10 quirks of New Zealand people
New Zealanders have a few quirks to go along with the accent.
New Zealanders are generally known for being friendly, inventive, welcoming, and self-sufficient people.
If you’re curious about living in New Zealand, or simply want to know more about New Zealand people before visiting Aotearoa, you might be interested in these cultural quirks.
1. New Zealanders are also known by their nickname, Kiwis
New Zealanders are also called Kiwis, named after the rotund brown bird that is the country’s national symbol.
The nickname has been around since the First World War, and it’s still very common today — you’ll hear most locals refer to themselves as Kiwis.
It’s not at all offensive to join in and call New Zealanders Kiwis, although it’s worth noting that this nickname is becoming a little dated and a lot of Maori people and non-white New Zealanders don’t identify with it as strongly as locals of European heritage.
2. New Zealanders are known for having a laid-back attitude
We have a saying in New Zealand — “she’ll be right.”
It’s a catch all phrase that we can throw at any situation, that indicates our refusal to get unnecessarily stressed.
It more or less means that everything will be okay, or something that isn’t perfect is good enough.
For me, this phrase sums up the laid back nature of most Kiwis.
Many New Zealanders have a relaxed approach to life. We value work-life balance and often prioritise leisure activities and spending time outdoors.
3. New Zealanders are famous for their friendliness
Kiwis are known for their friendly and welcoming nature. They are often open to meeting new people and are willing to strike up a conversation with strangers.
Don’t be surprised if people stop to chat to you in public places. Often, people just want to say hello or comment on the weather.
We also chat a lot at supermarket checkouts, and in other interactions like in cafes. Most people like to thank their bus drivers when they get off at their stop, and when a slow driver on the road lets you overtake, it’s custom to beep your horn or flash your hazards as a friendly thank you.
You’ll also notice a lot of people saying hello to you on hikes as walk past.
We generally consider everyone to be equally worthy of respect and friendliness, and don’t differentiate much based on class or wealth.
New Zealanders value friendliness so much you’ll hear people refer to Aucklanders as Jafas, slang for “just another fucking Aucklander.”
The stereotype is that Aucklanders are rude and live fast paced lives where they don’t have time to be friendly.
New Zealanders’ friendly nature is great for visitors. If you’re not sure of something or need help, you can ask anyone around — most New Zealanders are happy to help.
This is one of the things that make New Zealand great for solo travel.
4. New Zealanders have a dry, dead pan sense of humour
New Zealanders have a unique sense of humour characterised by dry wit and a love for satire.
You might have heard of Flight of the Concords, one of New Zealand’s more famous comedy duos, or Taika Waititi’s unique brand of humour which often tackles sad subjects head on.
New Zealanders also like to poke fun at themselves and others in a light hearted way. Don’t take these kinds of jokes too seriously — they aren’t meant to offend, and often aren’t intended literally.
One classic self-deprecating Kiwi comedy icon is the character of farmer Fred Dagg, performed by comedian John Clarke. Fred Dagg poked fun at New Zealand stereotypes, wearing a bucket hat and black singlet, with a swag of sons all named Trev.
5. We love bare feet
New Zealanders love going barefoot — it’s maybe the thing that makes us most like Hobbits.
My mum is from England, so when I was growing up it was always a cause for great consternation for me that she hated walking on the lawn barefoot.
Me and all my siblings barely wore any shoes until high school — mum gave up trying to send us to school in shoes, because we would just take them off and forget about them, returning home shoeless — but her English roots meant she never got used to walking around without shoes.
You’ll mostly see people walking bare foot in beach towns in summer, but it’s also culturally acceptable to walk around without shoes away from the beach as well.
Most New Zealanders take their shoes off before going inside their house, so if you visit anyone locally, it’s polite to remove your shoes at the door.
6. New Zealand people have a deep love for nature
New Zealand has a strong outdoorsy culture, and many Kiwis enjoy activities such as hiking, camping, and surfing.
This is the natural result of living on the doorstep of incredible natural beauty — from Central Auckland, I’m within an hour’s drive of surf beaches on both the west and east coast, hikes through dense native bush, and beautiful swimming beaches.
Maori culture also contributes to respect for nature. You’ll hear people talk about acting as kaitiaki or guardians of the land, or the idea of kaitiakitanga, a term referring to the idea of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land.
The Tiaki Promise is an initiative from New Zealand’s tourism industry that asks you to also show care and respect for Aotearoa. As well as being a responsible traveller, it’s also a nice way of learning more about seeing the land from a local point of view.
I always find it jarring in other countries when nature isn’t freely accessible to me, like in Italy where sections of the beach were roped off and reserved for people paying for lounge chairs, or having to pay an entrance fee for cenotes in Mexico.
I’m not against these practices necessarily, I’m just accustomed to being able to freely hike and swim in national parks and beaches around New Zealand.
7. New Zealanders really don’t like tipping
New Zealand culture is very egalitarian, so we dislike tipping.
In New Zealand, service charges are always included in the cost of things, so the thought of having to tip on top of the quoted price doesn’t sit well with most Kiwis.
We have a relatively high minimum wage, and don’t like the thought that people could be underpaid, with customers picking up the slack.
8. New Zealanders are very humble
New Zealanders are humble people, to the point that we find it hard to talk about our own success.
We love it when people work hard and become successful as a result of their efforts — and love it even more when those people stay grounded and down to earth.
My old boss at Jucy, Tim Alpe, told a story of seeing Stephen Adams, New Zealand born NBA star, in an Air New Zealand lounge at the airport.
Here’s what Tim posted on LinkedIn:
"At 7 foot Steven Adams is hard to miss, despite being in full camouflage looking like he was about to go pig hunting (in jandals).
"I saw him head up to the self-service food area and proceed to demo a hearty breakfast, befitting someone of his size.
"I then witnessed something really cool. After finishing his breakfast he proceeded to take all his dirty dishes up to the kitchen and thank the staff personally."
"This is a man who earns $20m+ per annum, could fly private if he wanted and who could easily get used to people doing everything for him. Instead, here he is putting his dishes away, despite the lounge having staff who collect them from your table.
"I thought it was totally cool and just reiterated to me what a legend he is in so many ways. A real credit to Rotorua and New Zealand. He is a perfect example of class having nothing to do with wealth and status. Being respectful and humble costs nothing and goes a long way."
9. But we tend to cut down people who don’t stay humble
Because New Zealanders value people who don’t show arrogance, we also tend to resent or ridicule anyone who shows too much confidence.
We call it tall poppy syndrome — the desire to cut down to size anyone who dares to stand out from the pack.
This means that you’ll notice New Zealanders being very modest about their accomplishments, often being self-deprecating.
10. New Zealanders are pretty informal
Thanks for reading this far! If you enjoyed reading about the cultural quirks of New Zealand people, you might also like to read more about New Zealand culture in general before you go.
