Each country we visit, schools me ways that I find humbling. I just don’t know how much I don’t know. It’s a good exercise to appreciate my own American-ness. After three months traveling and homeschooling in New Zealand with my family of five, these are my life takeaways.
The beloved chocolate fish.
Chocolate Fish as metaphor. Chocolate Fish are these super-sweet-pink-marshmallow-chocolate-covered fish. They seem to be a Kiwi icon and they’re pretty gross by most standards. Will won’t try one. But to me they’re a metaphor for the laidback Kiwi living. They’re the retro treat that can come with a cappuccino; Santa brought them to the kids’ surf life-saving club when he pulled up on the inflatable motorboat; and eating them as fast as possible was a step in the team relay. But here’s the thing: no one asked if my kids could eat artificial colors, or gluten or sugar as they would back home. They still give candy to kids here without permission slips. It’s refreshing not to overthink everything.
Car Loan Offers came rolling in after staying in Wellington just ten days. We were taking the bus, some ubers and a few car rentals. After using public transport exclusively in China, we were trying not to revert to our default American suburban habits. But the steep hills and swim practices were wearing our resolve. We had three offers for long term car loans from people we had just met. They were leaving for the holidays and we were car-less – it’s that simple. This wouldn’t happen in the States, I thought. “It’s just a car,” was the Kiwi reasoning. And it’s true; it is just a car.
The entry way to our local primary school. We visited their playground often.
Maori comes first in any government building. The relationship between the indigenous people and those of European-descent appears to be one of more equality than anywhere else I’ve traveled. The students all learn the Maori language, dances and culture in school. Any government building has signage in Maori first and English second. I’ve never heard anyone organically speaking Maori with one another, but at least the gesture and intention is legit. By the time the bulk European settlers arrived in New Zealand in the late 1800’s, the US had done a pretty good job of destroying the lives of our Native Americans. Perhaps the New Zealand timing was simply better to catch a global shift in perspective or maybe they’re just better humans. But whatever they reason, the Maori indigenous culture is truly held in reverence.
Female power is real. New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893. (Colorado was the first state to grant the vote in the same year.) Today they have a female prime minister, supreme court justice and governer-general. Not only is the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, a young, feminine leader, but she is pregnant. The public debate is not: are we ready for a female leader. The questions are: is there a changing table in the Parliament Building, can a stay-at-home dad get the support he needs and are Baby Bjorns allowed through the security? Good on ‘ya, Jacinda!
The bikes and sun hats are all provided by the cafe. No helmets, no waivers.
A “No Waiver” Mentality. We never signed waivers here; not for glacier heli-hiking, nor kids’ summer camps nor the neighborhood Crossfit. Frivolous law suits are simply “forbidden”. Coming from a highly litigenous society to New Zealand, there’s a palpable mentality that everyone is simply doing their best. When I dropped my nine and ten year-old’s off at a day camp, they simply wrote my cell number down in pencil next to their names. That’s it. No forms with the insurance numbers and sunscreen waivers. Does this lack of paranoia contribute to the overall happy, community-mindedness? I think so.
World Class Parks. Every town seems to have a park. Without worry of lawsuits, small towns reflect the local color and one even had a slide coming out of an old WWII era plane. It seems that US parks are designed by lawyers, but Kiwis have a lot more fun in the planning process. The city parks are truly state of the art and must be a purposefully large sector of the city budgets. There are water elements and jumping pillows, skate parks and massive zip lines (called flying foxes). The park in downtown Christchurch boasted that it was the largest park in the Southern Hemisphere. I’d be proud too.
The largest park in the Southern Hemisphere, Christchurch.
Travel is an important part of an education. Most Kiwis we met, had lived and worked overseas. Many met their life partners while traveling. They reason that New Zealand is so isolated down here that, aside from Australia, the rest of the world is pretty far away and a twenty year-old can easily get island fever. Also, the commonwealth as global network, makes entry requirements and work visas easy to get. New Zealanders never questioned our decision to take the kids to the road, but instead, most actively encouraged this crazy year. That’s not a universal reaction, but definitely a solid stance in New Zealand.
