New Zealand (Culture Smart!): The Essential Guide To Customs & Culture, by Lyn Mcnamee

Although this book is written by a native kiwi, and is clearly written with the goal of informing other people about the customs and culture of the country, there is just something about the way that this book is written that really rubs me the wrong way. This is not something that is unique to this book, it must be admitted, but it is probably, as I think about it, related both to the way that this book is part of a series that is labeled as (Culture Smart) but also written with what appears like an insufferably politically correct mindset. There is certainly a lot of interest in this book as far as getting to know how it is that people from New Zealand see the world, but there is something about it at the same time that comes off as abrasive and unpleasant. For example, the author seems to think it is right and appropriate (rather than a negative) that local NZ stations will not receive or acknowledge complaints about using unfamiliar Maori terms on television, which sounds like something that people should be concerned about given the plague of political correctness than exists in this world.

In general, it may be said that this author contributes mightily to this plague by her approach to Maori customs, in the way that she (wrongly) things of them as being more foundational to life in New Zealand than the English customs brought over by the settlers whose ancestors make up a majority of the population and who have shaped the nation for those who have come after them as well as those who lived there before. Strangely, while the author seems to minimize the importance of English customs and ways, she frequently mentions the rivalry that exists between New Zealand and Australia as being similar to that between Canada and the United States. As I have noted elsewhere, one of the few unifying aspects of Canadian identity is a determination not to be American, a similar dynamic of which appears in New Zealand. Perhaps playing up the Maori influence beyond its true degree is a way of providing differentiation between New Zealand and Australia given that Australia does not have a particularly strong Polynesian influence at all given the different nature of its own aboriginal population. Engaging in this sort of attempt to understand the insecurities of the Progressive kiwi is exhausting and unrewarding, though, and it would be nicer if this sort of book was written by a non-neurotic person who did not feel it necessary to apologize for being a settler colonist. There is, after all, nothing that needs to be apologized for.

In terms of its contents, this book is about 200 pages in length and is divided into 9 chapters. The book begins with a map of New Zealand, an introduction, and then some key facts. The first chapter of the book then discusses the land and people of New Zealand, from a comment on geography and climate and culture to history and the economy, government and politics, and major cities and areas of interest. The second chapter of the book then discusses values and attitudes, including a strong egalitarian strain that encourages humble heroes and a tendency to cut people down who are too talented or distinctive. This is followed by a chapter on customs and traditions that overly privileges Maori traditions (3). This is followed by a chapter on making friends (4), which includes going out as well as hospitality and dating. A chapter discusses the kiwi at home, looking at housing and education as well as daily life and media (5). This is followed by a chapter on social activities in New Zealand, including eating out, drinking, shopping, sports, as well as festivals and events (6). The author spends a chapter examining travel, health, and safety (7), as well as a chapter discussing work life in New Zealand (8). The last chapter then discusses communicating (9), after which the book ends with suggestions for further reading, useful apps, and an index.