Is New Zealand Unknown?

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Mel

I'm with Elizabeth.. Zealand is a word! Bloody Yahoo.

I'm an Aussie so of course I know about NZ and have visited both islands a few times too.

A lot of movies are filmed in NZ which is helping to promote the country, but you will always find some people with their heads up their a-ses that don't know of any country but their own *cough* Americans *cough*

ur moma

im from australia and i know about you but on the amazing race they went to New Zealand and they didnt know where it was i no u have awesome activities and friendly ppl

dookie

As a kiwi who has traveled oversea's a lot, i often get the old "so your from Australia" when i tell them im from New Zealand, they think its a state of Australia.

I think we have been in the spotlight a bit more in the recent years with Americans etc.

Iskandar

Australians know about you. Me being one of them.

However I am not sure if Europeans, East Asians or Americans really know much about NZ. Maybe it would seem as a lucrative tourist destination and nothing more. Which is kind of sad.

I am sure Europeans and Americans would think much the same with Australia. We are a far away destination, with kangaroos.

A3Ro: me me I know where Malta is!

Dangerous

Pretty much.

What do you expect? we're over 2000km from anything (and that something's not THAT much either). We only recently cracked 4 million population and most of our cultural makeup and overseas contacts are from the English-speaking world. We don't have much in the way of internationally recognised companies or contributions to civilisation. Most of our international presence is in the sporting world, and that's limited to sports that are themselves limited such as Rugby, Yachting and Cricket. Our Soccer/football team is one of the most underperforming and invisible in the world.
We're incorrectly perceived as either an extension of Australia, a tropical Island, or a farming 'land of milk and honey' like the rural American midwest. Some also have a perception more inaccurate; as one where everyone lives in some idyllic Coromandel like bay or inlet with a great job and lifestyle and free from anything ugly like predators or drugs or whatever.

So in the scale of the world we're pretty much out of the way and unimportant. Many people, especially Aucklanders really seem to struggle to accept this, and pretend we "punch above our weight" and have this sacred international presence (the myths about our supposed 'nuclear free status' has been a particular source of humiliation for me).
But really, we're unknown in the world. Some people don't want to face it, but really when you get over it, it's actually nothing to be ashamed of and if anything something to be happy about.

Of course may Aussies consider themselves authorities on New Zealand, but a quick investigation almost always shows (and frequently 'shows up') they're just mouthing off as usual.

Elizabeth

I find it annoying when I type New Zealand, in an answer on Yahoo, Spell Checker says "Ooops! You have a misspelling."

So what is that all about?

forreal

No, not unknown at all.
Most Americans would consider New Zealand to be across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Most Australians would consider New Zealand to be too close.

Blain Rinehart

Definitely, I love people from New Zealand... They are some or the best programmers out there. I'm a game programmer from Oklahoma in the States, and I personally know a New Zealander dating a girl I know. Awesome accent... ;)

Lutzkrieg

New Zealand is unknown to americans from what I've seen in media over the years but americans are a media and education controlled society.
Otherwise, New Zealand has made many claims to fame, the ANZUS nuclear row of the 80s, the America's cup (which many americans have no idea exists) the All Blacks which are a reviered footbal team and actually known about by the yanks, some of the best sea-food in the world, Greenpeace, and as a penal colony in the Star trek universe.
Also the americans use Harewood as the gateway to Antarctic, Air New Zealand made the news in the 70s after the Mount Erebus disaster, and the only place you can buy new copies of the movie `Goodbye Pork Pie` are in England where it is still sold frequently.

Willie D

Well, climbers and skiers know about NZ. My guess is so do a a lot of LOTR fans. Sadly, NZ is really far away from everywhere so except for Aussies, not many people get to visit. Then again...maybe that's a good thing. Tourists, especially us Americans, are idiots! :-)

mareeclara

When I was living in the UK, they thought New Zealand was REALLY close to Australia, in fact it was hard to them to determine any differences between us like living with snakes, spiders and crocodiles! ( and 90% of the time I was asked if I was Australian (and frequenly South African!!!).

I was also asked by someone why I was white as the other thing they think NZ is a tropical island!!
Mostly they knew us there for the sport, scenery and lord of the rings

Tahini Raving Weirdo

Wow, New Zealand is actually a country?
I always thought it was a veggie label, like Biogro or Demeter or something.

Saphronlegendo9

LOL Im a Kiwi and I have heard it all mostly from Americans as well. When I was on a plane once an American was pleased to see that I had bothered to learn English not realizing that it is our first language.

Another American just the other day commented when looking around us they thought AUSTRALIA was more dry (THIS WAS IN NZ AND THEY WERE SERIOUS) no jokes.

Even some Australians are oblivious as I have meet some who have been shocked to see Im white not browner like Pacific Islanders as they didn't realize that most NZers are Pakiha.

pepperhead2u

What!! Everyone knows about New Zealand, like hello - Lord of the Rings, The Hobbits live in New Zealand, like duh

A3Ro

Um New Zealand eh... No, I really dont think it is THAT unknown. at least not by people in australia. I mean in england, or like italy, maybe. probably yes. but i mean most people in this area wouldnt know where, for example, Malta is.

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