New Zealand is one of the world’s greenest countries (it has no nuclear power, good news for the Kapabo bird). Along with Chile and Argentina, it’s one of the countries closest to Antarctica, so well aware of climate change issues.
Most of us like kiwis (the birds too, but we’re talking about the people!) These laid-back people often are like that, because they live in a fairly relaxed, liberal and outdoorsy country.
It’s pretty liberal and progressive (it gave women the vote back in the 1800s).
A third of New Zealand is made up of national protected forests, and a good portion elsewhere is coastline, volcanoes and geysers. It’s stunning, but fairly mild (and unlike Australia, you don’t have to look out for deadly snakes and spiders!)
Unlike England that often focuses on ‘diets’, in New Zealand, the outdoor life is more fit and sporty: hiking, swimming and rugby (the All Blacks have won more rugby tournaments than all other teams in the world combined).
The food is pretty healthy too. The favourite dessert is pavlova. There are issues (like with Australia) of live exports of sheep to the Middle East. But overall it’s better than most.
New Zealand Has Hardly Any People!
If you get a bit stressed by busy streets, you’d love NZ. Due to its isolated location (even Australia is hours away) and strict immigration, the country has a low population – about 20 people per square kilometre.
That’s compared to 5000 people per square metre in London. Or 434 per square metre as an average in England.
New Zealand Has Fairly Green Politics
We’re not talking about Green Party per se (thought NZ does have 15 Green MPs – near 10% of parliament). But all MPs in New Zealand focus on the environment more. New offshore oil and gas explorations have stopped.
Many MPs are of Māori descent (ancestors arriving from Hawaiki over 1000 years ago). One Green MP is a former Minister of Climate Change.
The politics in New Zealand is younger, fresher and more uplifting. There’s an optimistic mood about the future, in stark contrast to the depressing nastiness of UK politics.
New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Party
New Zealand has its own Animal Justice Party which promotes better legal protection of all species. From campaigning for humane research to banning animal exploitation, the party wants a Commissioner for animals, which could make legal changes.
England’s Animal Welfare Party has not taken off in the same way. In New Zealand, the party is a household name, just months after launch. So consider volunteering or even standing in local elections, to get the word out.
New Zealand is The Third-Least Corrupt Nation
Only pipped by Finland and Denmark, New Zealand ranks the third-least-corrupted country on earth. The Index evaluated countries that abused power for personal gain. Sounds familiar?
That’s why England is ranked down at 20 (below most of Europe, Australia and Uruguay). It’s interesting that the corrupt countries (North Korea, Syria, Somalia) also tend to be the ones that go to war.
As a footnote, there was an interesting experiment once, to see how honest people were. People left money everywhere, to see who would pick it up. Finland came out top, closely followed by many other countries.
But one of the most corrupt places (many did not hand in the money) was Vatican City – home of the billion-pound Catholic Church!
New Zealand Has No Nuclear Power Stations
Unlike England (which gets around 15% of power from nuclear), New Zealand is free from nuclear power and weapons, and intends to stay that way. Nuclear is dangerous (uranium remains radioactive for thousands of years) and there is always risk of an accident or war.
Trident costs so much money, that if scrapped it could pay for a new hospital (with staff) for every major city in England.
Nuclear also gives power away from communities. You can put a solar panel on a school roof and give free or cheap energy to local people. You can’t do that with nuclear power, as it’s ‘owned by big energy’ that wishes to keep shareholders happy.
Environmentalists also say that nuclear won’t even make a dent, to reach 2050 climate targets.
