Thursday, October 16, 2008

Difference between Australia and NZ.

Dispite popular opinion held on the internet, I wish to point out that Australia and NZ are completely different nations. as a glance at our flags should convincingly show. Ay bro?





Australian and New Zealand Flags
Flag of Australia   Flag of New Zealand


Now I know that we are both are young relatively low population, predominantly English speaking, 'western' counties which were 'discovered' by Cook and, at least for now, admit the The Queen of England as the head of state, which all could lead to some confusion, and yes, it it impossible for anyone not from one side or the other of our ditchdutch to understand what we mean when we say "please pass the pasta pastor". But we are clearly different, our societies and accents as each as distinct as out flags.

27 comments:

Friday said...

Sweet aaaas. Right on, cuzzy bro!
xx

Anonymous said...

It is always a subject of amusement for us... obviously...

I remember one trip in the US, not only did they put the Australian flag up for my NZ delegation (upside down too I might add... we were ready to cook their heads!), but when talking to someone, they told me I had a Texan (?!?!!) accent. I was like wtf??? They had no clue what New Zealand was...

You also forgot to mention both nations have a large number of ungulates... oh wait... you were talking about the differences weren't you...

I guess the biggest difference between the nations is the native people... one of which has a treaty, land rights, and has a culture so proudly embedded in NZ society that you can't help but notice the heritage... the other struggles to have an identity, no treaty, hardly any recognition, and seem to be isolated from mainstream society.

Anyways... let's whack some jandals on, put some kai in your puku, and sing waiata while uncle strums the kita! And don't forget the kotanga on the car.. makes the radio signal heaps better!
Cheeeerrr BRO!!

unique_stephen said...

And yet, despite the differences I sill feel like invading them, as per the invade NZ movement gathering steam here.

LẌ said...

Mystery Flag

Young, low population, English speaking, discovered by Cook (promptly killed by locals), no Queen,
Mele Kalikimaka, bra.

Anonymous said...

What did one Maori statue say to the other Maori statue?

"s'tat you bro?"

Friday said...

I'd like to say this post has got me all patriotic and now Im a bit offended... so I'd say the biggest difference for me is that Aussies arent trampling their old to leave and bail out to NZ. But New Zealanders cant wait to get here and then spend the rest of their time ragging out on My fine country! Once I was accosted in a video store right here in Melbourne for being a 'fucking aussie' by a New Zealander!! Disrespect, much? mmmkay... see ya. ; )

unique_stephen said...

XL > and good surf too.

Kate > Very good.

Friday > There, there. If it is any consolation you do better beer and lemonade commercials that us.

Memphis said...

OK, up until now I apparently had never seen the New Zealand flag. I could barely tell which was which. True to modern American tradition I blame my teachers for this. I'm a victim, see?

Anonymous said...

Actually... if you're talking kiwi ad's... I think THIS is the best kiwi ad.. and no beer, All Blacks, or lemonade in sight!!!

Anonymous said...
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De Campo said...

I'm all about offering myself up as a merc in the invade NZ movement. Finally, a cause I can get behind. While the ground war may only take an afternoon; I foresee trouble with a Kiwi insurgency.

Em said...

I've been to both and I actually realized at the time that they are different countries... even though I'm.. you know.. American. New Zealand was quite beautiful and the people very friendly. A lot of sheep. Australia is also nice. Lots of funny people... and.... water.

Spiky Zora Jones said...

sweetie, i was there in Oz and so wished to go to New Zealand. I'm thinking of a vacay to NZ and Oz in the near future...maybe next year though this time of the year, I'm bringing along my peeps.

Tell me, do you find Americans hard to understand as in our accents...because I fould it hard to undertand some Aussies. yet some were quite easy to understand. Would it be something like okies here in America. Could some of those that I couldn't understand be..."the Okies of OZ." I was embarrassed in asking WHAT so many times. I couldn't tell you though whether they were New Zealanders or Aussies.

fab post...I new the flags BTW...and some of the history of each country.
Ciao babe. the Union Jack and stars...beautiful flags really.

fingers said...

That's our flag on the left, isn't it...

Bo Bo said...

Hey if Australia has a shortage of Doctors because they are all leaving to go overseas, does that mean New Zealand has a shortage of bouncers?

New Zealand only started voting cause they wanted a choice ay bro.

babyoog said...

I fancy myself a fan of the Aussies, but I can't hang with the bitchin' NZ jokes on this page.

Laura said...

As a geography major, I'm ashamed that I didn't know any of this. I don't deserve my degree...

But I can talk to you all day about the cuisine of Peru..does that count?
Thanks for this lesson, btw. I think you should post a video of your self reading it b/c I want to hear "please pass the pasta pastor."

unique_stephen said...

Memphis Steve > Just so long as you drink beer and know that the NZ rugby team is called the All Blacks and the Australian team is called the Wallabies you will get along in either country.


lisamaree > Actually... if you're talking kiwi ad's... I think THIS is the best kiwi ad.. and no beer, All Blacks, or lemonade in sight!!! - But if your talking TV generally then the late night New Zealand TV Weather Girls with their extra sensitive equipment is my fave. (sorry no link, family blog, you'll have to search youtube for it)


Tiffany Cavalli > But..but... no more questions.... OK, so I'm going back to read it all again and read carefully, making sure I look at every picture in especially high detail to make sure.


De Campo BC > 's ok mate, they won't be too hard to find. To monitor all their activity all we'd have to do 'ud be to watch the doll queues.


Em > I love traveling there, NZ is spectacular. All we have to do now tho' is find a way to appropriate it like we do with everything else of theirs of any worth.



Spiky Zora Jones > Jokes aside, If you get a chance you really should see NZ. It is an awesome landscape. Particularly the south island. The Kiwis are even more laid back than Aussies if that's possible. We're kind of like brothers - within the family we squabble and bitch at each other in a dialogue that nobody else knows or cares about but to the outside world we stand (more or less) united. ANZAC spirit and all that. It is no accident that the person that drove the first successful everest assent was a Kiwi.
We don't generally have trouble understanding the yanks - we find it harder to want to listen to them sometimes. There is not much of a regional accent in Australia but there is a 'broad' rural accent and, like anywhere, the level of education is pretty clear. To our ear we have no trouble distinguishing the Kiwi and Aussie accent and we both derive a great deal of humor taking the piss out of each other on particular differences.

fingers > Unfortunately - I'd prefer something like this, this, this, this, or this. I know that men have died under that flag for the world we have now, but still, The union jack should disappear at the least.

Bo Bo > proly - the problem with kiwi doctors is they don't give their fully sick Aussie patients special treatment.


babyoog > 'sall in good fun girl. Except for their accent they are alright.

LauraDanielleDotN > Back to school girl. Back to school

Anonymous said...
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phishez said...

Of COURSE NZ is our bro! Its just a bit of sibling rivalry. Mind they don't steal our hair straightener though. Could get ugly.

Clyde said...

Ok, I'll admit it----they do have some bloody good beers
But they dont have kegs-----
You want your big party takeaway, it's a mini tanker----a tank on a trailer----quite civilised.
Couldnt believe they deliver beer to the pubs in tankers---like petrol tankers

DeeDee said...

New Zealand is all about the kiwi birds and the sheep, no? Sort of like rural Scotland but warmer and with little flightless birds.

Also, New Zealand doesn't actually exist. It is Australia's imaginary friend, invented in a bid to convince people that they are not the only people in that area.

According to Terry Pratchett there is no water on Austalia.

Anonymous said...

Loved your comment insinuating Fingers was me.. :-) it made a good day.. into a great day! Love Tiff

Electro-Kevin said...

Why is it then that my accent is often confused for a Kiwi/Aussi one ? (People really can't discern)

I've never been to either country - Dick Van Dyke seems to be behind it all.

Just how many women did that guy shag ?

unique_stephen said...

phishez > Of all the things we have nicked from them the one that I am most proud of is John Clarke aka "Fred Dag". The archetypal taking the piss kiwi character now lives in Australia :-)


Clyde > mini tanker?? -> I am so proud of them, I had no idea. That's awesome.


Eostre > Just don't tell them that.


Tiffany Cavalli > Trying to have fun with an ugly situation.


electro-kevin > My only guess is that it myst sound pretty crap then. Funnily enough the Aussie currawong, about as Aussie as a bird can get, often sounds like it is saying " Dick Van Dyke": http://www.anbg.gov.au/sounds/currawong.au

Fusion said...

I recently saw an ad here for Oz where they stuck the NZ flag in, made me do a double take... I liked some of the different flags though, esp the Aborginal with kangaroo one.

unique_stephen said...

Yeah, our current flag is just too British.