In colonized countries, the non-indigenous people often have difficulty defining their culture, but not in New Zealand. All New Zealanders are fiercely proud of their inherited Maori culture with the language and traditions a part of school children’s’ education.

New Zealanders feel that they live in a clean, green country, and New Zealanders understand sustainability. Being so far away from any other country the early pioneers had to struggle with the resources they had. The pioneering spirit has never died in New Zealand with a romantic clinging to all things old, like the old car left in the farmer’s paddock.

Modern New Zealand still revels in resourcefulness with displays that say ‘See, we did it our way!’. This is mixed with an unmistakable Kiwi Humour, that delights in a mixture of ‘Kitch’ and ‘Quaint’.

Sign posts abound in New Zealand, that say ‘look how far away we are from everyone’, like the many world distance sign posts. Even official signs show humour in the fact that people have to be told the obvious, sometimes… like the bike on the train tracks, or the glacier collapsing warning, or the swimming warnings. The unofficial humorous sign posts include the Fence of Bras (yes ladies’ underwear) near the ski field at Wanaka, or the Fence of Shoes in Blenheim. The owners welcome any contributions from the bemused public.

New Zealanders are progressive and use imaginative colour in their buildings, artwork, clothes and language. Crop dusting aircraft are affectionately known as ‘dung-dusters’ due to the fact that most spend their time is spreading fertiliser. They use technology to make purchases over the internet and keep up with the news. The progressive companies do well in New Zealand, like the ‘Pak and Save Supermarket’ chain.

Sport in New Zealand swandles tiny babies in team colours, with rugby at the helm and ‘All Black’ rugby players revered as demi gods. The legendary “Haka” rugby football war cry is known the world over (see below). After Sport Recreation centres around hot pools, mud baths and bars (the very up-market bar, of course). Tramping the multitude of national parks is a national pass time.

The land is shared by people from diverse cultures as the roads are shared, with single lane bridges doubling as train tracks. New Zealand is a land of milk and honey, of art and culture, and of very lucky and happy people !

The “Ka Mate” haka generally opens with a set of five preparatory instructions shouted by the leader, before the whole team joins in: