I have lived in New Zealand for some years. But soon I will leave this country. I came here on business and the intended stay was about 2 years, but it became longer than expected.
In NZ, what I remember most of all is the SLOW TIME, or SLOW LIFE. I moved living address 4 times while my stay in NZ, and each time, I had to wait for a long time before telephone company, furniture companies, or any other persons in charge come up for services I ordered. They absolutely never appeared on time, 2 or 3 hours delay is really normal happening in NZ. Also they rarely say sorry about the delay. If it was in Japan, they would never get a job from customers, at least they would sincerely apologize for the delay.
There are many thing as such, for example, we often see workers at cashier of super markets who says NOTHING when we buy through them. Even if we say Hello or Thank you, they never say any words, then we often needed to regret our word, Thank you, because we couldn’t thank them. It’s apparent that the company never educates them service mind at work or in other words, in NZ maybe they don’t have to care of service mind at work. But interestingly, when we go to a little expensive ( high class ) super market, they say Thank You or Hello, and tries to make more colorful conversation to us with smiles. Maybe in NZ, smile of services is not free but it’s charged. In my experience, NZ was one of the worst in this SMILE service.
This was the first surprise for me.
Next, there was a workers union at where I attended to, and the union was really strong. I felt the union was working not for the company but for themselves only, probably this is normal attitude in NZ. Yet, in Japan, if they are like that, they will soon get fired. Contribution to the company is the must attitude for workers in Japan as far as they choose to work there. They have right to choose the working place, so they need to contribute to the company if they choose it, which is common sense among Japanese workers. This concept was also different from each other between 2 countries. Also, the company was an international company with some nationalities, but the NZ workers always insisted on NZ style putting aside the international understanding or each other’s compromising approach. That was an extraordinary thing in such a working environment in my experience.
As an interesting experience of mine, I temporarily worked at an English language school of NZ. There were a lot of teachers there. They didn’t have any interest in stundet’s future. What they did was only teaching English as English speakers. In addition, they have only few knowledge about the students countries whichever their country may be. Teaching language is such a high standard occupation, I think. Teachers can, in a sense, instruct students’ future. But teachers were just native English speakers who care their salary and status only. I don’t expect all of the schools in NZ is such, but this is a real disappointing experience for me. In NZ, international understanding is hard to achieve unless New Zealanders would have more interest in the international relations not only with Australia, UK or USA but with as many countries as possible because NZ accepts world students and workers.
As such, the people in NZ aren’t inerested in interenational relation so much. This is what I felt here. In other words, they are very conservative. I can’t tell about many countries’ examples, but in America , Canada or in some Asian countries, I had a very exciting and fruitful talks both on business and in private relations. But in NZ, all the converation I experienced was like SO-SO conversation, so conservative enough to feel boring sometimes. In other places as above, at least some people know well about Japan or recently focused countries, they and us had very constructive talks about future of business or our countries. Maybe it means that New Zealanders have no need to talk such a serious thing because they are always happy or they are far from troubles and co-works of countries. For New Zealand, Japan should be one of the big trading partners, but average people in NZ don’t know Japan except the name, Japan. Of course, there are some who know Japan, and some worked in Japan as English teachers, but what I heard from them was about love affair with Japanese girls and money they got in Japan, unfortunately.
One of the worst experiences of my life happened in New Zealand. Often I had very noisy neighbors and they didn’t care of time and ocassion when they enjoy the music or fireworks. Some continued the firworks until 2 or 3am and we could not sleep. And some played music very loudly anytime and it shook my room’s windows many times during day and night. They didn’t care somebody else, which is unbelievable rude act against common manner for us. Accidental experience…I want to think so.
I need to add one thing about NZ from Maori people’s angle. This would be a delicate matter in NZ so I also can’t tell it at my guess.
Again in NZ, people from UK came suddenly and exchanged contract papers with native Maori people for allowing English people to govern the land of Maori. I’m not sure about the process of contract, so my opinion is just an example of average persons. But it’s fact that the concept of country or territory is brought by westerners, and Maori just kept living there without the concept. I don’t know which could be happier for native people,Maori.
Like Colombos’ discovery is said to be American continent discovery, it’s always from western people’s eyes angle. In America, Indians used to live before that. Not human’s discovery at all. If we need to say it, it’s American indeians who discovered America. I’m not sure if American indians like the way it is now.
Also in NZ, western people came to NZ and started governing the land by new civilization and new law. I don’t know if Maori liked it or not. But it actually started before all the Maori agreed to the NEW ORDER. Western people brought new way of life and new business chance to NZ or Maori, which maybe was a good thing. At the same time, I don’t know if MAORI likes today’s NZ system. They could live by their own way if western people didn’t come in.
I don’t criticize anything about NZ becaue I don’t know, but this is a very important thing we must remember all the time, I think.
When I see the diet of NZ, many are westerners. And some Maori sometimes complain of it. To be honest, it was a hard experrience for me to see on TV.
As for TVs of NZ, It’s really strange that New Zealand TVs often say like NZ is the 2nd (or 3rd or anything ) among ADVANCED countries. I don’t know how they judge NZ to be an advanced country. I agree that NZ has good standard of life, but NZ doesn’t have outstanding advanced industry in the world, and we’ve never been taught that NZ is an advanced country. In the sense of business technology, service, or ideas, NZ is still delayed compared to other western countries. Not an advanced country, but we all know NZ has high QOL. So we should call NZ as QOL advanced country.
As a whole, in spite of many negative experience in NZ, I had a relaxed time in New Zealand. Probably no more again in my life. The first time I came to NZ, I thought NZ was a paradise in such a life style. Gradually, I found myself to be accustomed to modern life with fast internet and enough supply of business ideas being surrounded by stimulative people because I began to feel boring when there was nothing I needed. I understand I can’t stay here for a long time. I like moving more than staying in slow life.
I think this was a very good experience for me to understand what I need in my life or how I can get satisfied with. NZ is a good country for anybody who want the calmness and slow speed of life, they aren’t stressed much and they live with happy mind. They don’t need any stimulative information from other side of the earth, so I also understand they prefer conservative life becaseu they don’t need the change. I must admit this is such a nice country.
Unfortunately…or fortunately, I was born in busy country and my mind needs more relations with the world. So, my relaxing time in NZ was the last slow paradise experience for me. I will be back in “MY NORMAL WORLD” soon, where promises must be kept on time, people must work for contribution at their choice, and where they talk about better world for each other with full passion.
Thank you, and Good bye New Zealand.
