Are New Zealanders, the People on the Edge of the World, about to tip off the edge and into cultural homogeneity with the United States? I was surprised to read in The New Zealand Herald that the a new edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide is advising visitors to leave a tip of about 10% for good service. Tipping was not part of the culture when I was growing up, and nor was it an overt practice during my last stint at home during 2006–2007. It would be unfortunate if visitors to Godzone came with the expectation that they had to pay over and above the advertized price.
Continue reading 'New Zealand tipping over the edge?'
Tag archive for 'New Zealand'
But how would they sell the idea to the Aussie populace? These two marketing campaigns are worth a watch, and earned a mention in the New Zealand Herald. Do many Kiwis know there is provision in the Australian constitution for NZ to become a State of the Commonwealth? Watch out Ockers, we have bioweapons and these guys are good in a fight too.
Thanks to the kind folk at Kiwibank, and in preparation for the imminent official arrival of the iPhone in New Zealand, Kiwis can now set a whistled version of God Defend New Zealand as their ringtone. You can download it or preview it here. I've also updated my Kiwi icons iPhone wallpaper set to include a kiwifruit and koru.
Everyone loves customizing new toys and making wallpapers for your phone is probably one of the easier ways to do it (a lot easier, for example, than trying to find an inexpensive yet good-looking protective case!). I took a selection of images from Project Koru are turned them into three thematic wallpaper sets for my iPhone using this great Photoshop template.
Continue reading 'iPhone wallpapers for homesick Kiwis'
As reported by Ars Technica, the New Zealand House of Representatives passed a bill on 8 April 2008 reforming copyright law for the "digital age". Most netizens even outside the US will have come across the American DMCA: any mention seems tainted by the taste of bile. The DMCA criminalises circumvention of digital rights management (DRM) technologies and access controls—many folk argue at the expense of "fair use". Do the NZ reforms provide workable compromise?
Continue reading 'New Zealand progressive on fair use laws'
Our year abroad started in China and finished in Australia. In between we spent most of our time living and working in Wellington, the City at the Heart of the Edge of the World and the capital of New Zealand. Having written our last post from New Zealand we've now returned to our previous address in Chesterfield (near Sheffield, in the Midlands) where we've found that some things have changed, and some things never change. For all intents and purposes Project Koru has run its course, although we would like to think the essence of our experience will endure.
Continue reading 'Back in Britain'
