It's gratifying to hear from a KIWI that they enjoy a bit of satire. I just read another article that this sort of satire by could never be done in NZ because of a prevailing "woke" mindset, hence it's origin in the UK.
To be honest, I don't know what to think of the current attitudes and values of the NZ people. Prior to my trip and 6 weeks van sojourn over North and South Island, I came away with conflicting impressions. In WWII my father's ship was based in Christ Church, he had an very pretty NZ girl friend, and really liked the people. A friend of mine traveled throughout NZ in the early 1980s and loved it, the locals being very nice and enthused to provide rides while he and his wife hitched hiked (even being invited by a driver and then taken to the drivers huge ranch for a stay).
However in Dec. of 2012 my own experiences were mixed. I found NZ officials and workers to be okay, if more reserved than in the US. I found that if I asked unusual questions about life or persons, it kind of threw them as odd or almost improper. (I cheerly asked one woman at a tourist info center what "attractions does the town offer" and she took it as an insult.).
In some places I found an edgyness... a very polite but unhumorous and cynical undertone. Don't get me wrong, most of the people were nice enough...and often friendly. But because I was an American it seemed that many wanted to steer the conversation to politics (which I tried to avoid) and took my subtle disagreement as stressful and serious.
Anyway, one incident sticks out in my mind. I was in a tavern in Nelson, and ended up in a conversation with a special education teacher. He really wanted to talk politics and spent much of the time wanting to tell me about how the NZ protest over nuclear energy and the break with the US over nuclear issues was the defining moment that made NZ a true country, one that established an identity by defying a superpower. He was disappointed that American's often don't know about this "defining moment", nor are most Americans interested (although I am).
I wanted to be plain spoken, but I feared he couldn't handle it. I wanted to ask "So you don't think Gallopi is in the NZ identity, or Anzio, North Africa, Korea or Vietnam?" and "So NZ's identity only exists as a reflection of its antipathy to the US and international hairpulling over a weapon and energy system totally irrelevant to the context of NZ's ?"
I didn't and played dumb...acted perplexed as to why this was so important and let it go.
