New Zealand: The Arkansas of the South Pacific?
Mike Barnicle, former Boston Globe columnist, once called New Hampshire the Arkansas of New England. Living in New Hampshire, his words finally made it all make sense.
I've been thinking about what I've seen here so far and have to wonder of New Zealand isn't the Arkansas of the South Pacific.
Now, don't get me wrong. When Mike said it, he was taking a shot at New Hampshire and Arkansas at the same time by appealing to the idea that Arkansas was Dogpatch and everyone there Lil' Abner. Of course, if you're reading this, you probably already know that it was Seabrook, New Hampshire that inspired Al Capp ... though you may not know that there was a Dogpatch USA theme park in Arkansas. See for yourself. (How's that for meta?)
I think the comparison goes a bit deeper than the simple 'Heh heh ... what a bunch of hicks' Mike was trying for. I think there are some very real ways in which New Zealand resembles Arkansas.
First, I will readily admit that I have never been to Arkansas. If I was being honest, I could call this post 'New Zealand: The Beautiful, Laid Back, Redneck, Unsophisticated, Backward Place Where Everyone Is Either From Right Here and Always Will Be Or From Somplace Else And Some People Are Really, Really Nice and Cool But Others Are Unsophisticated Backward Rednecks On the Edge of Civilization But Then Again Maybe It's Just Christchurch' but that wouldn't fit in the little box Blogger gives you for the title.
So I'm going to use a little poetic license and compare a place where I've lived for six months with a place I've never been. And what you're going to do is not get all smart-assy and tell me how wrong I am about Arkansas and New Zealand. I know all that, so just go with it, okay? Good.
Arkansas, lovely land of Tablerock Lake, the Ozarks, and the Ouachita Mountains. Birthplace of President Bill Clinton (and not the birthplace of Hillary, which is also a check in the 'assets' column). Represented by 2 Democratic Senators and 3 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives, and led by a Democratic Governor. A multicultural state that has worked hard to put its racist history behind it.
Okay, you get the idea. I'll stop with the tourist brochure bit now. Arkansas really isn't all that bad, is it? But, it isn't exactly Cambridge on the Mississippi either.
New Zealand, as I and others have experienced it, is the same. There's lots and lots and lots here that is wonderful--I've already written about some of it. But, there's also much here to find fault with.
I've been thinking about this because there's been quite a dust up here about a website devoted to disgruntled immigrants. Expat Exposed and its creator have been featured on TV One News three times in the past two days. (I have some theories about why, but if you dig deeply enough, you can probably figure out why a website with only a few users made national news.) I don't agree with everything I've seen posted there, but behind all the bitterness are some interesting points about life here.
Obviously, most immigrants do fine in New Zealand. In fact, several statistics point to the fact that the average immigrant is better off than the average Kiwi ... and that may be a little bit of the problem.
Immigrants make up about 1/4 of New Zealand's population. However, in 2005-2006, they contributed more than half of all net tax revenues. Immigrants contribute $3.3 billion net taxes versus $2.8 billion for native Kiwis and pay more than 1/3 of total GST receipts. Accordingly, across most ethnic groups and countries of origin, immigrants have higher total incomes than the average Kiwi.
This of course makes sense because the government can choose the cream of the crop to immigrate here but has no control over who is born here!
But behind the numbers are a couple of less obvious facts. First, average incomes are low in New Zealand when compared to other OECD nations. Second, New Zealand is losing native Kiwis at a rate of more than 4,000 per month. As of October, more than 40,000 Kiwis have left for Australia alone this year. That figure doesn't include the large number of Kiwis who leave for other countries, including the US and UK. It's hard to get an exact count, but most estimates put the number of Kiwis who are permanent residents in other countries as between 1/5 and 1/4 of all native New Zealanders.
Those two data points are related. A large portion of the Kiwis who leave are either highly skilled or highly educated. The emigration of highly skilled natives and the immigration of highly skilled immigrant accounts for the income and tax contribution disparity between immigrant and native residents. (Wow, I'm starting to feel like Paul Krugman here.)
Immigration also exerts fairly strong upward pressure on housing prices. Again, 1/4 of all New Zealand residents are immigrants. They have higher incomes and many bring with them substantial savings to use for down payments. Obviously, this is good news for Kiwis who have homes to sell--here in Christchurch it's probably paid for a lot of those houses up in the Port Hills--but for those who want to buy for the first time or who can't afford to move up the property ladder the news isn't good.
(Most of you are familiar with this, because it's the same thing that's happening in southern and seacoast New Hampshire. As more and more professionals from Massachusetts have moved into the state, housing prices have climbed to the point that first-time home buyers have to take huge mortgages or start in condos. It's that appreciation that gave us the money for this adventure.)
In some places in the US, such a situation would be referred to as 'carpetbagging.' As history has shown, that doesn't make for good social relationships.
So that brings us back to Arkansas. It's easy to say, 'People in the South are ...' and fill in the blank. But we know that's not true. It's not even true to say, 'Most people in the South are ...' But you can say, 'Some people in the South are racists/bigots/still fighting the Civil War.' Instead, you find the whole range of human (and not so human) experience. You have Lil' Abner and Bill Clinton, El Camino-driving Rhodes Scholar. I know that's hardly a revelation, but sometimes the obvious truths are the ones that need repeating.
But, if you took all those stereotypes about the Southern Redneck and all the truths about the South as it is today, they'd apply here. Christchurch is a sophisticated modern city, with a sophisticated population. But there's also racism and prejudice here--some say as bad or worse than they've experienced in the US. It has one of New Zealand's top universities, and parochial rubes who think 'immigrant' means 'stupid' (or, even worse 'rich'). While there aren't 'bad parts of town' like you'd find in the US, there are definitely exclusive enclaves. There's a large Asian population in Avonhead, and some people casually refer to it as 'Asianhead.' (Not in the same way we'd call Chinatown, uh, 'Chinatown.')
I don't know that I would go so far as to say there's definitely tension, but after what I've seen about the feeling some people have about immigrants there may be. I was surprised to see here the 'my country love it or leave it' attitude, which I thought was unique to the United States.
Some have suggested that the problem is a 'Christchurch thing.' It's true that Christchurch does have an elitist streak, as we saw upon our arrival; nearly everyone we encountered told us which schools we should (and shouldn't) send the boys to.
In a way, it would make sense that racism and xenophobia wouldn't be found to as great a degree in Auckland. Most migrants end up there, including an overwhelming majority of migrants from Asia and about 40% of migrants from Europe and South Africa. More than 1 out of 3 people in Auckland was born overseas, whereas only 1 in 5 people in Chch were born overseas.
So, here's a little speculation on my part: a large portion of the more urbane and educated Kiwis are either headed abroad or to Auckland and abandoning the more rural areas and smaller cities. Cities in the north, like Manakau and Tauranga, are the fastest growing in the in the country, while cities in the south, Christchurch included, are growing much more slowly. That's leaving behind a higher percentage of Kiwis who are less educated, less economically successful, and more likely to be resentful of immigrants--especially immigrants who are more successful than they are. Looking at personal incomes, Christchurch lags behind Auckland by about 10% and Wellington by about 15%, so the the statistics point toward a 'brain migration' to the larger cities.
As populations in the cities grow, housing prices increase. Median housing prices in Auckland and Wellington are 30% higher than they are in Christchurch. Looking at the internal migration numbers, Christchurch is one of the lowest growth cities and it has one of the oldest populations.
Wow ... I've really ended up someplace quite afield of where I originally intended to go. I'm really trying hard to make sense of what, exactly, is going on here and what it means for us.
I'm giving up on this for now. There's lots more to dig into, but for now I'll leave you with a little teaser of something else I'm going to write about:
Political Correctness & "Housework Songs, Volumes I & II".
I've been thinking about what I've seen here so far and have to wonder of New Zealand isn't the Arkansas of the South Pacific.
Now, don't get me wrong. When Mike said it, he was taking a shot at New Hampshire and Arkansas at the same time by appealing to the idea that Arkansas was Dogpatch and everyone there Lil' Abner. Of course, if you're reading this, you probably already know that it was Seabrook, New Hampshire that inspired Al Capp ... though you may not know that there was a Dogpatch USA theme park in Arkansas. See for yourself. (How's that for meta?)
I think the comparison goes a bit deeper than the simple 'Heh heh ... what a bunch of hicks' Mike was trying for. I think there are some very real ways in which New Zealand resembles Arkansas.
First, I will readily admit that I have never been to Arkansas. If I was being honest, I could call this post 'New Zealand: The Beautiful, Laid Back, Redneck, Unsophisticated, Backward Place Where Everyone Is Either From Right Here and Always Will Be Or From Somplace Else And Some People Are Really, Really Nice and Cool But Others Are Unsophisticated Backward Rednecks On the Edge of Civilization But Then Again Maybe It's Just Christchurch' but that wouldn't fit in the little box Blogger gives you for the title.
So I'm going to use a little poetic license and compare a place where I've lived for six months with a place I've never been. And what you're going to do is not get all smart-assy and tell me how wrong I am about Arkansas and New Zealand. I know all that, so just go with it, okay? Good.
Arkansas, lovely land of Tablerock Lake, the Ozarks, and the Ouachita Mountains. Birthplace of President Bill Clinton (and not the birthplace of Hillary, which is also a check in the 'assets' column). Represented by 2 Democratic Senators and 3 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives, and led by a Democratic Governor. A multicultural state that has worked hard to put its racist history behind it.
Okay, you get the idea. I'll stop with the tourist brochure bit now. Arkansas really isn't all that bad, is it? But, it isn't exactly Cambridge on the Mississippi either.
New Zealand, as I and others have experienced it, is the same. There's lots and lots and lots here that is wonderful--I've already written about some of it. But, there's also much here to find fault with.
I've been thinking about this because there's been quite a dust up here about a website devoted to disgruntled immigrants. Expat Exposed and its creator have been featured on TV One News three times in the past two days. (I have some theories about why, but if you dig deeply enough, you can probably figure out why a website with only a few users made national news.) I don't agree with everything I've seen posted there, but behind all the bitterness are some interesting points about life here.
Obviously, most immigrants do fine in New Zealand. In fact, several statistics point to the fact that the average immigrant is better off than the average Kiwi ... and that may be a little bit of the problem.
Immigrants make up about 1/4 of New Zealand's population. However, in 2005-2006, they contributed more than half of all net tax revenues. Immigrants contribute $3.3 billion net taxes versus $2.8 billion for native Kiwis and pay more than 1/3 of total GST receipts. Accordingly, across most ethnic groups and countries of origin, immigrants have higher total incomes than the average Kiwi.
This of course makes sense because the government can choose the cream of the crop to immigrate here but has no control over who is born here!
But behind the numbers are a couple of less obvious facts. First, average incomes are low in New Zealand when compared to other OECD nations. Second, New Zealand is losing native Kiwis at a rate of more than 4,000 per month. As of October, more than 40,000 Kiwis have left for Australia alone this year. That figure doesn't include the large number of Kiwis who leave for other countries, including the US and UK. It's hard to get an exact count, but most estimates put the number of Kiwis who are permanent residents in other countries as between 1/5 and 1/4 of all native New Zealanders.
Those two data points are related. A large portion of the Kiwis who leave are either highly skilled or highly educated. The emigration of highly skilled natives and the immigration of highly skilled immigrant accounts for the income and tax contribution disparity between immigrant and native residents. (Wow, I'm starting to feel like Paul Krugman here.)
Immigration also exerts fairly strong upward pressure on housing prices. Again, 1/4 of all New Zealand residents are immigrants. They have higher incomes and many bring with them substantial savings to use for down payments. Obviously, this is good news for Kiwis who have homes to sell--here in Christchurch it's probably paid for a lot of those houses up in the Port Hills--but for those who want to buy for the first time or who can't afford to move up the property ladder the news isn't good.
(Most of you are familiar with this, because it's the same thing that's happening in southern and seacoast New Hampshire. As more and more professionals from Massachusetts have moved into the state, housing prices have climbed to the point that first-time home buyers have to take huge mortgages or start in condos. It's that appreciation that gave us the money for this adventure.)
In some places in the US, such a situation would be referred to as 'carpetbagging.' As history has shown, that doesn't make for good social relationships.
So that brings us back to Arkansas. It's easy to say, 'People in the South are ...' and fill in the blank. But we know that's not true. It's not even true to say, 'Most people in the South are ...' But you can say, 'Some people in the South are racists/bigots/still fighting the Civil War.' Instead, you find the whole range of human (and not so human) experience. You have Lil' Abner and Bill Clinton, El Camino-driving Rhodes Scholar. I know that's hardly a revelation, but sometimes the obvious truths are the ones that need repeating.
But, if you took all those stereotypes about the Southern Redneck and all the truths about the South as it is today, they'd apply here. Christchurch is a sophisticated modern city, with a sophisticated population. But there's also racism and prejudice here--some say as bad or worse than they've experienced in the US. It has one of New Zealand's top universities, and parochial rubes who think 'immigrant' means 'stupid' (or, even worse 'rich'). While there aren't 'bad parts of town' like you'd find in the US, there are definitely exclusive enclaves. There's a large Asian population in Avonhead, and some people casually refer to it as 'Asianhead.' (Not in the same way we'd call Chinatown, uh, 'Chinatown.')
I don't know that I would go so far as to say there's definitely tension, but after what I've seen about the feeling some people have about immigrants there may be. I was surprised to see here the 'my country love it or leave it' attitude, which I thought was unique to the United States.
Some have suggested that the problem is a 'Christchurch thing.' It's true that Christchurch does have an elitist streak, as we saw upon our arrival; nearly everyone we encountered told us which schools we should (and shouldn't) send the boys to.
In a way, it would make sense that racism and xenophobia wouldn't be found to as great a degree in Auckland. Most migrants end up there, including an overwhelming majority of migrants from Asia and about 40% of migrants from Europe and South Africa. More than 1 out of 3 people in Auckland was born overseas, whereas only 1 in 5 people in Chch were born overseas.
So, here's a little speculation on my part: a large portion of the more urbane and educated Kiwis are either headed abroad or to Auckland and abandoning the more rural areas and smaller cities. Cities in the north, like Manakau and Tauranga, are the fastest growing in the in the country, while cities in the south, Christchurch included, are growing much more slowly. That's leaving behind a higher percentage of Kiwis who are less educated, less economically successful, and more likely to be resentful of immigrants--especially immigrants who are more successful than they are. Looking at personal incomes, Christchurch lags behind Auckland by about 10% and Wellington by about 15%, so the the statistics point toward a 'brain migration' to the larger cities.
As populations in the cities grow, housing prices increase. Median housing prices in Auckland and Wellington are 30% higher than they are in Christchurch. Looking at the internal migration numbers, Christchurch is one of the lowest growth cities and it has one of the oldest populations.
Wow ... I've really ended up someplace quite afield of where I originally intended to go. I'm really trying hard to make sense of what, exactly, is going on here and what it means for us.
I'm giving up on this for now. There's lots more to dig into, but for now I'll leave you with a little teaser of something else I'm going to write about:
Political Correctness & "Housework Songs, Volumes I & II".
posted by Jon A at
12:05 PM
1 Comments:
That's a really nicely researched and written piece, Jon. Blogging events of the last few days have certainly provided much to talk about in our household. Nolasmom has told me about some things she's personally experienced that she had yet to mention to me. As time away from Indiana passes, my recollection of things that really bothered me dims slightly and I find I have to work to keep those in focus. Christchurch is certainly no utopia, but I'm trying to keep things in perspective.
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