous,” as it hampers freedom of thought and expression. Proponents(mostly radical liberals) of political correctness turn the world into language and culture by controlling the words we use – by defining the limits of acceptability of the meanings of certain words and ideas that we use.
Binge drinking is a culture to them…The culture in general is barely existent.Go All Blacks…..and beer.They are generally passive-aggressive, superficially polite, drunk(binge drinking culture), and insular. Kiwis cannot stand criticism of any kind. Maori do receive preferential treatment to non-Maori. NZ also has one of the highest rates of domestic violence, youth suicide and child abuse for developed countries. The justice system is soft on criminals! I have heard of cases of murder where the perpetrator gets away with 10 years prison sentence and many other assault and robbery cases where the perpetrator does community service instead of a lengthy jail sentence. Unfortunately, the radical liberals are always jumping on the bandwagon to give violent criminals/thugs a second chance all because in the name of human rights…. I’m a staunch pro-death penalty advocate for murderers. Anyway, i don’t want to get into a political debate on that.
I live in Auckland and I cannot wait to leave. I am bored out of my mind and I hope the next 2 years race by…what a waste though! The best way for me to put it is that I felt alive and content in the USA and SA, and here in NZ I feel like a doormat!
Don’t get me wrong though…. NZ has some nice places and a few other nice things that I can’t think of right now, but it is way oversold!
The PC takes some strange forms, so you have this mix of backwater redneck attitudes like men refusing to do housework + progressive pretensions like transgender MPs. Strange-as.
I wonder if the “men refusing to do housework” is because they get verbally told off by the women not to help with the cooking or the cleaning.
The times I ate at others’ homes, it was a very frequent occurrence that I was told/shown the kind of actions BY THE WOMEN/GIRLS demonstrating the idea “Men don’t know a thing about cooking or cleaning, and they’ll just get in the way”.
It’s certainly odd, relations between the genders there.
I know that I held my own with some of the dishes I cooked … did get asked for seconds 🙂
Well, I look forward to the day I can leave. I have lived here for over 3 years and they have been 3 of the most boring, depressing and lonely years of my life. I lived in Fort Lauderdale, USA for 4 years and then I went back to the ‘motherland’ South Africa to see if I could make it work and try and ‘brush’ off the crime issue, but my wife and I decided to leave SA for ‘greener’ pastures and so I headed to the clean, green & adventurous NZ…more like propaganda! Anyway, I fell for it. I was in Wellington for a year and as soon as we got our residency I had to leave because my partner was also suffering from a mild dose of depression and boredom and the worst weather that I have ever encountered in my life. We booked our first tickets out of the place back to my country lifestyle in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It felt wonderful to be back home, to be close to family, and to soak up the great weather…We just felt alive again! Well, we couldn’t stay there forever, so we decided to come back to not lose our residency and also the crime situation and job prospects for a young white male in South Africa are few and far between. If it wasn’t for the crime and political situation in South Africa, I highly doubt we would have ever left the place to come to NZ.
Another major disappointment for me is the lack of wildlife in New Zealand. Going for hikes or doing anything outdoors, I noticed that the forest(bush) had minimal birds and wildlife. It felt like a place that is completely devoid of any wildlife. I know that most native species are threatened, endangered and extinct because of the NZ people and government waking up a little to late to try and conserve what they had left. Their poor conservation efforts has resulted in the demise of most native species in NZ. What a shame! All they have now is a forest that is overrun with with invasive species of both fauna and flora.
NZ small towns are soulless and dead, it’s not pleasant walking around any town, there was nothing much to see or do. When my wife and I did a few road trips around the North island, I didn’t see any nice towns or villages compared to the towns in Italy and Brazil that were full of life and culture! It was cold, damp (most of the time wet), dreary, boring and so called ‘clean & green’ That’s must be the joke of the century. Cost of living in NZ is a complete rip off. Renting a decent one bedroom apartment in Auckland will set you back R400 a week which is insane compared to what I used to pay in the USA and SA. Food prices are way too high! The beaches are not that great and the weather in Auckland is terrible.
Don’t get me wrong, NZ has some nice places, but it is way oversold. I typically advise people that NZ has simply perfected their marketing. I might sound very negative and full of it, but remember this is just my opinion. New Zealand does have it’s + compared to South Africa in that the crime rate is low especially violent crime, minimal corruption within the government compared to the ANC, less materialistic and also no poverty stricken areas when compared to SA.
My wife is studying and after 2 years we will be leaving. There is no way we could ever live here. It is just a stepping stone even though the last 3 and half years feel like a complete waste of time. I’m getting older and with every year that goes by I keep asking myself why on earth I ever went through with it…The best answer I could come up with was the political and crime situation in SA pushed me to pack up and head overseas. If I had it my way I would of stayed in the USA. I felt alive and well there!
Anyway, it is what is for now. I must just be grateful! 😉
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now was once among the things you only hoped for.”
― Epicurus
As a 20 year old born and raised Kiwi I have always been pretty frustrated at how there’s nothing to do here. Yes it’s true that people seem to have nothing better to do than get drunk, stoned and/or have sex, although I don’t think it’s much different in Britain. I’ve been looking for places to live, definitely not anywhere in Europe and especially not GB purely because my opinion of it is that it’s dirty, overcrowded and I’ve been told the people will snap at you if you merely ask them for directions.
I’d definitely love to live in America. Even the small towns seem to be more exciting than Auckland. The house prices here are rising, and I’ve heard even places in California are cheaper to rent than here. America is the place I’d want to raise my kids, I don’t want my kids doing drugs and screwing randoms like kids do here.
Australia is not a place I’d want to live…it’s droughts in one place floods in another. The racism is awful over there and I’d not want to be associated with racist people. The job sector isn’t great unless you want to live and work in a dull mining community. But it is close to NZ, and my family aren’t going anywhere, so if I was on the other side of the world I know they’d probably be unhappy about it.
I do appreciate NZ for my childhood, it was a great place to grow up. But it’s kind of like a large scale retirement village, it’s very safe – no dangerous animals, no guns, etc.
But in your 20’s till middle age you don’t really want safe. You want excitement, and adventure. NZ doesn’t have ENOUGH of it.
Be honest, most people today want everything handed to them on a plate. That includes entertainment. God forbid if you have to get off your bum and actually make an effort to be entertained like you do in NZ’s outdoors. Beats sitting inside half your life drinking, smoking and watching the telly
I agree with the writer. NZ is dull. It lacks history, and when i mean history, where are all your palaces, halls and castles? The weather might be mild but its bloody wet over there. I prefer more defined seasons. Rugby is the dullest sport on the planet. So if you like lazing on a beach, surfing and drinking beer its perfect. But if you want somewhere with more than just natural beauty, like history, cities, culture, more sport than just rugby, traditions then maybe GB isn’t that bad after all.
As a born and raised Kiwi, I can testify:
NZ is dull, boring, no drama no excitement no opportunites. Old people should come to retire and kids should go through schooling here but that’s about it. There is no grand life to be had here.
I live in NZ for 1 year and a half and could not agree more. NZ is probably one of the few places on Earth that you can do surfing, climbing, and snowboarding in one day. However, there is not cultural activities going on. I’m not saying the country does no have culture, I’m saying that if you want to listen a concert during summer time (there isn’t). Good band’s going to NZ for tour (there isn’t). And the list goes on.
As an Asian immigrant living in NZ for 25 years my response is that a lot of what she says about NZ is unfortunately true and kiwi’s should try to accept it and not get offended.
NZ is a hard place to live in in terms of working and earning money. A lot of daily goods are expensive and wages for most people apart from the few rich are low. Yet kiwi’s love to compare themselves to a “western or european” country. I think its a bit of a joke since NZ is so isolated in the pacific, has not much of a manufacturing industry and it survives on dairy products.
Also although it seems to think of itself as a diverse and multicultural country, the attitude of white people in NZ is disturbing at times as they show racism towards Asians and other groups but they seem to forget that without the trade with Asia they would be living in the 50’s.
There are close to 200,000 kiwi’s living in Australia because NZ’s economy is so hollow you can see the big frowning kiwi’s face on the otherside. 🙂
Also yes it is a nice place to raise up kids but its not the only place. There are a lot of gang’s in NZ and they threaten society and the justice system is at times disturbing with its sentencing. These are facts about NZ, end of the day the hills and nature were here long before white people came here.
It has nothing to do with “nationalistic pride”. Having lived and done business in Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand over the last 25 years, I can honestly say I have found (compared to NZ) far more racist countries (Japan especially, Australia a close second), far poorer wages and employee exploitation (Thailand and Indonesia), far worse housing standards (Japan again), far higher cost of living (Japan), much higher tax rates and business compliance costs (all of the above). I have come across just as many uneducated, willfully globally ignorant, unaware, totally unambitious numwits (both locals and ex-pats) in the above countries as I have in NZ (probably more-so in Australia and Japan especially!).
Yet I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in all the above locations. It’s not about having money, its about the effort you put in. It doesn’t cost anything to walk into an art gallery and converse with the owner or other patrons. It doesn’t cost much at all on a free Sunday to just get on to the next bus/train that arrives and see where it takes you. It doesn’t cost to head down the local sports grounds on a Saturday and just cheer on whatever teams are playing whatever sports, and its fun and you never know who you might meet.
Of course NZ can improve in all the above areas. We have our fair share of bigots, racists, misogynists, rip off artists, and any other ts you can think of. But if you think it’s boring here, or as Daniel said above “same shit day in day out”, then the issue is with you, because you choose to do the “same shit day in day out”. Nobody is forcing you to do “same shit day in day out”!! You choose to! The simple fact is that if you relocate elsewhere in order to escape yourself (“do a geographical”), you will soon find your boring attitude catching up with you.
Well those are some good points you bring up and you are right that every place is what you make of it but every place is different and has its good points and not so good points. New Zealand is a spectacular country with undeniable beauty and the people are what make it so unique but it obvious that a place lacks in a few things if you have to use your imagination everywhere you go.
Nothing to do eh? Boring huh? Yep, that will be the comment coming from all those who have spent their lives being “entertained” by others; those who lack the imagination and inspiration to go out and create their own enjoyment, and who feel soooo let down when others do not leap to their instant assistance in providing entertainment (or perhaps they can’t work out how to use the remote down here?).
Every place is what you make of it. If you can’t find something fun to do, if you can’t find people to have an intelligent discussion with, if you can’t appreciate a ripping band on a Friday night, if you fail to see some of the fantastic artists, then I suggest it is your attitude that is the issue, not the location.
I could make the same criticisms posted here about all the countries I have lived in if I sat on my arse and expected life to be fed to me on a spoon.
Nothing like travel to narrow the mind eh?
You get a “good on ya” for national pride.
But the truth is: NZ is boring.
Most folks do not have income that will aford them the freedom to be able to; travel, sightsee, do any of the touristy things, dine out, entertainment, or any of a multitude of other things.
Kind of like financial shackles.
The cold and wet could be overlooked/dealt with as is the case in many other colder and wetter climates, except that the housing is NOT built for the conditions.
So, you freeze in your uninsulated house, unable to go out and see/do any thing.
Not my idea of a “good time”.
When I use my imagination, I imagine I’m somewhere else.
What could be done to improve the experience for you? When I was a child if I complained I was bored I was promptly instructed to find something interesting to do. Probably not a parenting option for the last fifteen years. However, it’s clear that you’re not happy. As your default “hosts”, is it possible for us (New Zealanders) to do anything to help? Can we make it less boring? Would you like some assistance finding alternative accommodation? Or if a move isn’t possible perhaps there are affordable options to insulate that haven’t been explored yet? Taking on board the comment about accepting feedback: what is it that you’d like us to provide?
I am a born Kiwi and I now live in Australia, and I know where I would much rather live. I happen to agree with many of the immigrants who have posted on this page. No matter how often Kiwis try to deny it, it cannot be denied that New Zealand is a very boring place that lacks so much. I think New Zealand is a beautiful country and generally most of the people a friendly but as a whole it is a country that lacks character and life is a lot more slower there so it doesn’t take long to get bored. It is a drug fueled nation filled with people with no aspirations. The residents live a dull patterned life and this doesn’t seem to change, The weather is always damp and cold apart from perhaps a months worth of sunshine in the summer. I don’t know any kiwis who have ever bungy jumped or skiid at any of the mountains which surround the country, Instead they have to work 5 days a week on minimum wage trying to keep a living. That is those with jobs that is. The youth here re dying as they have no real sense of direction. Those that do progress have no other aspirations but to work overseas, particularly places like england and Australia.
I am so happy I have made the move to Australia. The weather here is so much warmer, the people are much happier and friendlier. There is a vast range of things to see and do. You can swim at the beach all day every day of the year in most parts. It is cheaper to live and it is almost impossible to get bored in such an interesting landscape. From its beatiful golden beaches to vast open desert plaines to snowy mountains to high-rise cities – Australia has it all.
If you like a slow paced, relaxed lifestyle, and a sense of isolation – New Zealand is the perfect destinatination.
Hmmm what about canucks? we are planning to move to NZ for a cultural experience with our teenager son.
Canucks are probably the least disliked. I think that NZers identify with them.
Sadly a lot of the opinions and comments on here are true, our isolation combined with the NZ media’s obsession with blowing our trumpet as created an insular country with a MASSIVE chip on it’s shoulder. I’m from wellington (capital city) and nothing happens, same shit day in day out, this Country needs the sun otherwise it’s dead so that means it’s dead 11 months of the year. Kiwi’s do not like Aussie’s and the English in particular so be careful if you are thinking of moving here and you fit into that nationality.
Don’t forget the “Yanks”. Big anti-American thing going on down here.
Lived in London for a very long time so observations coming back to New Zealand.
Negatives smallness and remoteness,conversation and views,apathetic and unambitious people,poor presentation standards,small kiwi frame of reference,lack of infrastructure,unindustriousness and naivety.(It has to be said you’ll find this in small towns and places all over the world)
Positives good being with family and friends,nice quiet house,Auckland has been OK actually,nice small towns and beaches.
Will be going back to London again however for obvious reasons.
I remember having a conversation with an English mate (I’m an Aussie) and he said Kiwis reminded him a bit about his time he spent in the scandinavian countries,impossible to make friends with the locals and not much to do in evenings, especially in winter but get drunk,things are also very expensive but the big difference is that the houses, and cities in(Scandinavia) are well built and planned,people are well dressed and they dont have the she’ll be alright BS in other words they do things properly.
NZ is isolated & that reflects in the insular & parochial attitude of the people. New Zealanders are generally polite, but definitely not friendly (as is often said, although I can’t understand why). New Zealanders are unbelievably tight with their money, which causes them problems. This is why they don’t tip waiters & their houses are cheap, cold & rotting & their wages are low etc. Scots, contrary to popular belief are a generous race of people. They are also welcoming & hospitable to visitors. New Zealanders have a misguided belief of their own self importance. Scots know they are not world players, but have over the years made major contributions to the world e.g. telephone, television, literature, engineering etc.
When I left Scotland, I was friendly & outgoing. After spending four years in New Zealand I found myself becoming angry & bitter & filled with hatred. Since moving to Sydney for the past year, that veil of negativity has mostly lifted. I can now look back on NZ & see the things I liked & the things that I hated.
I liked the fact that for such a small country, you only need to travel a short distance to see immense differences in the landscape e.g. bubbling/boiling ground in Rotorua &the mountains & volcanoes of Whakatane & Lake Taupo . The beaches around Auckland & further North e.g. Waipu & Tawharanui are lovely & generally safe, with nice warm water in the summer.
I hated the cliquish & unfriendly nature of the people. I found this to be much worse in the men than the women. I think there seems to be an insecurity running through them, which makes them this way. I hated their belief in their own misconceptions & myths e.g. NZ is sub-tropical, or that it’s “clean, green & innovative”. I hated the fact that they took themselves so seriously.
New Zealanders are what makes New Zealand so boring and without question it is.
Kiwi’s talk about there natural environment as there achievement like they carved the mountains and created the mud pools with there bare hands, you’d laugh if you didn’t have to live amongst them, NZ will eventually be the 8th state of Australia, let’s face it they are all moving there.
Basically what you all to know is most white NZers (Pakehas) do not have much idea about what their national identity is. Because of this, and added to the fact that there is no artistic and social achievement amongst the population, they invent all manner of self perpetuating myths about themselves. The basic reason for anyone who “blows their own trumpet” is because they have to because no other bugger will sing their praises cos they are such a useless bunch. This is why they seize upon the five minuets of fame achieved by third rate performers such as Dave Dobyn, for expamle. This is why during the Rugby World Cup (when the world came to play), at the opening ceremony in Auckland (where over 2,000 ticket holders couldn’t get to the opening game because of poor planning) an antiquated performer from the 1970’s was there to sing his mind-mumbingly bad songs to a crowd who revelled in the past glory of his fame.
In summary, Kiwi’s are smug unfriendly feral people but think they are so good,The reality is they aren’t.
Agreed with Michael who is brave and succeeded in rooting himself in London. True that the Kiwis hate it when you critcize their land and its failings.They don’t seem to like knowing the truth but just like what we learn in marketing, if you do not collect feedback from the customers, you cannot improve your products. So like it or not, NZ do not want anything to change. They should be the next Pacific ‘North Korea’ although with no nuclear weapons.
I’m visiting the folks at the moment in Wellington, I currently live in London.
Where to begin.
This idea that all us Kiwi’s do is spend a lot of time outside is ridiculous, most of us could barely afford to pay our bills let alone pay for expensive outdoor pursuits, so please don’t believe that rubbish.
Weather wise the top of the North Island isn’t too bad but the rest of the Country doesn’t have the weather to accommodate these outside activities that everyone lies to you about
Unless your into rugby YAWN.
The brain drain is killing this Country and yet nobody talks about it, just leaves like I did.
You have to be careful in NZ if your opinion of the place isn’t all positive people will want to have you hung.
I’m lucky I’ve done everything I can to avoid living amongst fellow Kiwi’s in NW London, and being asked to go to the walkabout pub and dress up in a Kiwi and do the hakka.
I’ve heard Kiwi’s talking in London about how amazing NZ and I just sit there cringing at the level of BS being sprouted.
I can’t stand rugby and the endless conversations about how amazing we are.
I just hope over time I lose my Kiwi accent.
And for those looking to move to NZ be very careful it’s a very xenophobic Country you’ve being warned.
New Zealand does not corner the market on anything.
I’m a New Zealander and I admit our lifestyle is more relaxed than most other countries! we enjoy the simple life – we spend most our time in the outdoors, we enjoy bushwalks, bbq’s and camping by the beach with friends and family! If this appears to other countires as boring then thats fair enough!
People in many other countries also do those activities. For example, beach-side holidays have been popular in Britain ever since workers’ paid holidays were introduced.
In Europe common land, rights of way and public footpaths have been in use for hundreds/thousands of years. Some follow old Roman roads, walls and prehistoric trade routes, people use them to access and enjoy the countryside. That access and their right to enjoy the countryside is protected in law.
What else does New Zealand have to offer?
What else NZ has to offer? Shorter and milder winters and glorious summers, all the weathers and landscapes in one country, which means less time wasted traveling and ,more time for family and more personal time. Summer in Christmas, not freezing winter! Clean not genetically modified food, all the lamb,wine and really fresh fruits and veggies you want, ( and they taste like the real thing because have not traveled for weeks…hellooo! I am on board.
You’ve drunk the kool-aid.
Most of the produce, meat, etc. [good stuff] is exported. The rest [seconds that didn’t make the grade] is flogged off on the locals, at export prices.
I’m still mystified at Christmas in summer. All those song that no longer apply, dashing through the snow, reindeer…
I’ve sat on the beach in Florida on Christmas Day, NZ ain’t Florida.
New Zealanders top five activities in descending order are sleeping, working, watching TV, eating and drinking, and socializing. Time spent in the outdoors is so small it doesn;t get measured. That’s according to Statistics New Zealand data. They should know.
http://www.expatexposed.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=46497
I’m from New Zealand, and granted for those that don’t grow up living there, it may seem boring to you. I’m currently living in the US myself and enjoying the culture, and have travelled to other parts of the world also, and have loved all the different experiences with it. I agree in comparison NZ is not as busy and active as other parts of the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean its better or worse.
What all these people commenting seem to be failing to realise – is the appreciation of the fact PEOPLE ENJOY DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES. It’s all about one’s preference and who they are. I thrive off the scenery and the solitude of NZ, while others would thrive off living in a big bustling city.
Everyone’s different, and failure to recognize that is naivety.
PK, We all know that everyone is different, even a small child is able to acknowledge that.
What is it about New Zealand that puts you in California right now? If New Zealand’s scenery and solitude is so appealing why do only 4.4 million people live there and over a million Kiwis live abroad, mostly in Australia?
Why isn’t it awash with migrants to get in, why is immigration negative, why is NZIS losing millions in visa revenue and why are so many Kiwis leaving – the largest exodus since 2001.
It would appear scenery and solitude doesn’t “do-it” for a great many people, including yourself.
You can have scenery and solitude many many other places in the world without the high cost of living and remoteness.
At least in places like Canada, it is not too expensive if you do want a bit of culture.
In New Zealand it is impossible, because you are stuck with a 24-hour diet of scenery and solitude, and no getting away from it without breaking the piggy bank if anything is left by the time you reach that state of desperation.
Get me out of here.
I have stumbled across this site unaware it would seem.
I am now sat here on another grey day in Newtown (Wellington) and my Kiwi girlfriend is at work.
I have been looking for work now for around 9 months and absolutely nothing, either there is no jobs or my English degree and qualifications mean 99% of the time I don’t even get a reply.
I’ve gone out out many times with my girlfriend and have found it almost impossible to create bonds and friendships (nobody is interested) and this is coming from somebody who has never found it difficult to make friends, feeling lonely is not the word for how I feel.
I have never been so bored in my life living anywhere and I have lived in some small isloted places.
Nothing begins or happens here. Nobody talks about anything, certainly not about emotions and feelings, very cold hearted place.
Yes there is no architecture or cultural experiences to be had, I agree completely but for me people make a place and no wonder NZ is so dull and boring when you consider the people who live here are not remotely interested in new ideas, thoughts or expressions.
I’m not from here and feel lonely and judging by it’s high suicide rates those born here are feeling the same.
John, In all sincerity, what you posted is very sad. How long have you been there and can you leave? I’m assuming you’re from the UK? That must be so hard on you. Does your girlfriend see the loneliness you’re feeling? Perhaps she could leave? One thing I’ve noticed is that kiwis have so much fun out of NZ yet they don’t want to leave permanently. Are they scared of the excitement? (I mean that in a sincere way.) But it seems to me that once someone gets to NZ it is so expensive to leave they are stuck in misery 😦
Thank you for your kind and caring post. The plan is to save hard then apply for a partner visa back to England, I can’t see any earlier than December/ Jan..
Dec/Jan will come faster than you realize. I’ve never been to England but my kiwi husband loves London and says he always wanted to live there. Just hang in there and try to find something to help pass the time 😉
Just do not have children with your Kiwi partner. I have seen those situations end up tragically. Kiwi partner wants to stay in New Zealand, has a baby or (if a man stalls and will not budge) and avoids moving back to keep the other partner happy, pins the unhappy migrant partner down in New Zealand indefinitely, bound by love for the child, living in poverty for years and funding their lifestyle. You will be fodder for a machine. Do NOT knock her up, man.
They lack personality because of the lack of activity. There is nothing there to build character so they truly cannot help how dull and unanimated the people. They take offense to this and think the world seems to be against them. They do not get it and how can you expect them to really? With a lack of culture & arts, a lack of interesting personalities is expected. And the poor children there. What is there for them to do? In the north all I saw were parks after parks with swings and slides. That’s it. No good zoos, no amusement parks, no warm beaches, just nothing of stimulation. It’s all sad really.
I have wondered that, myself (why do they have this fear of the outer world). And it is true, the longer you stay the stucker you are, because your money gets sucked off you harder and harder!
Get OUT. Tell your girlfriend what is going on. Your relationship is something that has to be able to endure both people being honest with each other, and seeing each others’ strengths and weaknesses.
Trying to “hang in there” as some kind of “fitness test” is just masochism and “I’m a man brah, I can take any challenge”. A game where somebody else sets the rules … is stacked against you.
If you do want to pass the time until you leave, productively, speak with the Universities about jobs in student support. I enjoyed my work there and was sorry that I could not make a living off it as the job was available only 6 months in a year.
It really helped that both my administrators AND the students I worked with appreciated my work and took their work seriously.
Child abuse and domestic violence isn’t exactly a public matter Charlotte, many children and abused women suffer in silence. Don’t invalidate their misery just because you never personally encountered it or your acquaintances never spoke to you about it. There’s a lot that goes on behind closed doors. You’re being rather small minded and lacking empathy don’t you think?
Just before Christmas womens refuges around the country were averaging 230 women and children every night.
Hardly a day goes by when there isn’t a child abuse story in the news. The most prominent in recent days being the dysfunctional ‘Once were warriors’ upbringing of the 16 year old Turangi youth Raurangi Marino and the terrible crimes he inflicted on a 5 year old tourist and her family.
But this thread is supposed to be about New Zealand being boring. What makes it interesting for you, you forgot to mention that. Give something for people to think about.
First of all, I am not being pro New Zealand just because I live here, I am simply correcting some comments made by you smaller minded people. It’s amazing how many of you are passing judgement on New Zealand based on internet facts or on a short visit made by you or someone you know of. I grew up in Auckland and do not know one single child that was abused nor have I known anyone who was subject to domestic violence. Sure we have gray areas of our country that are poverty stricken where this behaviour happens, as does America and any other country. We are just small enough to notice and calculate this. Endless conversations about rugby? during the world cup maybe. I personally don’t like rugby, bet you’ve never heard a kiwi say that! but we arn’t all the same. I know of one builder and no beauty therapists, the majority of people I know are upping their skills in a good job or went to university, gained a degree and have either succeeded here or have gone overseas as they have often proved better applicants than the host country’s own people. Yes the pay starts off shit here, but because of this, I’ve been motivated to go to University and specialize. Yes America has everything, but when I visit America, I have something to look forward to. Material goods and large shopping malls/restaurants and entertainment are a novelty for me and I adore visiting them but they are not everything is life/I don’t require them not to “be bored”. We enjoy the simpler things in life and are not demanding and shallow as a result. We are more creative in finding entertainment and dont have to rely on manmade entertainment to keep us happy. We are not deprived here nor are we a nation riddled with obesity. Don’t get me wrong, I love visiting America, but for a large country, you people come across pretty small minded…
Thomas, how can you say we lack feelings and empathy? That’s a rather unintelligent generalisation don’t you thing?
And it is interesting to see that the majority of people on here are non New Zealanders and therefore give all the comments made by Kiwis thumbs down. Think about it/don’t dismiss it people.
LOL “I am not being pro New Zealand just because I live here, I am simply correcting some comments made by you smaller minded people.” Hmmm, because if you weren’t a kiwi you of course would’ve still called any non-kiwi simple minded right? Of course 😉
As for “short visits”, I think many people have emigrated there and I myself have spent MONTHS at a time for YEARS there. My husband was abused by his father so I know of at least one incident of abuse myself. He seeks good counseling in America.
I understand you’re all proud about your rugby just as Americans are proud of their football and the UK about their soccer/football. Understandable though.
And of course everyone is well educated as NZ PAYS for students to go to university whereas (at least in the USA) you have to pay for your own university which will easily rack up alot of debt. The trade off is MUCH lower taxes. We’re talking 5% to 8% depending on which state you live in compared to 30%+ in NZ (not sure what the tax is now).
What we have in variety, entertainment, shopping, food, etc. IS VERY IMPORTANT when you are used to it. Take it all away and see how a person can thrive. Of course a kiwi wouldn’t understand as you cannot miss what you’ve never had. You see this as novelty, we see it as a way of life. Geez even TV shows, movies, and music thats released in the USA come out months up to a year ahead of NZ. It’s like going back in time a few decades before the USA was built up.
As for obesity, I love how all foreigners like to call Americans obese. I for one have never been overweight and for someone who will be 40 at the end of the year, I am still barely 100 lbs like I was in high school (granted I am tall and thin). So to stereotype every American as obese is just a way to lash out when you want to defend yourself. Not to mention I have seen my fair share of VERY large aka obese people in NZ! Mostly women!
Small minded are the ones who don’t know how to live large (not be large) outside of their little stranded Gilligans Island comfort zone. That is what NZ reminds me of. You think about it and don’t choose to tune out what people are saying.
Char I’m a Kiwi (Thomas), I’ve just come back from my OE and hate it.
What I do like about the English in particular they will say if something is shit and criticise without hesitation unlike NZ were if your not positive all the time about this place people want to birch you.
I forgot how defensive we are about this Country it’s ridiculous,
I also feel like I had stepped by 20 years in comparing to work practises I had experienced in London and Birmingham.
I will going back to London within next 6 months, the pay difference works out at £40,000 per year and yet Wellington is more expensive than where I was living in London (Clapham) insane.
I will always be a proud Kiwi but let’s for once be honest it’s really not good here and we just take it on the chin either leave or except how crap it is.
Your comments on child abuse and domestic violence are naive to the extreme, sorry bro.
To the Charwoman
I am a migrant who arrived in 2005. I hated it inside of a year and a half. Yes, I am trying to leave, I would leave tomorrow if I could.
I am not smaller-minded. I am several standard deviations above the average person here in terms of IQ.
Abuse goes on even if you don’t see it on your doorstep. People do not talk to one another much here. They are good at keeping secrets, better than any other place I have ever lived. That is one reason you do not know about it.
If they are not talking about rugby, they are talking about some other mindless outdoor sport. Conversation poverty is the norm for people who were not born here.
The reason Kiwis find jobs abroad is because they go abroad and often accept peanuts, which is still more than they get here in NZ. Not because they are such hot sh**. In fact, in Australia, they are known as notorious slackers.
Malls have more than clothing and shoes. They also have books, art supplies, equipment, and other materials for creative endeavours. America also has museums and a large population of intellectuals and artists. It is a well-rounded place with something for everyone, where art means more than painting tree ferns on scrap timber like some simpleton or make No. 8 wire sheepgarden statuary. There is no virtue in necessity. Sorry. There is no culture to speak of here.
I often thumb up Kiwis – if they have something intelligent to say.
“People do not talk to one another much here. They are good at keeping secrets, better than any other place I have ever lived. That is one reason you do not know about it.”
You have just described exclusion (which is not the same as not knowing somebody and hence not interacting with them)
— which manifests itself by “pretending” someone does not exist, e.g. being busy with the handphone when you have something to say, refusing to answer your questions (except with another question) and telling lies to you to your face (and possibly ABOUT you, to others)
Exclusion, is a form of RELATIONAL AGGRESSION, which NZ seems to be a pretty good source of.
Interesting post I actually agree with Thomas.
I don’t expect you will reply but what are your thoughts on the list he gave?
I work in the Public sector so I disagree wholeheartedly with your hiding your head reply regarding the horrendous child abuse and domestic violence record for the Country.
I’ve copy and pasted his post.
Poor housing, none competitive wages, poor infrastructure, poor internet service,over prices consumer goods clothes, poor music,no architecture,boring museums, no poetry,no literature,no art, dull conversation, lack feelings, no emotions, lack empathy, endless conversations about rugby, xenophobia, melanoma, minimum wage jobs even if you have 20 years experience in a certain field, dislike the English, Australians like a jealous younger brother, rubbish festivals, ageing population,
I have to say a tremendous amount of truths within his post.
One thing that stands out more than anything for me about NZ is how defensive people are in NZ and this is also coming from a native Kiwi (I moved away 10 years ago) but do visit every year.
NZ is not very good end of story that’s why a high percent of us who are able move away.
And how do you know who is giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down? How do you know kiwis are giving thumbs up and non-kiwis are giving thumbs down? I think you might be surprised.
New Zealand is fantastic if you like Rugby Union and mud pools and it does have some lovely mountains and lakes.
Do not move to New Zealand full stop.
Poor housing, none competitive wages, poor infrastructure, poor internet service,over prices consumer goods clothes, poor music,no architecture,boring museums, no poetry,no literature,no art, dull conversation, lack feelings, no emotions, lack empathy, endless conversations about rugby, xenophobia, melanoma, minimum wage jobs even if you have 20 years experience in a certain field, they dislike the English, Australians like a jealous younger brother, average weather, child abuse (highest per head in the western world) domestic violence again one of the highest, everyone seems to either be a builder or a beauty therapist, rubbish festivals, ageing population,
etc etc etc etc the list is endless.
Spot on Thomas
I’ve just come back from a 3 week holiday to NZ and never felt so disappointed. Sure the place has great scenery and the locals are friendly, but there really isn’t much going on there. I was staying with some locals when someone phoned having dialled a wrong number and they ended up nattering randomly to each other for 10mins or so.
The place really embodies rural gossip and people there seem to have far too much time on their hands.
Also NZ’s much loved selling point of laid back lifestyle can easily be interpreted as a euphemism for “total f******* lack of ambition!”
To summarise, NZ is full of adrenaline types, hippies, busybodies and old retired couples and if you don’t fit any of these descriptions, prepare to feel incredibly left out! (I should probably note that Auckland was probably the only place I truly enjoyed over there)
“To summarise, NZ is full of adrenaline types, hippies, busybodies and old retired couples”
ROFLMAO that is perfect, and don’t forget the bogans and gangstas.
We had to read Camus in high school, back in the States. If you want a decent conversation, you have to seek out tertiary academics (the primary and secondary ones won’t know anything) or book-loving fellow immigrants.
I agree that the weed abuse and attitudes towards women (as if they are farm animals or whiteware, even among “leftist/supposedly enlightened” men) are appalling. Because it has greenwashed marketing, and had a lady PM, you think that the society in general is enlightened. But it isn’t, at the street level.. It’s quite backward.
Check out the Kosovo nation branding campaign –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j565thQxshY
Looking at that, wouldn’t YOU want to be a part of post-Communist or post-war dynamism in Eastern Europe? I have had fellow Americans tell me they wanted to move to Czechoslovakia or Russia…because it’s freer than the States. Or Argentina, where they have learned how to barter and work outside the system and are “over their crash already”. Or XYZ country, where they leave you alone, or where they have free medical, or better weather some other feature people focus on as a “saving grace” that will make their life work. When actually they are moving from the frying pan into the fire.
Reading the migrant forums, you have to read between the lines because critical things come to light. An Eastern European forum started by someone with a business that profits off of having official documents translated had remarks about how nice it is to get fresh vegetables not packaged in plastic, year round (never mind about electrical and water supply to houses, which is sporadic – continuous supply is a luxury in some of those areas, like insulation is a luxury in NZ).
I saw a Buenos Aires expat forum. Just for expats to you know, hang out and talk and stuff, right? Owner? “WhoIs Guard protected” – in the States.
.
This one is more straight-up about its commercial nature:
http://www.expats.cz/content/about/
http://expatmarketing.com/news/social-media/5-steps-to-reach-expatriates-through-social-media
Pay attention! 99% of expat sites exist to sell.things to you. If you want to learn the downsides of a place straight up without a packet of kool-aid and a half cup of ice cubes added, visit websites like this,
Those Americans wanting to leave to go to a freer nation have probably never been outside of the USA. They all think the grass is greener on the other side. Though the grass per say may be literally greener, looks are deceiving. They have no idea how good they have it, the varieties of everything they have and the choices when shopping for food, clothing, everything… just the things to do are endless. They take it for granted. So I say please go and then see how you like it!
Very true, Samantha.
I’m not an American, and I came to live with my spouse in New Zealand, not for a better quality of life, or more freedom, but rather just to share a life with someone. I’m fortunate that I get to travel to the US every year (where I spent several decades of my life), and I can so clearly see the considerable advantages of life in the US. It’s not just the variety and quality of goods and housing, and the comparatively lower cost and higher salaries – there’s also a much greater variety of people, opinions, possibilities. It’s a splendid place for anyone who loves the great outdoors and wildlife (for better than New Zealand) and it’s also excellent for those looking for history and culture.
Americans are harshly critical of themselves, a trait they share with the British. People who have never lived in the US or are closed minded and biased, and cannot see what is in front of their eyes may think otherwise, but then again, that’s exactly the kind of person who would thrive in a place like NZ.
Anyway, the US is not begging people to go live and visit like NZ does. New Zealand has a serious stake in selling itself, so that explains a lot about the outrageous misrepresentations that get repeated.
If anyone is considering visiting the high southern latitudes, please go to Chile or Argentina instead – they have more open space, better scenery, and more important, they haven’t killed off all their wildlife. And the food is better.
Well my husband is from NZ. He tried to get me to move there for nearly 10 years and I just couldn’t do it. Every time we’d go to visit I’d get so depressed and really miss the little things at home that I took for granted. I was torn for the same reasons as you about going only I couldn’t bring myself to do it even to share my life with someone. I risked losing the best thing that ever happened to me because I couldn’t believe I’d be happy even with the most important thing in my life. He has no family there and I couldn’t bare to leave mine. Nor does he have alot of friends whereas I have so many throughout the entire USA. The food especially was something I couldn’t adjust to and I know it sounds “snobbish” of me because there are things much more important than food (but of course that’s only a small part of it). No Mexican food at all, just alot of Middle Eastern cuisine which I don’t particularly like. Even the pizza, Italian, and Chinese isn’t what I’m used to. Though change is good, it’s also hard to take away so much that you’re used to and never even think about until it’s gone. Oh and the cost of everything. WOW. Simple cheap things you get at WalMart cost a small fortune over there, what small variety you have to chose from even. (And to think I would actually miss a place to shop such as WalMart!)
But I have to ask, are you still living in NZ? How long have you been there? Was it very hard for you to adjust? Was it depressing? Will you ever move back to the USA? (I’m only asking because it’s my husband’s “dream” to go back although I think after being here a few years, I don’t even think he’d be able to adjust and take so much away from what he’s become accustomed to. )
All very good points. If there were a rep system, I’d rep you up for that one, William! The people in South America are nicer too.
New Zealand owes me a year of my life.
My mother is a Kiwi and my father is English.
I decided to go live in New Zealand being half Kiwi straight after my Masters
My God what a place what a dull place.
I love the outdoors and enjoy a healthy lifestyle so the initial couple of months I enjoyed but like anything you soon become bored and you need roots make friend embrace culture and to earn money.
I moved to Wellington with it being the capital City but could not get work so ended up working for minimum wage.
I think someone mentioned how xenophobic NZ is that is certainly my experience of
NZ.
What stood out for me majority of the time is how dull and un-cultured the majority were.
It’s hard to put a finger on it but it reminded me of some of the depressing places in the North of England that are insular afraid of change and view outsiders as something to fear, but at least in these places you will find great music venues with bands from all over the world playing varied music, If I never hear NIN and reggae music again it will never be too soon (sorry Bob)have read Camus/Miller/Mailer, have read a poem in there life know nothing about artists or architecture, films other than they think Jackson wrote Lord Of The Rings , and conversation is basic at best (you get the idea)
I attended the same thing week in week out, barbecues even in winter, rugby talk (even though I told people a million times I don’t like rugby) whilst the girlfriends where in the kitchen making salad and endless joints, that shocked me how much weed people smoked in NZ also the attitudes towards girlfriend shocked me also but after hearing about it’s domestic violence record that does not surprise me.
I stuck it out for a year to spend time with my mums side of the family and because it’s my mothers place of birth and almost felt it was a sign of respect to my mum but I will never go back for anything other than a death in the family.
Considering how “beautiful” it is it is without doubt one of the least inspiring experience of my life, a year I will never forget but even what’s worse I will never get it back.
The only people that heard of Camus that I could exchange opinions with, were the Philosophy lecturers.
The average student (even those working towards a Philosophy degree) had no interest in the subject beyond getting the paper … after all, “reading is for wimps, and I’m only taking this subject for my degree because it’s an easy way to get my qualification”.
Lord of the Rings … sent me to sleep 🙂
And Samantha, just because they dress in black doesn’t make them fun to talk to, either. They aren’t intellectuals, so let’s not be fooled. (joke)
Seems like even the poor schools will have a decent set of bright play equipment, however. It is easier than actually teaching the children.And makes it appear as if money is being spent on the school. Give them nets and balls to kick around and call it “natural child education” or “process-oriented learning” or some such bullsh** theory and you don’t have to sharpen original minds. That takes too much trouble. All you have to do is walk into a classroom and you see 25 versions of exactly the same bird, bug or flower. Conformity!
lmao FirstPounder! that is so true.
It’s like the poster who was talking about the Chinese people’s offensive bling – in most countries bling is just bling, it isn’t a justification to treat people badly, even if it may be in poor taste. They may be rich or they may just be poor with bad spending choices.You can have poor taste and still perhaps be a nice person, most people recognise. In some places it is just a show-offy thing.
Here they react viciously to it because they have no money themselves. Their meagre wages all go into their unaffordable housing. They will pull you down for standing out in any way – that means suggesting improvements to established bad ways of doing things, using educated vocabulary, being outspoken or having flag on your house or bumper stickers or having an expensive car, taking a lot of care with your appearance.(bright colors and jewelry), expressing an opinion outside what they were told in school, etc.There is a very limited way you can act and look if you want to make any friends, because people will not associate themselves with those who stick out. Don’t attract attention in any way . It is their culture. Crabs in a barrel.
I don’t get it, why move to New Zealand, I guessing the reasons are based on your love of trees- hills- and fish.
Surely a Country that has a massive brain drain is not an attractive proposition? That tells you everything
I don’t mind Kiwi’s the men are pretty thick but the women are OK.
When I visited the place every house looked like a shed and everyone smokes way too much weed, and what’s this lack of style all about? every man seems to wear cheap hoodies, cheap short, black t-shirts and flip flops.
Get some style lads.
I also heard it has the worst levels of child abuse and domestic violence per head in the Western world.
I thought it was supposed to be a happy smiley place?
I noticed a lot of plain boring black clothing on everyone. Black trousers, black shirts, and jeans. Even the way they dress is depressing and I think that shows alot of lack in desire whether it’s subconscious or not. I am a very vibrant person so I stand out like a sore thumb in NZ and everyone stares at me if I wear a dress or something with a bright color or pattern. It’s all sad really as they truly do not know any better nor do they know what they’re missing out on. I would like to rescue all the kiwis and sent them on a trip around the world.
The violence must come from frustration of not having any outlets to escape home life. I did not notice much for children to do only park after park with a swing and a slide. So sad.
I love it when Kiwi’s mouth off! something you need to realise we are sick to the back teeth of you lot in England too, swamping Hammersmith like flies (go home if NZ is so wonderful) Aussies just laugh at you but after speaking with many of them they are sick to the back teeth of you swamping Australia too.
NZ has one of the highest rates of child abuse in the World and domestic violence is rife.
Tell’s you all you need to know about Kiwi men (cowards)
I am amazed at how often “exposure” sites are forced to point out the fact that they are corrective and have no obligation to offer balance because their very existence is balancing out the marketing hype which is found elsewhere and which is google-weighted to come up as priority information in search returns. These corrective sites exist to point out the down side of living in New Zealand in one easy-to-find location. They don’t have to discuss positives because the other forums are sponsored by commercial interests and never state negatives, or allow them only with an unwarranted level of criticism.
The nature of these sites was pointed out recently by a poster on expatexposed. Exactly how they work, what their mission is, and why they are not balanced. They purport to help people move to New Zealand, when in fact they are a conglomeration of commercial interests using social networking to channel people to New Zealand.
The “corrective” sites like E2NZ and expatexposed only started in 2007 at the earliest. The marketing was on full gust long before that. The first wave of “fooled” migrants – they are the ones who started sites like these. The ones that were fooled by the nation branding cleverness and careful control of bad information about New Zealand that went along with it.
So posters who tell readers to do their research are not considering that
1 – some of the early fooled migrants could not find the information they needed before they came, it only hit the Net later once people had moved here and suffered great losses, and
2 – even these sites are not easy to find because they are not “for profit” and they do not google bomb.
3 – the marketing is still on, and it is becoming slicker and slicker.
That is an extremely good summation, movin on migrant, well done and thankyou
New Zealand is xenophobic.
With regards to emotion or lack of it female Kiwi’s tell me is that Kiwi men have no emotion for anything other than the All Blacks.
The Countries isolation has created an insular society and an extremely xenophobic one.
What you need to realise is NZ culture is about being a “man’s man” hunting/rugby/ barbecue’s and binge drinking and smoking weed is very big here, also how they view 3 words a day as a sign of strength it not it’s because other than the things I mentioned they have nothing else to talk about and they dislike none Kiwi’s, all this whilst the girlfriend does the laundry.
Very depressing place.
If the female Kiwis are only hanging around the jocks or entitled wunderkinds you’d be absolutely correct.
On the other hand the very high male suicide rate points towards the idea that even if Kiwi males have serious personal issues to discuss, they’re either mocked (saw this happen) or not given the correct assistance.
“also how they view 3 words a day as a sign of strength it not it’s because other than the things I mentioned they have nothing else to talk about and they dislike none Kiwi’s, all this whilst the girlfriend does the laundry.”
She can always choose to date someone else if she feels unappreciated. Otherwise it’s just a “get some sympathy from others while I stay with the guy I will complain is insensitive” issue.
I haven’t found anyone worth dating here after happily shedding my feckin useless Kiwi partner.
2 things:
1. What caused you to partner with him/her?
2. Change your dating criteria and maybe date an immigrant.
You’re not going to get things done right, if you hang around the wrong people.
The problem with New Zealand is New Zealanders,male Kiwi’s much more so then the women who I’ve found to be quite nice.
What I mean by that is they are the coldest most insular people I have ever met in my entire life, communication or lack of it with Kiwi’s at times really does make you feel that your from another planet,I’m English and it really offends me someone can’t even say hello or thank you without forcing it. What you also need to realise is the Kiwi’s who have a lot more about them have left or are looking to leave so what your left with are those who can’t communicate with anyone who’s not from there old school or small town or NZ.
I know a lot of Kiwi’s in London and they all say the same thing nice place to visit for a couple of weeks but that’s about it.
I’m currently here with work for 6 months in Wellington and man the place is so dull.
Oh and this amazing summer they tell you all about and how terrible the weather is in England makes me laugh, since Christmas I can count on 3 fingers the amout of hot sunny day’s so don’t let them lie to you about the weather.
NZ reminds me a lot of Scandinavia in the way it looks but unlike Scandinavia it is isolated, so my advice visit Scandinavia save yourself a long journey and high expense.
The only thing I can defend about what you said (because all of what you said is SO true) is that all of NZ is experiencing a really cold and wet summer which is not normal. (It never gets “hot” in NZ. The summers to me are mild staying about 80 degrees Farenheit.) It’s also not normal for us to be experiencing a virtually snowless winter in the northeastern US. (The temperatures here have been unbelievably mild all winter.) I’ve also heard that areas of Europe that rarely see any snow are being hammered with it right now. Something is definitely off this year with the climate everywhere in the world.
I’m going to NZ this fall (rolling my eyes) to spend time with family. I’m afraid this weather is going to make the trip even more miserable. I have no idea how to pack. I’m guessing what I’m wearing in the northeastern US right now is how I’ll be dressing there minus the heavy jacket. (I’ve only worn my heavy coat a handful of times this year.) It is saving on the heating bills though!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6377136/More-immigrants-in-slave-labour-claims
I don’t think what you’re saying is bad but I do have to comment on your comment: “My point is, that by focusing on the things that really are quite ridiculous and subjective (E.g. NZ is boring) the real valuable stuff maybe gets a bit lost.” The post is about NZ being boring so yes that is what we’re talking about here be it ridiculous or not.
that nz is boring not only means that it is an underdeveloped country, it also means the dynamic between the newcomer and the locals; boring comes also from the cold and unfriendly nature of kiwis, of being uptight people with a dog-eat-dog mentality. Apart from the scarcity of things and the high prices, it is the loneliness that makes nz such a boring place. I have been to poorer regions in other countries, really rural areas, but with people so warm and friendly that I didn’t feel bored at all, because although they didn’t have malls or concert halls, they had sincere smiles, friendly conversation and the desire to meet and befriend their neighbours.
nz has?????
http://canterbury-nz.academia.edu/CMichaelHall/Papers/395425/Tourism_Destination_Branding_and_its_Affects_on_National_Branding_Strategies_Brand_New_Zealand_Clean_and_Green_But_is_it_Smart
Who are we to decide what people want to focus on “Luddy”? if people want to comment on this thread that’s their prerogative and, after all, it is only one page out of hundreds on this blog.
There is no doubt that racism is a very big issue in New Zealand and that it divides the country into factions, sometimes with violent consequences. We’ve seen that in action today at Waitangi.
Racism in New Zealand is probably worse than in a lot of countries because 1. New Zealanders like to pretend it doesn’t exist and that other countries are worse, and 2. It is not very proactive in challenging it and its racism legislation is weak and scant. But you’d know that if you read the site, or heeded the comments we’ve made back to “Scott”
But why do you mention racism on a blog page that talks about boredom in NZ? is this something you’re obsessed with?
We suggest you try to read more of the site and that people like you and “Scott” keep off the pages that irritate you, you’d be far happier 😉
Examples of descriptors used to market New Zealand –
“The culture of New Zealand is vibrant and ever evolving and the natives are open to experimenting and innovations in every walk of life!” (I wouldn’t say natives are open to anything but the Kiwi Way)
“The mobile telecommunications industry in New Zealand is vibrant, dynamic and fast-paced”. (frankly, it isn’t – it SUCKS, read Lance Wiggs)
“Some of the best work is coming out of this part of the world at the moment,..” (re: marketing…now there I am not surprised ;P)
“With its dramatic landscape, cosmopolitan cities, ancient Maori traditions and active outdoor lifestyle, New Zealand is a wonderful place to learn English…” (cosmopolitan the cities are not, by international standards, they just have a few more Asians in them than the towns do)
“New Zealand is a dynamic first-world society with sophisticated cities and a vibrant arts and cultural scene…” (I would not call the place dynamic, first world or sophisticated)
This is only a small sampling of the kinds of marketing used to sell New Zealand as a destination for tourists, migrants and students. The only exciting thing about New Zealand is the ratcheting-up of your injury/loss risk probability due to the lack of care they take in matters of safety and quality control and their voracious craving for money to add oxygen to their land-rich cash-poor economy..
People – New Zealand is a boring backwater of a place that will chew a hole in your pocket.
We are told how wonderfully spiritual Maori culture is but when we arrive we find a lot of them have taken on gangsta culture 😦
But wouldn’t you say that applies to other NZ cultures too? Also, spirituality and gang membership aren’t mutually exclusive in New Zealand.
I don’t know … In Hamilton it often seems like Maori culture has been completely gangsta-ised. It seems such a long way from the person-centred culture we’re led to believe it is.
Luddy re. “the bigger picture”
If you’re looking for the bigger picture why not try reading more of the site than the limited pages you’ve already looked at.
You could start with our Migrants Tales, our NZ Facts and Stats pages or the Welcome page for instance. Seek and you shall find. Its all there waiting for you 😉 you may even find it mind expanding.