Okay, okay! Hopefully this won't be disappointing. No secret information here, nothing groundbreaking. Just answers to some questions I had. I'll post new replies as I get them, and will be happy to ask other questions y'all have.

J

[quote:ce49d03259]

[b:ce49d03259]me:[/b:ce49d03259] I found stats online somewhere about how religious the population there
is. I'm curious if you feel that people there are quite religious,
and if it affects how they interact with people, the laws that are
passed, etc. Also, do people try to "preach" and convert you, or do
most keep it to themselves. Here, in the States, some people keep to
themselves, but many try to convert those around them and make religion
a very visible part of every aspect of their life. Additionally, the
"religious right", as they are called, try to legislate christian
morality upon the nation. I'm curious what the environment in NZ is
like, as I am agnostic.

[b:ce49d03259]reply:[/b:ce49d03259] Religion, I'd guess I'd put it like this...NZ would be as religious a
nation as the US but in no way is it as visible. Plenty of churches etc, but
no tele-evangelists(?), and unless they're Jehovah Witnesses they pretty
much keep to themselves. There are only one or two 'religious' issues in
the country, mainly to do with things like homosexuals being priests etc.
I'd have to say if you came to NZ and kept your head down you'd never be
able to tell what the predominant religion was. I'm a Christian myself, but
would have to say that NZ as a whole is a lot less 'in ya face' about the
whole thing.


[b:ce49d03259]me:[/b:ce49d03259] How active is the average Kiwi, politically? Are most aware/educated
on current issues, and active? Is there apathy like there is here in
the States? Is politics a common conversational topic, or is it one of
those to stay away from as it tends to erupt into a heated argument?


[b:ce49d03259]reply:[/b:ce49d03259] Politics...well I'd have to say that some there are some people over here
you wouldn't broach the subject with, but I think after coming from the US,
you'd say our political awareness is somewhat amateurish. We are part of
the English commonwealth, so our political profile is very much less.
People tend to discuss current topics, as opposed to parties, and the whole
govt structure is very different to the US. If you end up/visit Wellington,
it's worth doing a tour of the 'Beehive' (our Whitehouse) to understand how
it all works.

A lot of discussion in NZ comes from 'The Treaty of Waitangi' which was
signed in 1840 between the king of England and the Maori (natives) of NZ.
It's all to do with land ownership and who can fish where...minorities
getting extra allowances etc. That's a doozie of a conversation starter.
95% of NZers just want to get on with things but the remaining 5% make it a
pain in the ass for all, claiming rights to this and that.

I think you'll find the average Kiwi knows quite a bit about the US as a
lot of our news and TV programmes come from there. I spent 6 monts in the US
and was 2nd in my US Govt/History class (to Travis), since NZ is so small
countries like the US have a big influence on us.

Well, that'll do for the meantime. I think basically you'll find NZ just
a little more laid back than the US. We've only got a population of 4
million so it'd be like coming to live in a small TX town...everyone if
pretty friendly and ready to help. Our unofficial country motto is 'she'll
be alright mate' and we believe anything can be fixed with a bit of sweat
and some #8 fencing wire!!!
[/quote:ce49d03259]