Different lifestyles and cultures
Some Malaysian students made a list of interesting characteristics of the Kiwi lifestyle. Here is their list:
- Kiwis eat rice with a fork instead of a spoon. They brush their teeth after breakfast. They don’t rinse their cutlery after scrubbing it in hot water filled with soap. (Note: detergents are biodegradable in New Zealand. You won’t die from them!).
- Marmite/Vegemite does NOT taste like chocolate.
- The 21st birthday is celebrated as a big event by kiwis.
- Kiwis like to hassle each other, and that usually forms the basis for friendship. (Teasing someone is often a way of being friendly!). They walk barefoot (without shoes) around town, but they wear their shoes indoors.
- Kiwis are interested in rugby, tramping, cricket, reading, TV, music, and movies.
- Most kiwis are shy and prefer it if you approach them first. And, finally, space and privacy are important to most Kiwis.
- Go op-shopping (shopping in second-hand stores). This is a fun and cheap way of shopping.
- Give someone a chocolate fish (marshmallow covered in chocolate) as a token of your appreciation.
- Sniffing is impolite, but it’s okay to blow your nose into a handkerchief or tissue.
- Don’t bother using an umbrella in Wellington—you’ll spend 80 percent of your time trying to unflip it.
- When crossing the road, look right, then left, then right again.
- Most banks have free accounts for tertiary students.
- Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’; Western culture is a verbal culture so Kiwis find it hard to read body languages prevalent in non-western cultures.
- Weather and sports are safe topics to discuss if you don’t know a person.
- Drinking alcohol is common in New Zealand, but don’t feel pressured to join in.
