Welcoming Kiwis

Coming to New Zealand has many highlights - one of them is meeting the inhabitants. As a traveller in such a diverse country you don’t stick out as a tourist. Anyway you’ll surely have many opportunities to talk to the locals, don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation. People are generally chatty with each other and like to crack a joke with strangers. You’ll find that they are very informal and easy to talk to, Kiwis like to keep things uncomplicated and in most situations there will be no etiquette issues (except on the marae, a Maori meeting house, where it would be rude not to know and follow the rules).

In general it's 'live and let live' (yet that doesn’t apply for possums, fish and wild pigs)! Being friendly is just part of their nature, they’re so laid back they’re almost horizontal. Just check out the Air New Zealand safety videos to see that their approach can be quite different! They are traditionally helpful to travellers and interested to learn more about where you come from and how you like their country. Many have themselves experience or family abroad and know what you’re talking about.

If they see you’re in trouble they will be ready to help you, sometimes you might even get a generous invitation to dinner or to stay overnight. A good opportunity to listen to some of those hilarious life stories that most have to tell. And although they are living on the edge of the world, that doesn’t mean New Zealanders are not modern or well informed - on the contrary, most are well educated and like to discuss their opinions on global matters, and sometimes the distance helps to see the big picture!

Can do! attitude

Born in the countryside without cash in the pockets and far from dependable supplies, having to compete with the world economy from the edge of civilisation, these sons and daughters of warriors, pioneers, immigrants, clever farmers and outdoors workers have become famous for their ingenuity and 'can-do, will-do' attitude. A lack of resources will probably not deter any decent Kiwi with his own shed from repairing, maintaining or building whatever he thinks is needed. They just 'give it a go', DIY is a way of life, how else would anyone consider jumping down a bridge with a rope around his legs or build a speed record motorbike out of old parts?

The 'Number 8 Wire' legend only slightly exaggerates that a Kiwi can fix any problem using just a standard fence wire. Because they can fix things independently they don't like rules and authority, there’s no need to be told what to do, just get your hands dirty and finish it! This small country knows how to claim its place in the world (or at least in the 'Southern Hemisphere'). It was the first country to give women the vote in 1893 and today’s emancipated women keep giving a good example. Welfare legislation has usually been ahead of its time since 'The Old Age Pensions Act' in 1898. Inventions include the disposable syringe and tranquiliser dart gun, the highly efficient round milking shed, bungy jumping, the jet boat, the blokart and many industrial advancements, even hokey pokey ice cream!

Life quality

New Zealand has enough space for everyone, some of the best beaches in the world, most Kiwis enjoy their gardens and how well things grow in them. It is definitely an outdoors country with countless opportunities. Outdoors activities like fishing, rugby, running, hunting, sailing, mountainbiking, tennis, golf, hiking, swimming, surfing etc. are very popular and anyone can surprisingly reveal him- or herself as a real adventurer. Kids are actively encouraged to participate in all sorts of sports events, from surf lifesaving courses to fun runs - why not look up if you can join an event while here? If the weather is good why work overtime instead of going fishing?

Kiwis rarely work themselves up the career ladder for money's sake alone, if there’s no fun or deeper satisfaction they move on to something different, which is why many have several totally different careers in a lifetime. They also contribute to their communities with a strong opinion and lots of volunteer work (15% engage regularly for voluntary organisations or groups), people feel responsible and are generally proud of their country and region. Nonetheless they love to travel abroad, backpacking through Asia or Europe or working in England for a year, leaving New Zealand for their 'big OE' (overseas experience). Then they come back and start to really appreciate where they live. Time to start a family and spend summer holidays camping at the beach, complete with the neighbours’ kids, fridge, boat and barbecue.

How New Zealanders live

Just about 5.5 million Kiwis (2025 estimate) share a country as big the UK, so it’s a bit of a surprise that around 86% live in urban areas. 97% of the land area is practically empty! But as urban as Kiwis live these days, they share 1.5 million houses to live in. Most of these stand separate and have 3 bedrooms, so most Kiwis will have a piece of land and garden to live in. Auckland alone has over 1.5 million inhabitants, but the city with 440,000 houses stretches for nearly 60 km!

Population in the cities (Dec 2024):

Auckland: 1,798,300

Christchurch: 415,100

Wellington: 215,400

Hamilton: 192,000

Tauranga: 162,800

Dunedin: 136,000

Lower Hutt: 115,500

Whangarei (district): 102,200

Palmerston North: 92,500

New Plymouth (district): 90,000

Rotorua (district): 77,800

Napier: 67,500

Porirua: 62,000

Nelson: 55,200

Invercargill: 58,600

(Source: Statistics New Zealand)

Where New Zealanders come from

Kiwis know well where they come from. Be it the great-grandfather who arrived on a steamer from Scotland or the forefather and his canoe in the Polynesian migration, the line of descent is common knowledge. Evolving from a once bicultural nation the diversity is now growing, with 70% of all Kiwis being of European, 16.5% of Maori, 15% of Asian and 8% of Pacific Island descent. Auckland with around 190,000 Pacific Islanders is practically Polynesia's capital, with more Tongans living there than in Tonga. 37% of Aucklanders were born overseas and in a way all Kiwis were once immigrants. After all, 'the youngest country on earth' was the last one to get populated.

New Zealanders are also on the go, half a million Kiwis live overseas, most of them in Australia. Prime Minister Robert Muldoon once said that 'New Zealanders who leave for Australia raise the IQ of both countries'. Sadly for New Zealand’s economy, many with high qualifications are seeking better jobs and higher salaries abroad. But some expats do return for their loved ones or to leave the pressure of overseas lifestyles behind, coming back with better skills, valuable experience and a bit of money in the bank.

As you will see, New Zealand is slowly changing into a globalised, modern and urban society. Don’t worry, the Kiwis are still out there, in so many wonderful regions for you to explore.

Some famous kiwis

Sir Edmund Hillary: Once a beekeeper and unrivalled in sports, he discovered his talent for mountaineering during a class trip. In 1953 he and his buddy Tenzing Norgay stood on the summit of Mount Everest ('We knocked the bastard off'). Sir Ed's modesty was legendary, he did not stop climbing, reached the South Pole with the help of tractors and the source of the Ganges with a jet boat, but at his state funeral in 2008 he was appreciated mainly for his lifelong charity. 'I think in a way I embody the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed.' 'It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves.'

Sir Ernest Rutherford: This Nelson-born farmer's son and rugby player with an insatiable thirst for knowledge began his studies under a corrugated iron roof ('We don't have much money, therefore we must think') and later received the Nobel Prize for his work. He described the atomic structure (about the splitting of the atom: 'I have broken the machine and touched the ghost of matter') and radioactivity and was, among other things, the first in 1904 to calculate the age of the earth by measuring radioactive decay - at that time a delicate theory in contradiction to the definition of the Bible.

Bruce McLaren: Growing up in an Auckland fuel station with a running father, his motto was speed. He became the youngest Formula One Grand Prix winner and remained in the top ten throughout the sixties. His talent, combined with engineering, led to the McLaren team, with himself as the first driver. Since then the team has won nearly every fourth GP. He died during a test drive in 1970.

Burt Munro: Born in Invercargill in 1899 and fascinated by machinery, he worked on his motorcycle for 45 years until he conquered the world speed record for the 1000cc class (1962) in the Bonneville salt desert with 178.97 miles per hour. 'The World's Fastest Indian' is a wonderful film about his philosophy of life and determination: 'If you don't follow your dreams, you can do just as well be a vegetable'. Another Kiwi motorcycle fan was John Britten, whose motorcycle broke four world speed records in 1993. Both actually used no. 8 wire when building their designs.

Wallace C. Footrot: Uncle Wal is the proud owner and co-star of 'The Dog' (the dog hates his real name) in Murry Ball's 'Footrot Flats' comic books, which were a great success in the 70-80s. It is all about the typical New Zealand farmer's life with its impossible situations and a striking resemblance to reality. This real kiwi is a down-to-earth guy, loves to fell trees, likes to go out with his girlfriend (to a fish n'chips shop) and plays rugby with his buddies. The only animals he's afraid of are his cat 'Horse' and a magpie called 'Pew'.