Watt Dabney

Don't get me wrong folk in Oz ask me where I hail from just as much as folk in NZ did, bit there are distinct different undertones to the enquiry.

Example of one yesterday at work, client - "where does that accent come from?" me- " oh UK originally via NZ" client - "oh really, where do you like living most?" me - "here definately, here is home" client - "oh thats good, your doing such a good job so it would be good if you stayed"

This is very typical of the feeling behind most of my Oz questions of my origins.

In NZ example

PTA collegue - "where do you come from then?" me - "UK originally but we wanted a better life for our children so emigrated here a few yrs ago" PTA collegue - "you know it really annoys me the way poms can just move over here whenever they want and take our jobs, we would like to live in the UK for a while but we need visas and we don't qualify" me - "oh English people can't just move here, you have to qualify for visas and its a really difficult process you have to have certain skills/quals" PTA collegue - "oh.....well its still not fair we don't need you here we have enough kiwi talent we should be encouraging to stay instead"

And this was typical of the feeling behind most of the NZ enquiries.

Its not that Australians don't ask, its just that they like it that you consider it home. NZ'ers see you as taking up a space that could be occupied by a kiwi.

THR

A very interesting post! You don't even yourself consider yourself first as an Aussie and then as some ex-British? However, probably you are just very well aware of the real world. The country you are born in is always your home-country and if you move away from that country to another country, the people in that another country will always regard you as a foreigner. Even when there is no language barrier to divide the people.

Here in Europe we have this media-BS about new-Finns, new-Irishmen, New-Germans etc, meaning immigrants coming from third world countries. I have always said that if I, or any other Finn, ever moved to a country like Japan or Korea, we'd never be considered as new-Japanese or new-Koreans. No matter how long we'd live there we'd always be known as the "foreigners".

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Pretty much exactly right. I've never faced any problems about me being British in Australia, my accent is just an easy ice breaker, something that people can latch on, to to start a conversation off.... but Aussies are never likely to think of me as an Australian.

Bellasmum

Joker (Jocker) - [Noun] (New Zealand, colloquial) A man

It is not so common to hear the term used these days and when it is it usually by a older rural Kiwi's.

Yes I am very proud to be called a Kiwi !

Most Kiwi's are proud when others choose to become Kiwi's. Any distinction between a born and breed Kiwi and others is usually more about trying to ascertain/understand different concepts and values.

My OH is a Kiwi by choice and we have had similar upbringings in a material, education sense but our values can be poles apart.

BEVS

Wah ! Sorry. It's rare I lose patience but what a load of flaming toss. It is made very clear. A Kiwi is born and bred here. A migrant is a migrant as is anywhere else in the world.. No sweat. It is how it is and , hey, no difference to anywhere else.
Locals couldn't give a monkey's about whether you
or not. They really couldn't care less. They may want to hear you say the right things ( depending on whether or not they are happy with their background. Some seem to want to hide that ) but ultimately you are the migrant.

Bo-Jangles

Erm, surely the same could be said of any two people regardless of nationality; even if they are siblings brought up in the same bloomin household with the same parents and went to the same school.

Bellasmum

You are losing your patience because some Kiwi posts something you don't approve of ?

I never said NZ was any differtent to anywhere else.

For goodness sake how precious some of you are !

Wessa

That would explain it then as this guy was a older rural Kiwi. Thanks.
Just seemed strange to me. learning all the time eh..

bourbon-biscuit

IME how well accepted immigrants are as "Kiwis" by the locals varies hugely depending on a complex range of factors including local employment levels and prospects, the diversity of the community and how well integrated immigrants are to that community, among other things. So I think it's understandable we might all have different opinions on how readily accepted we are by the locals

Buzzy--Bee

This has been exactly my experience in NZ and Australia. Interestingly, the only people here in Melbourne who have made the "go back to where you came from" type comments are Kiwis living here!!!

BB

Genesis

Ref the NZ example..and I wonder why I am pissed off with both this country and kiwis alike!!!!!!!!

bourbon-biscuit

Oh dear. Have you fallen out of love with NZ?

That's what one person experienced. You could get that anywhere but, yeah.

BEVS

Are you really feeling this way at the moment Genesis. Coz if you are then I'm sad & I don't mean that in any way condescending or any other way it could be interpreted. You were always so positive and upbeat. Your ying for my yang. That balance is needed. I always rather enjoyed your swing with the NZ life on the quiet.

I have to hasten to add , before there is a bit of mod bashing or mod ignoring , I don't dislike NZ. I rather do like it. It's just a bit of a struggle for the likes of me and Mr B. We remained neutral and unconvinced. Genesis was the antithesis of this.

On another note. Yes. We have been told to get back to our own country. ( That was for looking at carpet in a carpet shop ) We've been told that we have pushed house prices up ( We've had a bit of this yet we'em be brassic ) and husband has been told he has nicked jobs that should have gone to a homegrown despite the fact there was no-one to take the work and he started at a wage far below the going rate & further paid shed loads of $$$ just to be allowed to ply his trade.

Oh ! and we've also been told that we are minted simply coz we have a front loading washing machine and a fridge freezer. New ones for the first time ever. Well they were a few years ago.

I dunno. It's all about what we , as individuals experience out there . It's also about what we are willing to settle for. That is what makes us do these moves in the first place.

Genesis

I guess right now I am disillusioned. I blame a wee bit on going back to the UK for the 2nd time in 6yrs. Loads of emotional shit was bought up that I would rather have left dormant..we all know about sleeping dogs eh? But kate and the kids wanted to go and i wanted to be with them. I guess it will pass in time. NZ has many, many positive things about it..like the quality of our lives in many ways. But my issues are with intangible things..well being run over by some crap kiwi driver is hardly intangible yet I feel the aforementioned is when rather than if the way many of them drive..ove and out for now. BTW sorry you guys have suffered so much crap. Chins up what?

BEVS

I'd agree as it happens. It can be mighty unsettling to return . Done the emotional pile of crud . Best left as someone else's Uncle Fester . Not yours ! You've moved on.
Husband is returning soon to see his Mum. That will be the 2nd time without me which is very hard in many ways. I am choosing not to return.

We made a good decision Genesis. We may not be, either one of us , totally settled at the moment but we made a good decision. You have kids . I actually think kids are better here for childhood freedom. Not for all things needed for a modern life but for being a child as I remember. Free as a bird. You're wife is fulfilled in her work.

Nothing is forever.

M