Lifestyle
New Zealanders are renowned for their excellent work-life balance. Here, the classic work week runs from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm. Before work, we often go to the gym, and then chill out after work.
We don't invite each other over (the apéro is really a very French concept), but we do meet up a lot in bars, cafés and "eateries" ("places to eat", a more relaxed word than "restaurant", designating a more formal establishment). And we eat early. Usually between 5 and 7pm. Witness the fact that the TV news, the equivalent of our "8 p.m.", is on at 6 p.m.! This means that everything closes quite early too, and Europeans on a trip are often baffled by city centers that fall asleep very early.
A little contradictory, however: the big supermarkets (New World and Countdown) are open until very late (often 10 or 11pm), and many shops and stores are open 7 days a week. This means that employees have to organize themselves around roster systems, which don't really fit in with the "Monday-Friday 9 to 5" of more traditional professions. But in New Zealand, flexibility is key, and the company is organized in such a way that everyone has the luxury of following the flow of their day without too many time constraints. This means you can go shopping early in the morning after the gym, or after your dance class or evening movie, or go shopping or do business any day of the week. Practical, I must admit.
The system as a whole is more flexible than our French system, which certainly implies less protection, but gives you more freedom to organize yourself as you wish, even if your working hours are a little off. Remember: "She'll be alright!
When it comes to leisure activities, the outdoor culture plays a huge role; in New Zealand, you're outside whenever the weather permits! On or in the water, diving, surfing, sailing, canoeing, paddling or boating, or on the trails, armed with hiking (or skiing) poles or a mountain bike. Nature has a central place in the hearts of Kiwis, and we take advantage of it whenever we can. This is facilitated by the country's many long weekends, with public holidays often arranged to fall on a Monday or Friday. Only the end-of-year holidays (January1 and 2, December 25 and 26), Waitangi Day (celebrating the signing of the eponymous treaty) and ANZAC Day (commemorating ANZAC (Ausralia and New Zealand Army Corps) soldiers who died at the front in the 1st and 2nd World Wars) have fixed dates, and are moved to Monday if they fall on a non-working day.
Calendar
Due to seasonal differences (in the southern hemisphere), the school year is spread over the calendar year. It starts in February and ends in December. The year is divided into 4 "terms", separated by 2 weeks of school vacations; 2 weeks of vacations in April (autumn), 2 weeks in July (winter), 2 in September (spring) then 5 to 6 in December-January for the big summer break.
In addition to these vacation periods, the calendar is punctuated by numerous public holidays. there are 11 national public holidays, and one "anniversary" public holiday for each region. A New Zealand curiosity, and witness to a time when each province had its own government - the lack of communication and transport links between towns made it difficult (if not impossible) to set up a central government - the latter commemorate an event linked to the founding of the region. For example, Malborough Anniversary Day commemorates the founding of the province of Malborough, following its separation from the province of Nelson in 1859. Wellington Anniversary Day commemorates the arrival of the first settlers brought by the New Zealand Company aboard the Aurora on January 22, 1840.
Anniversary days are generally observed on the Monday or Friday closest to the anniversary date, to allow for a long weekend during which festive events (fairs, concerts, markets, etc.) are often organized in various towns in the region.
It's rare to find New Zealanders who know exactly what "anniversary days" are, but it's a good idea to find out when they are, as locals make the most of these long weekends to plan little getaways here and there; so it's a good idea to think ahead and book your accommodation or activities well in advance on these dates!
Education
Here, school is compulsory from age 6 to 16. As in England and Australia, New Zealand children wear uniforms from elementary school through to the end of high school. Before the age of 6, they are generally enrolled in an ECE (Early Childhood Center), a nursery-school for children aged 6 months to 5 years, where several teachers provide activities for the children, who are then free to participate in whatever they like.
After high school, most students go on to higher education, although this is not systematically geared towards a specific profession. There's no sacralization of studies here: people study out of interest or curiosity, not for prestige. As the workplace is much more open than in France, it's not uncommon for students to go on to careers that have nothing to do with their studies!
Health
When it comes to healthcare, we have a system similar to that in the UK, with a mix of public and private provision. The public system covers all accident-related care, via what the locals call the ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation). Car accident? Care taken care of. Sprain while hiking and need a physio? Treatment covered. Surfboard lands on your head after a bad fall in the water and you need an osteopath to unblock your neck? Also covered. It's not always fully covered, but it's still a big boost to the wallet.
If you want more comprehensive cover, or faster treatment, you'll need to take out private insurance, which is similar to our mutual insurance system.
On the other hand, any chronic illness or pain will not be covered by the ACC, or even by the insurance if it's something you already knew about when you took out the policy. So it's best not to wait until you're in trouble before buying health cover.
Social mores and facts
On the whole, Aotearoa is a country where people are extremely kind and tolerant. Here, respect and mutual aid are the rules of life.
Doyou realize when you get to the supermarket checkout that you've forgotten your wallet, or that your card won't go through? If there are only two or three odds and ends on the carpet, one of the people behind you may offer to pay for you, simply advising you to return the favor to another person in need when you can. Are you walking along a country road to the next town? Chances are a motorist will stop and offer you a lift. Looking lost, nose in the map and eyebrows furrowed? Someone will stop to help you find your way. Lost your passport or wallet? Someone has probably taken it to the nearest police station, or even tried to contact you on social networks to tell you about their find and agree with you on how to return it.
With so much benevolence in the air, it's hard to imagine the country suffering from any problem of intolerance. In fact, racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia and transphobia are far less prevalent than in Australia, the USA or even Europe. And in 2019, the country suffered its first terrorist attack since the Rainbow Warrior affair (Greenpeace boat sunk by the French secret service in 1985), with the attack on the Christchurch mosque by a white supremacist who opened fire on the crowd and killed 51 people. This episode left a deep impression and traumatized New Zealanders, who see themselves as a tolerant nation, and was followed by waves of solidarity with Muslim populations.
On the LGBTQ+ side, New Zealand is a very tolerant and inclusive country. Same-sex marriage became law in 2013, and issues relating to sexuality or gender are much less open to debate than in Europe. In particular, Wellington is a city where being queer isn't really an issue; people are just the way they are, and no questions are asked.
Evidence of this progressive mentality: the neutral pronoun (" they " instead of " he " or " she ") is used more and more frequently, and administrative, registration and data collection forms are systematically inclusive.
Another testament to Aotearoa's progressive nature is that it was the first country to grant women the right to vote, thanks to the efforts of Kate Sheppard, a suffragette who travelled the length and breadth of the country in 1893, collecting over 30,000 women's signatures which she then presented to Parliament in support of her claim. The 270 m-long petition convinced the MPs, and women's suffrage was ratified the same year - 51 years before France!
Māori life and social organization
In some respects, Māori culture runs parallel to European culture, with its own specific notions and structures. Here are just a few examples.
Marae. The marae (pronounced "maraille") is the central place of Māori social life. In Māori culture, the word designates a group of buildings including a wharenui, from "whare", building, and "nui", large - a hall for social, spiritual and political gatherings; a marae ātea, the outdoor space directly opposite the wharenui, a wharekai. From "whare", building, and "kai", food, designates the place where food is made and eaten; and a sanitary block.
Every iwi, indeed every hapu, has its own marae, and they are of paramount cultural importance. The Māori see their marae as their "tūrangawaewae", which translates into English as "place to stand and belong". Difficult to translate into French, as we don't have exact equivalents of these two words. "Stand" means to stand upright, and is often used with a sense of pride. We'd probably use two words for it: "to stand up straight" and "to stand tall". As for "belong", it refers to the feeling of belonging to a place, a community. When you "belong" somewhere, you're part of the whole.
Marae are used for hui (meetings, gatherings or official appointments), āhuareka (celebrations), tangi (funerals), and for educational workshops or other important events.
The marae 's most important building is the wharenui, whose architecture is designed to represent the human body: the tekoteko(engraved figure) on the roof ridge represents the head, while the maihi (roof gables) represent the arms, open to welcome visitors. The tahuhu (ridge purlin) represents the spine and the heke, beams descending towards the carved walls, represent the ribs of the rib cage.
The legs are located on the outside and are represented by the two pillars framing the entrance.
The wharenui often represents a particular ancestor, and its carved pillars and panels tell the story of the tribe's whakapapa . When you enter a wharenui, you must remove your shoes. No food or drink is consumed, and you should always make sure you have permission from someone in charge of the place before taking photos.
Whanāu. A central notion in the organization of Māori societies, the whanāu refers to the extended family. It encompasses 3-4 generations as well as uncles, aunts, cousins, sometimes very close friends. The term has now entered the New Zealand vernacular and would translate in this context rather as "community".
Whakapapa and Pepeha. An important custom in Māori culture is to recite one's whakapapa (genealogy) when formally introducing oneself to someone. This recitation allows you to tell them exactly where you come from. It includes not only one's ancestors and tribe, but also the geographical area from which one comes by naming one's nearest river or mountain, and can introduce names of animals or plants that grow in the region from which one comes; it thus shows one's attachments to the human world, and to Papatūānuku.
