[LivePsy]

Your not mistaken OVM. I was born in NZ but at 21 moved to Sydney and more recently Melbourne Australia. I haven't been back much, it must be 15 years since I was last there. So I don't know much about the country now - I was pretty amazed that they made Lord of the Rings as much as anyone. But I digress. What follows is my highly subjective opinion.

Back in the 70's NZ was through my eyes a pretty depressed place financially and morally. You were supposed to work hard and not make much money - people still seemed to be living in the post WW2 shadow although I was born 10 years after it. British movies set in the 1940's seemed to sum up the mood of my childhood.

NZ was very racial. My parents were the typical conservatives believing that white people were superior (although you didn't hurt the Maori's feelings by telling them that). Many place names and street names were Maori which makes for some wonderfully difficult spelling and pronounciation. But it was not integration. In the 70's liberals were talking about equality for Maori's, 'affirmative action' was giving financial and job advantages to people based on their race. Some Maori's were assuming the Black Power politics of the USA and some were arguing they had rights to the land. Due to a screw up in the Treaty of Waitangi that appears to indeed be true. NZ welcomed pacific island people (as they were all members of the British Commonwealth I believe) and the country was not just divided by European and Maori, there were several other ethnic groups like Fujian, Tongan, Cook Island, Samoan - and there were long standing gang disputes all based on an individual's race.

Frankly I didn't take it all in, but there was always a threathening trouble about race. The violence was not that bad, but the Maori and Islander attitude of intimidating through the power of a group was common. What the hell is a Haka for example? Traditional greeting it is not, no matter what they say. After leaving NZ, I have only experienced similar intimidation by afro americans.

I went to an apparently rough grammar school, but there was no violence. The odd bash up, but nothing bad. In fact my probably only friend at school was a huge tall Maori named Toa who was the most likeable and peace loving person but because of his skin colour and size got heaps of respect whereas me being white and smaller got crapped on.

The culture of optimism and freedom in Australia was a huge contrast and many my age left for Sydney. I never looked back although I did go back to see my family a few times. They resented me leaving the country. I wikied NZ recently and read with amusement the implication that its a nice place now and former Kiwi's can came back because its better.

OVM, I can't tell you much about the NZ of today. I think the Maori's were always a gentle people, living in a land providing everything without too much effort. Tribe disputes were mainly shouting and the odd spear thrown, then stories told about how brave the warriors were. I could be completely wrong, but Aborigines seem to have come from a harder environment. Still separate warring tribes although there's supposed to be a single Aboriginal culture. I think the Abo's were both treated harsher and were less resilient when the invaders came. The spirit was knocked out of the Abo a long time ago whereas Maoris were able to still have identity. Neither should have been invaded by the diseased and greedy europeans.

I don't come across many Aborigines in Australia, mainly Adelaide and Perth in my travels. Maori and aboriginal alcoholism seems similar, and unfortunately seems so tame compared to the drugs available out there. None of it is particularly visible to society.

Cheers,
B