Are you a New Zealander?

[Mooch]

Let's play state the freaking obvious shall we?

You are a New Zealand - European if your ancestors were European. Fact. So face it. Tick the freakin box FFS.

Your family's history didn't begin when they first stepped foot on these shores, irrespective of your ethnicity. Your family's lineagae goes back a long, long way. And when exactly do you stop admitting your heritage if your whining about there not being a New Zealander only box? 1, 2 generations?

I'd like to be able to look back in 20 years time and find a reliable statistic telling me how many European/Asian/Maori/Indian/Klingon descendants lived here in 2006, and compare it to modern day stats. .

Quit whining, it could be worse. I’ve got fking French blood in me. Thankfully my great, great, great gran had some taste. Despite being a Frog - she let a Welshman pork her.

Be proud to be a New Zealander – and be proud of your family’s history say I.

Heh biff , was down at the local curry house and a bunch of Londoner locals were saying the welsh are known for sheep shagging. They same group also started slagging of Austrailians saying how slow they are so I know they are telling the truth. They were highly respectable office clarks as it turn out. Most of them still living at home.

Are you going to tick other and put in sheep shagger ?

[Winston001]

So what if your ancestors were Spanish. And English . And Maori. And North American. And Scots. And German. And Punjabi.

And you have to go back 7 generations and 200 odd years to NOT be a New Zealander.


I have no ties to Europe.

The census question is to find what your ethnic identity is. As opposed to your nationality which is the flag you were born under or adopted.

Ethnic roots run deep. Most people know the culture their ancestors came from, if not the details. In my case, I consider myself ethnically Scottish despite having Cornish and Spanish blood as well. Ultimately one culture dominates.

Many Maori have very diluted genes but they identify themselves as Maori. And that is fine. Its what the statisticians want to know, and it is interesting data for the future.

European basically means ethnically derived from European gene pools. It is a flawed catchall. Caucasian would be better but it isn't a common word in NZ so would cause confusion.

[Ixion]

I don't consider myself any of those. I consider myself a New Zealander. There *IS* a unique New zealand culture and identity, distinct and different to any of the various races that settled NZ . And different to Maori. Which is my objection to the census. I am not any of those ancestrys. The have mingled and merged, and the result is a NEW identity. New Zealander. Maybe takes a few hundred years for the mixing to take place , but so what.

[ahamay]

Think I heard there is a segment on TV3/Campbell tomorrow night where they are addressing this issue. Could be interesting to watch to see what the "official" reasoning behind this is.

[Biff]

a bunch of Londoner locals were saying the welsh are known for sheep shagging. They same group also started slagging of Austrailians saying how slow they are so I know they are telling the truth. They were highly respectable office clarks as it turn out. Most of them still living at home

The only reason I moved here my friend was because I heard the sheep were better looking here, and that the locals knew some great tricks for catching and holding onto those hairy biatches (velcro gloves etc).

Londoners - respectable ? Londoners are as respectable as my left testicle is an airline pilot. Thieving, dodgy, cockney w@nkers.

(Sorry Mrs Biff - I meant all Londoners apart from you, your family, our friends, and the Queen. Because the Queen gets someone to do it for her).

[ManDownUnder]

The only reason I moved here my friend was because I heard the sheep were better looking here, and that the locals knew some great tricks for catching and holding onto those hairy biatches (velcro gloves etc).

yup - buy some oversized gumboots, put their back feet in with yours... a pair of velcro gloves...

[Hitcher]

yup - buy some oversized gumboots, put their back feet in with yours... a pair of velcro gloves...

How on earth is one expected to be able to kiss them in that position?

[ManDownUnder]

How on earth is one expected to be able to kiss them in that position?

...threesome...

[Wolf]

yup - buy some oversized gumboots, put their back feet in with yours... a pair of velcro gloves...

And take 'em to the top of a cliff - they push back harder... or so I hear

AFAIK, the first of my family born in New Zealand was my great grandfather on my mother's side, in 1869.

Both parents, all four grand parents and at least one of my great grandparents were born in New Zealand (I know one great grandparent was born aboard the Inverness on her way here.)

My siblings and I were all born here as were all our children and even my siblings' children have children of their own (I started late having kids, my own nieces and nephews beat me to it.)

How many generations do you have to have been here before the Govt stops thinking of you as a foreigner?

I am proud of my mixed Celtic ancestry and I do intend to some day visit the civilised parts of the Ununited Kingdom and get an idea of where my ancestors came from, but culturally I am a New Zealander - our culture is unique - racially I'm a mongrel of various, predominently Celtic, races. European? OK, the Celts did migrate to the isles from Europe but that was so many years ago that the Romans actually had to rely on the Greeks for religion and culture instead of stealing it from the Jews...

What are they asking? "What colour are you?"?

On baby Inverness' Birth Registration form I ticked "NZ Euro" and wrote "New Zealander" in the "Other" slot to cover all bases.

Will probably do the same on the Census form. Yeah, I may have some remote ties to Europe - enough to include the Celtic Museum in Hungary, La Tene in Switzerland and the Headwaters of the Donau within the Black Forest in my pilgrimage - but I'm a New Zealander by culture.

[Kendog]

Be proud to be a New Zealander – and be proud of your family’s history say I.[/QUOTE]

After having to study much about ethnicity and nationality, I actually don't mind being called Pakeha, not so sure about being called a European New Zealander though. Because I am proud of the fact that my ancestors who came to New Zealand to build a better life, basicaly worked the land into something they could make a living from and made this country what it is today. The fact that they wanted to be here and worked themselves to the bone to do it is something I think we Pakeha should be proud of, I know I am. I am not a Maori, but the word Pakeha no longer offends me as I now understand its true meaning, it is to many, the other indigenous New Zealand culture.
Rant finished, just my opinion of course.
Mrs KD.

[pritch]

I believe that perhaps it's time to ease off celebrating our differences and to start celebrating what we have in common.

The head of the Statistics Dept stated on TV that the ethnicity question had to remain the same for the sake of consistency.

A consistently silly question is still a silly question.
(And I intend to write that on the form, it'll make me feel better if nothing else.)

I believe that what has happened recently with UK born muslims blowing up their own countrymen can be attributed to the sort of attitude that has led to schools not having nativity scenes in case it offends muslims or whoever. These people had never been taught to have pride in the culture or history of their new home.

We can go down the same road or we can choose to be proud to be ourselves, all of us, as New Zealanders.

You fill in the form as you like, I know what I'm writing.

[NordieBoy]

ok... thanks

Stupid SAffer...

:eyepoke:

Not a Vaalie are you?

PS. p/t.

[Biff]

How on earth is one expected to be able to kiss them in that position?

Why kiss the lips on their face when their arse is in your face?

Rant finished, just my opinion of course.
Mrs KD.

Nothing wrong with expressin an opinion Mrs KD. We're all entitled to one. And what better place to air it than here. Because no-one ever gives you a hard time here simply for expressing your own opinion. As long as you wear full protective clothing while you do it, otherwise you risk bringing about the collapse of society as we know it.

[Finn]

Be proud to be a New Zealander – and be proud of your family’s history say I. After having to study much about ethnicity and nationality, I actually don't mind being called Pakeha

The problem with education in NZ is all the hidden agenda's of ideology and social engineering. The outset of your education was to not mind being called a pakeha.

I used to call myself a New Zealander but now I'm just too embarrassed to admit it. I gave up taking this country seriously years ago. It's a social experiment gone horribly wrong.

[MSTRS:Me]

I'll be expecting TheCall in a few days......somehow, my form has PROTEST written across some questions