02/08/10

Some Thoughts on New Zealand

New Zealanders share a common heritage with Canadians (at least us Anglophones) in that many of their institutions and customs are inherited from Britain or at least the United Kingdom. Therefore, one feels quite at home traveling in this country although most of the time on the “wrong” side of the road. The NZ people seem to have come to grips in recognizing their aboriginal people more so than Canadians have in that the Maori language is recognized as the second official language in NZ and 6 seats in Parliament are Maori seats that only Maori can vote for. A modified Proportional Representation voting system and at least eight recognized political parties ensures that most governments are of a minority type that can only govern by forming coalitions with other parties.  A country of around 4 million citizens is therefore trying hard to establish a distinctive NZ culture and identity. However, it seems to me that the umbilical cord to the “mother country”, Britain, has not been cut and too much of at least the “Europeans” in New Zealand get a lot of their identity by fostering close ties to Britain as seen by their adoption of cricket (New Zealand Black Caps) and rugby (New Zealand All Blacks) as their main sporting activities. Tennis, football (soccer), and horse racing round out their sporting events.

The south Island is sparsely populated by North American standards (think Saskatchewan or Montana) but its history is in its place names – Christchurch in Canterbury, Nelson in Marlborough, Dunedin, Invercargill, and Queenstown. The west coast is mainly mountainous and has a major fault line running down the middle and up through the north island. As the result of tectonic plate shifts, the west coast of both islands is both earthquake prone and a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire – hence relatively active volcanoes and almost daily mini-quakes. Most buildings are being retrofitted to withstand major quakes including the legislature building in Wellington.  Wellington became the capital city only in the 20^th century – they moved the capital from Auckland since the distance to it from the south island was just too great to travel to – I guess a John A Macdonald trans-continental railway was not deemed feasible in this country of Islands and mountains.

The road system on the north and south islands is quite different – with relatively wide and straight roads (2lanes only) found in the heavily populated north (about 2/3 of all New Zealanders live on the North Island), whereas the south island has mainly narrow twisting roads with stretches that are marked 15 km/h with one way lanes and one way bridges with railway tracks running along them also. The ever appearing ! (exclamation mark) on the roads herald Penguin Crossings, road “works” 15 kmh curves, etc. Signs often invite you “Please stop on request” when the “works” are present.

As far as I know, electricity is brought in by submarine cable from the north island since south islanders do not wish to exploit the hydro electric potential that exists in their mountainous regions. Some geothermal energy is tapped both for heating and electricity generation in the North Island. The north island has at least one major hydroelectric development – a large dammed lake that has multiple outlets with multiple power stations. Some oil burning power plants also exist in remote areas.

New Zealand practices “bio-security” that is probably more stringent than that demanded by California. The traveler to the country can not bring along tents, boots containing any dirt at all on them, fishing gear, food products, etc. How much of this is in the interest of keeping out various pests and diseases or in the interest of supporting homegrown industry and enterprises, is anyone’s guess. Considering that it was early settlers who introduced such “exotic” species as heather, pine trees, deer, rabbits, rats, possums, chamois antelopes, etc. that have decimated endemic species, this late conversion to “Green and Clean New Zealand” seems to be long overdue. However, since the country does not produce any significant amount of petroleum or natural gas and is dependent on foreign supplies, more effort on energy conservation is necessary.  In spite of high petrol costs, most New Zealanders drive large vehicles including a high percentage of SUVs. Pollution standards are not very strict and the twisty roads with many 15 and 25 km/h corners ensures that much petrol is wasted. Single pane windows, poorly insulated homes, and the reliance on electrical heating, does leave room for better energy conservation and alternative energy measures.

The concept of the supermarket has taken hold here but certainly not of the size of Safeway, Calgary Coop, Stainsbury (London, UK) and certainly not the Real Canadian Superstore. Food costs are high compared to even the UK – especially in restaurants. A standard “streaked” bacon and eggs breakfast will typically set you back CAD $ 10.00. Regular coffee coming from a machine costs about $3.00 CAD. Most decent beer, equivalent to Big Rock, runs at $9.99 NZ (GST included in all purchases – a great idea!!) to $12.99 NZ for a six pack.  Decent wine can be bought for as low as $4.99 CAD for a 750 mL bottle and as high as you wish. The New Zealanders have abolished the penny therefore all prices are rounded off.

The country itself has magnificent natural beauty packed into the two tight packages – north and south islands. From having the most southerly glaciers, to active volcanoes, to miles and miles of shore line – both rocky and sandy, to geysers and hot springs, to pristine rivers running with salmon and trout, to beaches with the elusive penguins, to quaint cities with strong Maori and British (or as the case for Dunedin – Scottish) heritage, the country is a delight to visit and enjoy. Most New Zealanders that we dealt with directly (we rented privately owned serviced apartments, baches, and B and B’s ) were friendly and trusting. In Turangi, the owner of a two bedroom bach mailed the key to our B and B lady in Wellington, whom we paid in cash for the Turangi bach and who wrote a personal cheque to the owner of the Turangi  bach, which we sent with the key back to the owner in Auckland at the end of our stay.

Internet cafes are numerous in most tourist centers and larger cities. The rates can vary from $3.00 to $10.00 NZ per hour. Laptop access is limited and wireless internet has still to make a major inroad in NZ. Most homes do not have broadband access – similar to what Calgary was like about 5 to 7 years ago. As a result, most New Zealanders are not very computer literate and do not use the internet very much. Carol has some trouble connecting to her students as she is teaching an on-line graduate course while we travel.

Due to a rising real estate market – if I got it right - there is a low capital gains tax on real estate –  homes are priced out of the reach of many Kiwis – shades of Vancouver!! Some economists predict that the bubble will burst soon and warn Kiwis to diversify their investments. The stock market is small with any really good and large companies being swallowed up by off shore large corporations. The fear of not being able to compete globally results in regular news on lay offs due to the “high” NZ dollar. No mention of increasing productivity however is heard – shades of Britain in pre-Thatcher days. I think it is due to the fact that this unique nation has been isolated, independent and relatively successful in producing a high quality of life for its citizens that has led to Kiwis being not receptive to the influences of globalism. However, how they can escape from it without paying “dearly” is problematic. Reading the Newspapers, one gets the feeling that people here are rather “provincial” and view world events as being “out there” and not affecting them directly. As an outsider one can only hope they are right. However, with interest rates for bank deposits being about 7.5 % pa, inflation and a rising NZ dollar, their economy may get hurt severely.

The cities are rich in museums and art galleries – most of them open free to the public – British style.  The similarity and differences among the indigenous peoples of New Zealand,  Hawaii, and the west coast of British Columbia is interesting to note in their museum displays. For a small population, their attention to the arts and history is commendable. Their national museum – Te Papa in Wellington certainly is equal to our Museum of Civilizations in Ottawa.

The First Nation movements to regain dignity and status seem to have flourished here. Multiculturalism is officially promoted but immigration is restricted at the same time. New Zealanders view Australia in a manner that reminds one of our relationship with our big neighbor – the US. While in Rotorua, we saw two prairie Cree dancers perform in the town square to our surprise – they are here on a cultural exchange.

The more tourist oriented places such as Queenstown and Rotorua are bent on charging whatever the market will bear – tourism is the #2 industry in NZ. To see small geyser/hot pool areas (many in private hands) will cost a couple around $50.00 NZ or so. Wood, bone and greenstone carvings by Maori show a highly developed culture that had enough free time to focus on the arts and also on religion – the two - as in our west coast natives - are intertwined.

Many unique sights such as the hot sand beach in Coromandel Peninsula and the ski area at Mt. Doom (Lord of the Rings name for Mt. Ruapehu) are fun to visit and a pleasure to behold. If one wanted to find a place to get away from the world, New Zealand would be a great place – if we could only move it over to where Hawaii is located! The flight here is awfully long. Many Americans and Asians have already moved here and are called “six monthers” by the Kiwis. The country has many small towns, coves, mountain retreats, etc. which for a winter “snowbird” residence would certainly be at least as comfortable as Arizona and Florida.

Kia Ora from Kiwiland,

Erich