Who are New Zealanders?

Who are New Zealanders? That was the question of the day and when I met with our market research agency, it was the topic of their presentation. It was interesting to note that of the four of us in the room, only one was an actual kiwi! The other three were from France, Canada (me - obviously), and Australia, so there was some interesting insight that came out of the discussions.

The main message that was conveyed through their presentation is that New Zealanders are incredibly proud of their country. According to a poll run by the Gallup Organisation, they are ranked the 8^th happiest country in the world. And so they should be. These little islands tucked away in the Southern Hemisphere have much to be proud of. If you don’t believe me, check out my previous blog postings!

While they may not always practice what they preach (environmentally speaking), they are often heard talking up their “greenness”, particularly to outsiders. Sadly, New Zealand was actually listed in the top ten least sustainable countries according to the 2009 Living Planet Report - WWF’s premiere publication on the state of the planet. That being said, much of this is not to be laid on the shoulders of individual kiwis but rather on their industry practices and governmental leadership (or lack thereof) in terms of environmental policy and accountability.

From what I’ve noticed, kiwis are generally friendly, outgoing, and pretty laid back. There is actually a book (that I have yet to read but have taken out of the library) called 8 Tribes. This book “calls an end to the myth of the typical New Zealander and gives us a new vocabulary to talk about New Zealand in the twenty first Century. While at first glance, it seems a bit too top-line for my liking, the online quiz is fun and it gives a good overview of each tribe. Plus, it’s interesting to see where you end up. Besides, who doesn’t like a little procrastination from work? Find out what kiwi tribe you belong to:

http://www.8tribes.co.nz/FINDYOURTRIBE/tabid/124/Default.aspx