^ It was late last night and I had to go to bed :/

Originally posted by Welfhard
She never even visits this country and her influence is completely invisible.

She has visited a few times, just not recently.

Originally posted by Welfhard we still feel very British as a nation because we don't really have a national identity of our own yet - unless you are Maori, but I'm of German-English descent.

We do have a national identity, but it involves being open to accepting some things Maori which it appears you are not want to do...I quite happily call myself a Pakeha because it locates me in Aotearoa/New Zealand and is a point of difference from the Eurocentric Caucasionisation that some people seem to want to hang on to.
I don't consider it to be an insult as some misguided people do, I think it has evolved into a workable label for people who were born in New Zealand but not of Maori descent (I even consider myself Tangata whenua as I was born here and this is where my Mauri resides, not in some country way across the sea.
I am descended from Scots and English mainly, but I have no allegiance to the English or Scottish Crown.
My identity is carried in the rivers, in the clouds, in the rain and wind and sunlight , in the Mountains and the inhabitants of this land.

Originally posted by WelfhardWe kiwis tend to have a longing to visit England/UK & Ireland; it's seen as a motherland to us, and so in our British-ness and our affinity towards the UK, we tend to like the Royals as well. I'm sure this is why we tend to identify internationally as part of the commonwealth.

It depends on which kiwis you talk to....those that don't/won't/can't accept that we are New Zealanders and have our own identity, or those that want to stay (for some reason) under the apron strings of a system and monarchy that has repeatedly shafted us over the years.
I don't like the Royals from Britain.

We have our own indigenous royalty here which is a beautiful and vibrant acknowledgment of Maori Culture which is also important to recognise when talking about New Zealand's cultural identity....

Kore rawa e rawaka te reo kotahi


[edit on 23-9-2009 by aorAki]

Originally posted by Welfhard

Not because that's not us, nor is it our culture. I don't consider borrowing from Maori culture sufficient for having out own discrete national identity. To say "This is our culture. It's mainly British, I know, but look I've nailed on some Maori words here and there." Strikes me as pathetic.

Only because you're doing it wrong and are so tied up with Caucasinisation that it seems you refuse to accept that we are living in Polynesia and that you are South Asian (Austral-asia) and that it is o.k. to let in some 'different' cultures other than the 'predominant' European culture which you readily identify with. It's more than just using some of Te Reo, it's deeper than that and strikes me in the core of my being.

It's not pathetic, but what is is not accepting that you live in a multicultural society and the inherent racism that is evident the further south one goes (I've lived in Southland, Otago, South Canterbury, Canterbury and the Hawkes Bay) based on ignorance, intolerance, a misguided sense of unfair treatment etc and good old fashioned racism (those brownies are up to no good) is, as said above, patheic.

Originally posted by WelfhardNot being nationalistic, I simply don't need a cultural identity discrete from my ancestors that much.

But your cultural identity is discrete from your ancestors and always will be

Originally posted by WelfhardMaybe this is just the popular opinion in Southland and Otago then, because virtually all White New Zealanders that I've spoken to tend to agree.

You might like to talk to other white New Zealanders besides rednecks then, because that attitude smacks of redneckism.

Originally posted by WelfhardYes the Maori cultural identity, but I am not Maori and I'm not going to pretend I am even a little bit Maori.

Nobody is asking you to pretend to be anything, but the shear fact that we live here means that Pakeha cultural identity, in some aspects, involves a bit of Maori cultural identity (whenua anyone?) and vice versa and that basically we are a big melting pot with multicultural European identity as well as Polynesian, Asian etc which has fused to bring about the cultural identity of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

[edit on 24-9-2009 by Welfhard]

[edit on 24-9-2009 by aorAki]

Australia had a vote a few years back and a slim majority decided for keeping the queen. For me I agree with the comment - a royal family could plant the seed of a class system. One down side is to own land in NZ you do so by right of the queen, which means the queens representitive (nz government) can pretty much do anything they like to it.

Apologies as I haven't read the whole thread but...
In all honesty nobody, and I mean nobody gives a damn about the queen in OZ or NZ except for a few old ladies with color rinsed perms and nasty lace doily/commemorative teaspoon habits.
They are rarely covered except in terms of scandal of social gossip in crappy magazines.

A few years back in Oz we had a referendum of whether to drop the freeloaders and become a Republic.
HOWEVER, the conservative Howard government of the time didn't simply ask if we wished to become a Republic and ditch the Monarchy but rather offered us a number of highly problematic alternative Republican models that quite honestly confused the hell out of the uninformed masses.
The PTB then waged a highly orchestrated scare campaign pointing out the deficiencies and ramifications (like the ridiculous Presidential circus that you Americans subject yourselves to) of the alternative models that they themselves offered up!
Result? Most people opted for the status quo rather than venture into the unknown.
Mission accomplished Conservatives!

The Queen has no power. Atleast not accepted power, any longer.

Didn't they just kick Fiji out of the Commonwealth because Fiji gave them the middle finger?

That's the only power the Queen has, if you don't obey they'll kick you out of the Commonwealth... Nobody is going to go to war with Australia, NZ or Canada because of the Queens say so. We're allies for a start.

Monarchies are a big, showy waste of money. All these people are are inbred swine supported by the working class.

Same thing with the politicians. Useless fools as well.