New Zealand Etiquette

New Zealanders are friendly obliging and laid back. Tourists should always be polite and never demanding, New Zealand is not a 'snooze and you lose' country, this means if you wait and are polite, things will happen and you will be looked after.

New Zealanders have a very similar way of life and share values common to most Western countries but there are some special features. New Zealanders or 'Kiwis' are passionate about sport and have a firm belief in social equality. The social welfare system prevents extreme poverty, and New Zealand has neither a strong class system nor major social tensions. Some minor ethnic tensions exist, but are low by international standards and goodwill between races is usually evident.

Informality and Friendliness
New Zealand people dislike formality and people tend to see each other as 'equals'. Neighbours and people in the workplace are normally on first-name terms. However, it is still common to speak more formally to people in authority. For example, a doctor might be called 'Doctor Smith' rather than 'Mary' or 'Bill'. It is also, of course, standard to address police as 'Constable' or 'Officer'. However this title is normally used only when addressing a doctor or policeman in her or her professional capacity. Also, children and teenagers usually speak to adults as 'Mrs Smith' or 'Mr Smith', unless invited to do otherwise.

It is also standard to address all correspondence, and particularly job applications, formally to Mr or Ms or Mrs.

Social Relations at Work
Kiwi people dislike stuffiness and needless formality, and this attitude is evident in the workplace. Most NZ companies are small, with between 5 and 10 employees. In this context, formality is unworkable and managers and business owners usually treat their staff as they would friends. Although relations are inevitably more structured in large organizations, informality and friendliness is still generally the rule.

Relations between the sexes are egalitarian. Requests from male staff for their female colleagues to 'get a cup of tea' or 'wash the dishes', and patronizing or sexually motivated remarks about women or girls, are not acceptable. However, old-fashioned courtesies such as opening doors for female colleagues, although no longer standard, are still generally appreciated.

In New Zealand informality and friendliness also extend to social occasions, and it is common for management to socialize with their staff on equal terms, particularly in small businesses, this often extends to entertainment at the manager's or owner's home  often a kiwi barbecue get-together held in the summer months. A standard and rather charming feature of working life in New Zealand is 'Friday Fives', which generally involves management and staff sharing drinks together in the office after close of work on Friday.

Everyday Behaviour
Many New Zealanders praise new migrants for their good manners and politeness, and you will probably find that New Zealanders are mostly similar to people everywhere when it comes to the types of behaviour they like and dislike. For example, they like people to wait their turn in queues, to ask if it is acceptable to smoke, and not to make uninvited sexual advances. When walking down pavements, it is normal to keep left so that people do not have to avoid each other; it is considered rude for groups of people to take most of the pavement width when walking together. It is not considered polite to spit in the street, or to blow your nose on the pavement. All types of personal violence are frowned upon, for example it is increasingly considered unacceptable to smack or otherwise physically discipline children, and more serious instances of family violence are criminal offences.

As you travel or if you choose to live in New Zealand you will find different sorts of relaxed New Zealanders from the Aucklander who you could just about think was a member of a large city anywhere in the world, to the extremely laid back 'coaster' this is someone from the west coast of the South Island.

But wherever you end up if you follow the above guidelines you will find New Zealand enjoyable with friendly people.