“He’s a Kiwi bro!” “No he’s not, he’s an Aussie!”

There’s been many heated discussions about where some individuals and icons are from – NZ or Australia. Both countries like to claim them.

Both countries also like to happily gift some individuals as “yours, you can have ‘em”.

We’ve seen Kiwis singing Advance Australia Fair (cough, splutter…Robbie Deans), and Aussies doing the haka.

It’s all in good humour (most of the time anyway!) which is a reflection of the good natured rivalry between the two countries – just think of other countries that are neighbours and the nature of their rivalries!

If the main thing we fight about is where certain people are from them I think we’re fine as friendly neighbours.

We’ve listed some and icons below in various categories. Tell us what you think. Who and what have we missed?

Kiwis the Aussies have tried to claim
1. Lamingtons
2. Crowded House
3. Phar Lap
4. Pavlova
5. Jane Campion
6. Rebecca Gibney
7. Keisha Castle-Hughes
8. Split Enz
9. The All Whites performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
10. Hugh Riminton
11. Sam Neil
12. Alan Dale
13. Keith Urban
14. Sonny Bill Williams
15. Brad Thorn
16. Nathan Cayless
17. Richard Wilkins

Kiwis the Aussies can have – take ‘em!
1. Karmichael Hunt (rugby league and AFL)
2. Quade Cooper (rugby union)
3. Willie Mason (rugby league)

Who wants them?
1. Robbie Deans
2. Russell Crowe

Aussies we’ve claimed as Kiwis
1. Jessica Watson
2. Steve Price
3. Steve Divine
4. Brent Webb

Have we put some people and icons in categories you don’t agree with?

Who and what have we missed out?

1. Call a chilli bin an esky

2. Have forgotten the words to oma rāpeti

3. Say “6” like they do

4. Haven’t had a mallowpuff, perky nana, pinky bar, or bluebird chips in the last 12 months

5. Agree that the Wallaby forward pack is still a work in progress

6. Call a duvet a dooner

7. Have a favourite AFL team

8. Have become an Aussie citizen

9. Complain about the “cold” weather during an Aussie winter

10. Know all the words to Waltzing Matilda

11. Support Aussie sports team

12. Order a schooner at a pub in NZ

13. Get hassled about your Aussie accent by your family and friends in NZ

14. Haven’t heard of the movie BOY

15. Like drinking VB

16. Think Richard Long and Judy Bailey still read the news on TV1

17. Think the All Blacks have peaked too soon

18. Tell people you’re from Australia when you’re overseas

19. Call a jandal a thong

20. Call togs your cozzie or swimmers

It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally listed the key differences between Kiwis and Aussies and the distinctive lifestyle of each country. So what do the differences mean for Kiwis living in Australia?

The Kiwi Way – The Good
Let’s face it- we Kiwis are a humble lot. Compared to our Aussie mates, we are quiet achievers. We know that we’re not big players on the world stage and we don’t try and convince ourselves or anyone else that we are.

We accept when we fail to achieve our goals…cough, cough, splutter….Rugby World Cups comes to mind here #@%!

We are, however extremely proud of our Kiwi achievements and stand by our beliefs (take the no nukes policy as an example). But we keep it real and don’t try and over play our hand.

We let our achievements speak for themselves- rather than building them up in the media and fooling the Kiwi public, into believing them to be more than what they are.

Having said that, we strive to be an overachieving nation- within our boundaries and limitations.

The Kiwi Way – The Bad
Kiwis are slow at introducing change and seizing opportunities in front of them.

Red tape, as well as conservative and influential views of concern groups, results in slow progress. And in some cases, no progress at all- in initiatives that could significantly benefit the country.

Take the bungled 2003 Rugby World Cup co-hosting, and the stalling of compulsory superannuation in NZ as prime examples. Seize the moment, take the opportunities!

As a Kiwi living in Australia, I believe we are not as professional as the Aussies, when it comes to attracting and hosting large scale international events.

I attended the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and the 2003 Rugby World Cup. I was blown away. What an amazing example of how to host and run large events.

The bungled 2003 Rugby World Cup co-hosting, Auckland waterfront stadium and “Party Central” fiasco are a few examples of Kiwis not having the same capabilities as Aussies.

The number of bands that have come to Australia for concerts, bypassing NZ is countless. How annoying is that?!

The Aussie Way – The Good and Bad
It took me a while to notice that Aussies love comparing their people and achievements with the rest of the world. Aussies try and make out that whatever they do is the best in the world.

The media often portrays Aussie achievements as world class and of a grand scale. You’ve gotta love the Aussie grandstanding, God love ‘em!

Fellow Kiwis living in Australia, if you haven’t noticed your Aussie mates believing their media hype, believe me, it’s only a matter of time before you do!

To their credit, this trait gives them confidence to aspire to great things, and they have!

But the annoying thing, is that Aussies tend to ignore when they fail to achieve what they set out to do, or when someone else has beaten them.

The massive hype and build up, leads to red faces when things don’t work out. The Socceroos performance at the World Cup- is case in point. Why, oh why, would you build up hype that you are going to beat Germany? Get a grip!

What do the differences mean for you?
There is absolutely no doubt that Australia offers a lot more variety and choice when it comes to work opportunities, bars, restaurants, fashion, entertainment, beaches and of course the weather is a huge attraction.

The question for Kiwis who call Australia home, is whether the great factors about life in Australia outweigh the distinct Kiwi way and lifestyle?

I’ve been living in Australia for 11 years and moved back home 3 years ago. What drove me to move home you ask? Well, I wanted to get my Kiwi identity back and be part of the Kiwi lifestyle again. But, I only lasted 6 months.

The bad parts of the Kiwi way, got the better of me. I was lured back to Sydney- in a flash.

Without a doubt, one day I’ll move home again to be part of the Kiwi way of life. I’ll bring back with me the good things about the Aussie way – for the good of my beloved Aotearoa.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy and embrace the best of both worlds.

Kiwis – Do the great things about life in Australia outweigh the bad? Do you like the Kiwi way and lifestyle, or is it hindering New Zealand? Will you ever return home to live in New Zealand?

Aussies – what do you think about the differences?<

Our Aussie mates and colleagues love trying to get up our noses with their jibes at Kiwis and what we’re famous for.

Here’s some of them and suggested comebacks.

“When are the All Blacks going to choke at the world cup this time?”
“Remind me who holds the Rugby League World Cup, I seem to have forgotten”..…admit that it’s clutching at straws, but hard core Aussie leaguies hate it that the Kiwis have the World Cup and Four Nations Trophy. Here’s hoping that this taunt will be void come 23 October this year!

“Baaaaaaaa…..Kiwis love their sheep”
“Aussies are a bunch of convicts” ….never let the Aussies forget that their forefathers are criminals.

“Are you going to bring your chulli bun…? Haha chulli bun…!”
“What the hell does esky mean anyway? It’s another one of your Aussie made up words, like dooner”

“Come on Kiwi, do a Haka for us! “
“Ok, but only if you do a traditional Aboriginal dance, or is Waltzing Matilda the best you can do?”……it’s great the Aussies love and respect the Haka, but Waltzing Matilda is hardly a cultural identity!

“It’s always cold in New Zealand”
“It has to be so you Aussies have somewhere decent to go for skiing”

“The Kiwi dollar’s worth nothing”
“Get over there and spend your Aussie dollars on our ski fields then!”

“There’s no-one left in New Zealand, you’re all over here in Oz!”
“Well, someone’s gotta keep this country going and provide you with heroes. Phar Lap, Crowded House to name a few ‘Aussie’ heroes”.

“NZ has no navy, military or defence force”
“No need to bro, we don’t go to war”.

“We don’t jump every time the yanks go to war like other countries I know”

“I can hardly understand your terrible accent”
“Is that because the Aussie accent is so refined?”

“New Zul-ind”
“Austra-ya, you do realise your country’s name has an L in it don’t you?”
What are other jibes have you been subjected to, and what was your comeback? Let us know what we’ve missed.

As proud Kiwis living in Australia, we’d like to share with you our views on:

• What Kiwis in Australia are currently doing to help New Zealand’s prosperity
• Ideas on what else we could do to help NZ
• What needs to change for us to move back to NZ (many of us want to!)

It’s no secret that the continual flow of Kiwis to Australia is a reflection of higher wages and greater opportunities in Australia. This is largely a result of the stronger Australian economy relative to NZ. In fact the net number of people who left New Zealand for Australia in May this year was 3,300 – the highest since 1979.

We love NZ, there is no question! Many of us would love to move back home to enjoy the things that simply can’t be experienced in Australia. The easy pace of life, the friendliness of Kiwis, the food & wine, the “green grass of NZ”, and the no nuclear stance are just some of the beauties of NZ that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

At the same token we enjoy and respect everything that Australia has to offer. In fact many Kiwis living in Australia have been here for many years and don’t intend on ever leaving.

Australians have a lot of respect and admiration for New Zealanders. Our strong work ethic, down to earth nature which makes us easy to live and work alongside, and our willingness to do “whatever it takes” to get the job done are just some of our qualities that are admired.

Regardless of how long Kiwis have lived in Australia, we are extremely proud of NZ, we want NZ to do well and we want to help as much as we can.

What Kiwis in Australia are currently doing to help New Zealand’s prosperity

• We buy NZ products – there are specialist NZ shops and online businesses throughout Australia.
• We go back to NZ for our holidays (and spend our Aussie dollars!)
• Encourage our Australian friends to travel to NZ (and spend their Aussie dollars!)
• Support all things Kiwi over here in Australia

We’re passionate about NZ products and going back to visit family and friends and to see more of our beautiful country. This shows that we want to invest in NZ’s current and future prosperity.

Ideas on what else we could do to help New Zealand
Our higher wages here in Australia combined with our undoubted desire to help NZ means we’re a potential source of funds for investment in NZ’s economy. If we were to invest in NZ, everyone would be a winner:

• We get to help NZ’s economy
• We get a return for our investment in NZ
• NZ gets access to a previously untapped source of capital

Here’s some of the other ways in which we could invest in NZ
1) NZ tourism road shows around Australia, with Kiwis in Australia running them. We’re so proud of NZ many of us would jump at the chance to show off our country to our Aussie mates. The Giant Rugby ball initiative was brilliant. I shed a tear as I watched the audio visual of NZ whilst sitting in the giant ball at Circular Quay in Sydney. These road shows could showcase NZ not only as holiday destination but also a place to invest for Aussies.

2) Develop a working group of Kiwis in Australia who would meet regularly to discuss how to help NZ based on their insights and Australian experiences. These working groups could be at various levels:

o High profile New Zealanders in the corporate and business world in Australia (e.g. Phil Chronican, ANZ Australia CEO and Sir Ralph Norris, Commonwealth Bank CEO).

o At the industry level, e.g. tap into New Zealanders who work in the Australian superannuation industry to get ideas and insights on how to further develop KiwiSaver.

3) Launch a Kiwis in Australia Managed Fund – we would invest into this fund in order to provide capital for NZ, and for us to get a financial return. This could include a portfolio with a number of investment options – all containing Kiwi assets. For example:

o Kiwis in Australia NZ Share Fund

o Kiwis in Australia NZ Property Fund

o Kiwis in Australia Growth Fund

4) Make it easier and cheaper to transfer currency back to New Zealand to encourage us to invest in New Zealand.

5) Discount trans-Tasman airfares for Kiwis who live in Australia. This would be a great way to encourage us to visit NZ more often – to spend our Aussie dollars and bring our Aussie mates!

What needs to change for us to move back to NZ (many of us want to!)
Here’s a list of the main factors currently keeping us in Australia:

• Higher wages
• A stronger economy which provides more opportunities
• The Aussie “have a go” mentality
• First Home Owners Grant
• Compulsory super
• Penalty rates

Higher wages in Australia is the number one reason for Kiwis moving to Australia.

It’s no secret that the strong Australian economy due to the resources boom has led to higher wages than in New Zealand.

There’s no magic wand that can quickly raise wages in NZ. However, steps must be put in place now to prevent NZ losing more of its young and skilled people, and to encourage ex-pats to return. NZ must think long term. Investment in research & development to foster innovation and to encourage young (and not so young!) entrepreneurs to stay in NZ is critical.

A structural shift in the NZ economy is required to channel more investment funds into productive sectors of the economy and into research and development. This would create more jobs, grow wealth and ultimately lift wages.

The Kiwi investment focus on residential property is hampering the NZ economy from achieving its true potential.

Use superannuation funds to help boost New Zealand’s economy.
Compulsory super in Australia is worth more than $1.3 trillion! That is simply staggering in anyone’s book. That’s a lot of money being invested in productive areas of the economy and into research and development.

The other positive spin-off from compulsory super is an increase in the financial literacy of Australians, hence more investment in the sharemarket. This gives companies access to more capital – to create jobs and wealth.

KiwiSaver must be made compulsory. Media reports have suggested it’s been discussed by officials. Kiwis have a conservative approach to investment and here’s where the Aussie “have a go mentality needs to be adopted”.

In fact there are many aspects of KiwiSaver that are better than super in Australia. There’s $18 billion in ‘lost’ super, and on average each worker has 3 super accounts that they are paying fees on. KiwiSaver is great in that lost super and multiple accounts per person can never happen.

To finish up…
Until NZ mum and dad investors break from their fascination of residential investment property, NZ will never be able to foster enough productive investment to expand and grow so that wages and household wealth can lift in line or come close to Australia.

We hope this letter has provided insights into the lives of Kiwis living in Australia, what we can do to contribute to NZ from here, and what we have learnt from our experiences to help NZ raise its prosperity.

One underlying fact will always remain – we love New Zealand and are passionate about NZ doing well by reaching its true potential.We’d love the opportunity to discuss the contents of this letter with you.

Regards,

Kiwisinoz.com.au

Please note the contents of this letter are not necessarily the views shared by visitors to the kiwisinoz.com.au website, any New Zealander who lives in Australia or anyone who is a kiwisinoz.com.au Facebook fan. The views and comments in this letter are purely those of the owners of kiwisinoz.com.au