New Zealand & Me

A View from the South PacificNew Zealand

When you visit a country you often tend to see it in a better light than those who live in it. You miss many lurking warts. The reverse is also true: you tend to think that your own country's problems loom larger than they probably should.

I've spent much of the last half century travelling the world and living in places as diverse as Scotland, Korea and Fiji. I've visited fifty or sixty countries, maybe more, I've lost track. As a result of that, I have become — in my mind, if not in law — a citizen of the world. I don't suffer from patriotism.

If you want a dispassionate view of New Zealand, you've come to the right place. One-eyed MistyWindow viewpoint! 4,000,000 people live here. 4,000,000 points of view. But I suspect I'm more detached than most because I don't suffer from the disease of patriotism. I like Australia, Canada, Scotland and several other countries at least as much as I like New Zealand.

The Land

Aotearoa is in the south west corner of the Polynesian triangle. Because it's battered by clashing tectonic plates, much of it is spectacular. Because it has a moderated Mediterranean climate (thanks to Australia stealing the anti-cyclones and sending us a lot of rain) it's mostly lush, especially in the lower country.

Mankind has only been here a thousand years, but with burning, felling and introduction of devastating exotic species, we've stuffed it up to a large extent. Nevertheless, the mountains, the volcanoes, the rivers, the lakes, the fjords and the remnant rain forest (the bush) are stunning.

Much of the farmland is lush and beautiful, although it's thanks in part to the use of non-renewable resources like super-phosphate and urea. Some steep hill country which should never have been grazed is being ruined by the consequent erosion. It begs to be replanted in forest.

It's not Middle Earth, that was digitally enhanced. But it's pretty good.

Don't Miss

Worth a look

The Sea

Because the country is long and narrow running north & south and the winds prevail from the west, it's wild much of the time. Challenging conditions which have begat a large proportion of the world's top yachtsmen, particularly America's Cup crewmen. In less exposed areas, mostly on the eastern coasts — Bay of Islands, Hauraki Gulf, Banks Peninsula, Otage Harbour — and in the South Island fjords, it's a water sports paradise, although a little cool for my pampered tastes. Wet suit required by old softies like myself.

The Climate

It's probably unique. Compared to most parts of the world the main islands are mild and lacking extremes. Temperate maritime. Tending sub tropical in the far north of the main islands, to cool temperate in the far south.

For the adventurous there's Tropical Raoul Island, or the near-Antarctic Campbell and Auckland islands.

Climate is dictated by fronts and anticyclones originating 1200 miles to the west over and around Australia. It's moderated by the fact that if you take away Australia there's nothing much for several thousand miles in any direction.

It's interesting to look at a globe with New Zealand front and centre. All you see for the whole hemisphere is ocean with a few island specks and Australia and Indonesia drifting away to the North West. We are isolated and insulated by distance.

More info here: New Zealand climate

In recent years weather seems to have been a little more unpredictable, but generally speaking the best months are September to April, with unsettled periods over the Christmas/New Year period when the campers get flooded out in the North.

The People

We were once a tough, independent, hard working, do anything lot. I remember it - up until about the 1960s people got off their backsides and got on with life. No TV, no money, plenty of sports, bush, sea, camping and tramping - a good climate and a recipe for the development of vigorous young people.

When I joined the Navy in 1958, our apprentices were trained in Britain. In my class of apprentices we Kiwis only made up only 5% of the 1000 trainees - but we provided 30% of the leaders. Wouldn't happen now to that extent. It's a great loss.

MacImperialism, pop "culture", TV, declining standards of behaviour and civility (not to mention decimal currency — nobody can count anymore!) have all contributed to producing more bland and less versatile generations. Distinguishable from their fellow citizens of the world only by their accents.

My backyard 2003

There's some hope: there are still kids being brought up taking advantage of what the country has to offer - sport, recreation, outdoor life, good education. Sadly however that hope is diluted: many of the best of them join the brain drain to the West Island (known as Australia to some) or to the USA and Europe. Most of those don't return. Grandparents are left behind to grieve. 1,000,000 New Zealanders - 20% of our population - live overseas. Doesn't say much for our economic and political performance.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Multiculturalism and the Treaty of Waitangi

Once we thought that Maori and Pakeha (Caucasians) lived in harmony in the world's most successful multi-cultural society. The Maori Battalion came back from fighting for freedom in World War II, realised that they should be getting a slice of this democracy they'd been sacrificing their brothers' lives for. This realisation and the world-wide trend of farm mechanisation started a move from the country into the city.

The scene was set for the happy illusion of harmony to waft away with the westerlies.

In 1840, a hastily scrawled treaty was signed between the British Crown and a large percentage of the Maori Rangatira - by no means all of them. Unfortunately, the text in English and the text in Maori didn't mean exactly the same thing. This little oversight set the scene for 169 years - and counting - of talking past each other.

This is a complex issue and I can only touch on it here. What the cloth-eared Pakeha bigots can't or won't understand is that by universal principles of fair play, and in the light of international law precedent, it's the language of the indigenous signatories that counts in any treaty.

Unforgivably, despite the Treaty being quoted in much of our legislation; being referred to with monotonous regularity as the foundation of the nation; and a lot of mealy-mouthed platitudes being spouted on Waitangi Day, the document has never been ratified in law.

Listening to talk-back radio on this issue is disturbing. Bigotry, and ignorance of Maori concerns, is rampant amongst ill informed Pakeha - hosts and callers. Even amongst some Maori. Those with moderate and sympathetic views are many, but they don't make good tabloid news and they have better things to do than listen to talk-back radio.

There are grievances and racial tensions - nothing compared to those in many other countries but a worry nevertheless. There are genuine grievances and those not so genuine. Some Maori use the past as an excuse for not making use of the opportunities which are there for everyone. Ignorant Pakeha exacerbate the situation by neither knowing the real history of their country nor understanding the issues concerning Maori.

A lot is being done to put things right, but far too many Pakeha are blind to the facts and too lethargic to find out, and there are Maori who exaggerate the grievances and ignore the good work which is being done.

The most vociferous Maori activists are often those with the least brown faces and names like Jones and Smith. This, of course, is seized upon by the bigots. My feeling is that the Maori who accomplish the most are those who shout the least.

Maori in the 21st Century

There aren't many full-blooded Maori left, some would argue none and it's not an issue in New Zealand as it is, for example, in Fiji. In some ways it's a little sad, but that's what's been happening to the human race for hundreds of millenia. One race is absorbed, another arises. Perhaps the Boeing 747 and its successors will put an end to it all and we'll have a planet-full of coffee coloured clones.

Rampant intermarriage has been going on with little stigma for 200 years. If everyone doesn't end up in Australia and leave the country to Asian immigrants, in a generation or two we'll be a new light brown race. South Polynesian Cape Coloureds.

A Maori, by some definitions, is anyone who says they are. Many Kiwis who are maybe a sixteenth or less Maori genetically, nevertheless consider themselves to be Maori. Others, like most of my grandchildren, have Maori ancestry but don't consider themselves to be Maori.

One of my sons-in-law — and therefore 3 of my granddaughters and my great-grandson — has family links to the great war chief, Te Rauparaha, nevertheless my son-in-law has no patience with protest. This is the 21st century, get on with it, is his attitude.

The People and Tourists

I've never found Kiwis an overly friendly bunch. Just shows what a miserable sod I am. 99% of tourists seem to find the people extremely friendly.

Tipping is not usually expected, although I suspect that that's changing in tourist spots - don't know really, never go near them.

The restaurants vary from dreadful to excellent and in the larger cities there's a wide range of cuisines.

It's horses for courses, but if I were to tour the country, I'd do it towing my trailer and camping gear. As a visiting tourist, unless I were a zillionaire, I'd do it in a reasonably big camper van. Although our main highways are good considering the aforementioned small population density, they wouldn't cope with too many Winnebagos. I doubt that we have more than a couple of hundred miles of motorway or freeway in the whole country.

Be prepared to drive on the left. People regularly get killed by drivers who momentarily forget that minor detail.

The disease of patriotismThe Politics and the Economy

Like the USA, we're living it up on borrowed money. The politicians and those who pay attention know it. The piper will be paid. Sadly, it may be by my grandchildren.

Because we have a small population spread over relatively long distances, we are, per capita, one of the most oil hungry countries in the world. We're vulnerable to oil price increases — which are coming, like it or not — and to commodity price volatility. We need to diversify our income base. Politicians and academics talk about it a lot, only a few entrepreneurial business people actually do it.

When I was young we had the 3rd highest standard of living in the world, as well as a great environment. Now we're about #40. Passed by Portugal. We spend 12% more than we earn. if we were a household we'd be bankrupt.

We import vast quantities of goods, mostly unnecessary junk, from China. Then we borrow back the money we paid them for it to finance more spending. Something's got to give.

It's a worry.

Apropos of nothing much: my dog, Sheba

Sheba at Kauri Point, Katikati, New Zealand

In 2004 I made the dreadful mistake of shifting from here:
Kauri Point in the Bay of Plenty
Kiwifruit and Avocado Country

Letter to The Wanganui Chronicle, published October 2005

It was a relief to find that through your editorial column our biggest problem has been addressed: the balance of payments.

Neither the political parties nor the rest of the media are addressing the  matters of most concern: What should we do to grow the cake so that we're all better off 5, 10 or 20 years down the track.

Everyone's excited by huge government budget surpluses. They're blind to the fact that the balance of payments is massively in the red. It's as if Mum has an extra thousand bucks in the housekeeping jar, but Dad's putting the mortgage payments on VISA and spending the income at the pub and the TAB.

The major parties with their vote buying strategies are hell-bent on creating a big spend-up. They will exacerbate our already frightening deficit. If we're to gain anything from having some of our money returned to us we must be bludgeoned into increasing savings, retiring debt and reducing spending.

The crunch will come. Don Brash knows it, Michael Cullen knows it. For short term political gain, or maybe because neither of them wants to win this election, they're prostituting themselves.

A plague on all their houses. Give me a checkbox on my ballot paper marked: None of the Above.

Alan Henderson

Wanganui

Wanganui or Whanganui?

Is it too much to ask?

Is it a great sacrifice?

Let the Tangata Whenua spell te reo correctly.