If you've been reading our blog, you know that we never actually set out to move to New Zealand.
Instead, our family was looking to get out of the D.C.-metro area to someplace with more outdoor recreation, less focus on achievement and more civil (i.e., kind) discourse. Though, we never intended to move to the arse-end of the earth (actually, I think that's Australia), NZ has certainly fit the bill.
OUTDOOR RECREATION
I think it's pretty obvious from following along with our adventures that NZ offers an unmatched level of outdoor activities.
In the greater Auckland area, you are never more than about 10 kilometres from the water. We're called the "City of Sails" for a reason -- at last count, about 1/3 of Auckland's households owned a boat. And even though NZ has fewer than 5 million people, more people here watched the America's Cup race than in all of America.
The water is a big deal here, such a big deal that Auckland Council (the regional government and also where I work) owns the largest marina in the southern hemisphere. They also fund swimming lessons for schoolchildren of a certain age.
Speaking of Auckland Council, they manage 26 regional parks covering over 1,000 square kilometres. That's roughly 6 times the size of Washington, D.C.! These parks contain mountains, waterfalls, hiking and tramping trails, beaches, etc.
People here love the outdoors. And it's no wonder -- they're beautiful.
A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH ACHIEVEMENT?
Academic achievement is not a bad thing.
Lots of doors open when you have a good education, are smart and know things. However, academic achievement should not be THE GOAL of life.
Christine and I both had the experience in D.C. of talking to a coworker who would say things like, "I went to [insert ivy league school here] and grew up with [insert senator's son here]." And of course, Christine and I were both thinking things like, "Well, I went to a state school and don't know anybody important, and yet... here we are. Working together, Mr. Ivy Leaguer"
I don't think it's out of line to say that D.C. has an unhealthy obsession with achievement. I mean, if you don't get into the best pre-school, you won't get into the good elementary school, which means you will never go to Thomas Jefferson High School, so you won't go to Harvard and can't get a job on Wall Street, so you'll end up working at a normal job and living in a three-bedroom house like some kind of hobo!
In New Zealand, I think they may have swung too far in the opposite direction, though I hear that's changing. Here, there is something called "Tall Poppy Syndrome," which is basically the concept that success above and beyond "normal" is something to be looked down on. So, if you're really good at something, you also need to remember that you're not that special.
Honestly, I'm not sure which is better. But I do know that, coming from America, where your value as a human is based on your salary, to NZ, where people are judged first as people, has been a refreshing change of pace. As NZ becomes more and more diverse, I think it will reach a happy medium where academic and monetary achievement is valued but not as the end-all, be-all of a person's worth.
CIVIC DISCOURSE AND POLITICS
NZ is like anywhere else: Racists, dum-dums and general scumbags try to ruin things for everyone. (Yeah, we have white Nationalists here. No, they aren't any smarter than the ones back home.)
However, unlike in the USA, the wingnuts have not been given too much serious consideration. For instance, they didn't just elect a Nazi-sympathiser to highest office in the land.
The two main political parties are centre-right (National) and centre-left (Labour). So, basically, the pre-Tea-Party GOP and the Democrats at home. Sure, I'm generalising, and I know some political scientist out there would take issue with that description, but it's roughly true.
The National party tends to be economically and socially conservative. Overall, I would say their platform is "Don't tax too much and maybe gays shouldn't get married? I mean, if that's what you think, I think that too." On the other side, Labour tends to be economically and socially liberal.
What is fascinating to my American eyes is that there are issues that ALL sides actually agree on. Like, say, the validity of science. (I'm aware that there is probably a NZ flat-earth party. But let's limit the discussion to those parties -- there are currently 7-- with enough clout to have a seat in Parliament.)
I know it's hard to believe, but scientific facts are not partisan issues here. Sure, the actual policies differ across ideologies -- as they should -- but the facts of the matter do not. Even the Christian conservative party here acknowledges that we should take care of the environment. Imagine that; Christians who think we should take care of God's creation...
The level of discourse here also tends to be a lot higher than we've seen recently in the U.S., and the mud-slinging tends to be of the normal political variety.
For instance, the woman who was just named head of Labour received an OUTRAGEOUS criticism from one of her opponents the other day. It was, and I quote, that "She's all show and no substance." Boy, that was a real zinger!
If she were in the U.S., a certain someone would have called her a c**t and threatened to have her jailed for vague crimes. That's the American Way, baby!
Do I love NZ? I don't know, we just met.
But to be clear, I really like it.
I like not being at the epicentre of whatever tantrum is being thrown in America right now. I like that every weekend I see something beautiful -- things I've never seen before. I like that kids here don't seem to need psychotherapy because of the pressure they face to succeed at all costs. I like that the people here care about each other and their country -- not just the idea of their country, but the actual, physical land. They want to take care of it and make sure it will be here for future generations to enjoy.
That seems like something we could all learn from.
