Our Favourite Stars Reveal Why They’re Proud to Be Kiwis

What three words would you use to describe New Zealanders?
Quiet. Ordinary. Decent.

What is the moment/memory that makes you most proud to be a New Zealander?
Ed Hillary cresting Mt Everest with Sherpa Tenzing in 1953 and never revealing he was first up there. It was Tenzing himself who, many years later in his autobiography, said Ed was first. Ed Hillary – quiet, decent and yet extraordinary.

Being from here makes it easier to accept all cultures and all backgrounds because that’s what Aotearoa is. One thing that does bring me down is that, more often than not, people assume I’m not from here because of my skin colour.

For me, a New Zealander is someone who is navigating identity in a young, bicultural country with deep indigenous roots and strong settler sensibilities. It’s easier to understand your identity here if you’re Māori – understanding what it means to express Pākehā culture is a trickier prospect and I think that’s at the root of much of our national tension.

We’re pretty cool as a country, but we would be totally awesome if we could fearlessly face our past and hold hands walking into the future. I feel like we have a teenage sensibility. As with any teenager, this means we try to be good, but we’re testing boundaries and have occasional tantrums.

When have you been most proud to be a New Zealander?
I’m always proud when we compete on the world stage. Whether it’s the Olympics or a World Cup, seeing Kiwis wear the Silver Fern with pride is special.

I love the Basin Reserve [in Wellington.] As a child, me and Dad would go to all the test matches. We both loved cricket and Dad also had a fondness for beer, which I would later develop. The issue was the cost of five days at the Basin, and having to buy beer for Dad and hotdogs for me. But Dad had an idea – he got one of our best cushions, which Mum had made, unpicked it, emptied out the stuffing and then hid a six-pack of DB Draughts inside.

My job was to carry the cushion through the gates, making it look so light and fluffy. It worked a treat every time. As a nation, we are exceptional at coming up with innovative ways to solve problems. Admittedly, Dad just didn’t want to spend heaps of money on beer. But he came up with a solution that was clever, involving collaboration and trust. Aotearoa is a country where our humour is almost revered, our humility is understandably understated and we have a deep desire for connection. I reckon that’s pretty cool. My Dad would have too. He died 16 May 2023, but he would have loved to know I told the story of how naughty he was.

New Zealand’s response to a one-in-100-year pandemic was considered one of the best. We showed kindness – not just towards the people we knew, but more importantly, the people we didn’t know. We demonstrated that we care for each other and that is still a point of difference from many other countries.

Just imagine if we could bring that collective action, that kindness, to bear on other issues – child poverty, decent housing, caring for our environment, addressing climate change, understanding the value of the Treaty of Waitangi for all New Zealanders, and accepting and celebrating diversity. We can do it and it is in all our interests to continue to tread that pathway.