Genesis

.... is the 2nd worst in the world apparently. What is wrong with this country? You see bullying on the road, every day. People tailgating you at 100ks with 2 metres betwixt them and you. The aggressive way they drive in general, the way they will not let you in OR out of any given situation. The way they over take you when you are doing 104ks!

Aggression seems to permeate the kiwi psyche. I know a person who was bullied in both the private and public sector. My ex wife was bullied out of her job in the public sector. The public sector are supposed to be champions of anti-bullying.

My friend who was bullied (who worked in the public sector) who, was screamed at in an open plan office by the department head. My friend, who left shortly afterwards, had a gagging order slapped on them so they could not mention what happened.

That bully is now the CEO of another public sector organisation!! In the private example, the staffer stood up to the bullying supervisor, in a professional and non aggressive manner (this was corroborated by another person) and was sacked, just before the 90 days probabtion was up.

I have been bullied in the UK by colleagues in the Met Police. It was awful and had a terrible deleterious effect on me. NZ should be so ashamed of the awful reputation it has in this area.

Bo-Jangles

Kind of contradicts the stance that Kiwis like to think of themselves as a friendly bunch of people, eh? When in reality they're either trying to run you off the road or playing the passive aggressive game, quietly trying to cut people down and stabbing each other in the back and undermining their work.

simonsi

So just to show you the range of experience, my daily school run is made much longer by the way every car in the road queue seems to want to let every Tom, Dick and Harry in from the shopping car-park shortcuts they take...too nice it seems!

Tailgating is pretty common in every country where it isn't specifically targeted as an offence (think Germany is a prime example of that from memory).

I've just spent 3 weeks driving in the UK, on average a near-death experience about once a week on motorway driving, bit worse than I experience driving around Auckland's North Shore and West.

Munchkjn

Stats say more than double the number of people die on NZ roads as compared to UK roads per head. Not sure about per mile travelled though.

simonsi

Don't doubt it but also bear in mind that the much reduced population supports a much cheaper cost/km of road by necessity, coupled with the rainfall that means NZ roads are quite unforgiving outside city areas with little lighting and normally no room to make a mistake before running into a large drainage ditch (to deal with said rainfall), or other natural hazard with minimal armco barrier...

garethwm

Not only do Kiwis think of themselves as a friendly bunch of people, but so do a lot of expats it seems. A survey of expats by Forbes found NZ as the friendliest bunch of people in the world! Just to offer a different perspective.

garethwm

Some possible reasons other than shiter driving why NZ has a high road toll. 1: They have the highest level of car ownership in the world, I think. If not, its up there. 2: They have a large level of open roads. In the Uk, you leave one town and its not long before youre in the next limited speed zone. In NZ you drive 100s of KMs between towns at 100 kph and there isnt the population to maintain the roads to the same standard. 3: Lower level of public transport usage. 4: High rural population 5: shite driving

BEVS

Number 5 on that list. Absolutely. Totally.

For myself, I simply wish NZ and all Kiwis/New Zealanders to acknowledge & own this issue and do something about it for all our sakes.

Genesis

Exactly!! I tried hard to ingratiate myself with kiwis, made the effort when I first got here. However, over time I have realised I do not like the 'kiwi attitude'.

Genesis

I know all that and thus drive accordingly. Most people do not seem to get it. They blame environmental factors, rain et al. Its bloody stupid, reckless, selfish drivers that kill...not the lack of a median strip (in most cases).

Genesis

So why are they such bullies in the work place and on the road??

Genesis

But they don't want to own the suicide thing, the bullying thing, OR the driving thing. Kiwi psyche, she'll be right. Bloody infuriating!

BEVS

I agree. I think we are getting there a bit with the Domestic Violence thing though & also the idea that men that have depression are not woosies that needed to harden up. Mind you, John Kerwin will have helped with that one being an ex All Black and all that.

Small country with a small population that could be outstanding if it would just let itself.

LoCarb

I find what's happening at Farewell Spit at the moment is pretty indicative of the Kiwi's I know, and what makes NZ so special (to me anyway)....

BEVS

Eh?
What is happening at Farewell is what happens at other whale traps around the world. Many countries have cetacean stranding response teams.

We would be there at Farewell now but for a couple of reasons which made it impossible for us to go up yesterday & difficult today so far which is poo and frustrating for us. However we are ready .

Currently the volunteers are made up of tourists & backpackers in the area , Project Jonah medics ( like us ), DoC workers & those able to make the journey to the area.

Like the last time two years ago, it will be a truly international peopled effort. I can vouch for that from personal experience.

BTW Daren Grover who manages P.J. is British . I briefly met Steve Whitehouse, formerly of PJ for many decades & now of WhaleRescue at the last large stranding. Although he lives in Oz , he is a Kiwi.