Thank you for acknowledging the differences between the treatment of the Maori culture and the Native American people's. 💜 Not many of these videos mentions the importance of culture, that part was awesome to see and hear. 🙂
I didn't want it to come across that I was belittling the experiences of the Maori people, but it was something that really struck me when we first moved here. There's a stark contrast, and it makes me incredibly happy when I see the Maori people and culture not only accepted, but appreciated. I know there's still loads of room for improvement, and I hope it keeps getting greater 🤍
@@Becca.Loveless Sometimes when you have people from other countries move to Aotearoa, they tend to forget that this country is in riched with culture and language that we all love to showcase whether it's publicly or just within the home and it is beautiful and heart warming to see another embrace the native peoples of the country they now reside in 🖤☺️ So thank you 💜 I know exactly the struggles our Native American brothers and sisters are going through and have been for hundreds of years, even the acknowledgement is an effort for them to receive. Aotearoa still has a fair way to go but we are treated a lot different and have a lot more to strive for with that support now. Thank you for you're video and I hope you enjoy you're new life here. ❣️😊
I was going to say that too 💜 I’m māori NZ born n raised, I moved to Australia and got a job in disability care. I attended a work seminar about the treatment of the indigenous aboriginal culture and why certain clients decline help from “white” workers. They used Māori as an example of how indigenous should be treated. Sad to see it’s still a problem here in Aus.
And the fact you picked up on being tidy and caring about the environment 😊 there’s a phrase ur son will learn if youse stay long enough “be a tidy kiwi” it’s taught in school and another I noticed from living overseas is in NZ we have big signs on the freeways saying “please do not litter, keep New Zealand beautiful “ which is a nice reminder also growing up if you threw rubbish on the ground you were called a “litter bug” 😂.
An American couple who would always visit my small cafe in a small town every morning. Forgot their wallet and couldn't pay for their coffees I told them "don't worry pay tomorrow or when you can" . Came back the next morning praising me. I never thought for a sec it was that big a deal. Untill they explained their experiences and how that would never happen where their from.
It's interesting to hear anothers interpretation of NZ language etc. I always used "Ta" as a abbreviation of Thank you ... non formal and mainly amongst friends or with the children. Dear is also a term for something expensive as well as a term of affection .... yes dear 😂. They both cost money.
You're not the only one saying Ta means Thanks! I think it's kind of a "give it here, thanks!" to children? I've seen many moms use it as a command, though. I asked a couple of them, and they say they don't really know where it came from or what it means, so 🤷🏼♀️
@@Becca.Loveless That's a case of the preemptive 'thank you' - using the the 'thank you' that you would normally expect at the end of process to initiate the process - so yes it does mean 'hand it over' in that context but with a very heavy coating of sarcasm. "Thank you" and "dankie" (Afrikaans) are used in the same context.
Good on ya e hine! Hope you're enjoying your time here, even through rāhui (another word for lockdown) ❤️ We tend to pick up our rubbish because one of the mantras of NZ is that it's "Clean and Green" and a lot of people really take that to heart. Also we're almost constantly exposed to nature so we're always reminded of what could happen if the rubbish gets into the water or the bush. Thanks for these videos, they're really cool to watch for a young fulla who's never been to the US - keep up the good work e hoa! ❤️🖤
Hi Becca! Just found your channel and I’m so glad I did! We seem similar in a lot of areas. I am a plant-based, environmentally conscious mom of 3. My husband and I have been thinking about moving to NZ so we are devouring all of the RUclips content on the subject. I’m so happy to see you so happy! I will be keeping my eye out for more videos and more suggestions, pros/cons, advice and info on NZ in general. Thanks again! Hugs to you from TX!
Hey I'm from Texas! Thanks so much for commenting. You can DM me on instagram with any question you have and I can answer them much more in depth there. And I hope you do make it over here! It's such a fun and beautiful place.
I lived in New Zealand for 7 years and landed in Austin upon my return. Found some interesting similarities between New Zealand and Texas! Definitely an independent spirit and self reliance in both places. Considering moving back to New Zealand now that my parents have passed. Look forward to seeing your videos!
Hi Natalee Mackrell.. interesting last name.. I hope you make the move to New Zealand / Aotearoa.. Land of the long white cloud is our Native name for New Zealand 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿.
The difference between the US and NZ , is when NZ has a "World series" or in our case a rugby world cup we invite other countries :). This video is a very good representation of things in NZ indeed
Referring to the picking up of rubbish. There was a NZ campaign about being a "tidy kiwi" growing up in the 80s/90s. Not sure if they still preach that but most kiwi's have grown up with this mindset i think. Pocket your rubbish until you come across a rubbish bin etc...
1. That's genius of them to come up with the campaign and 2. It's so nice that people actually responded to it. And now that you say that I do recall seeing a few signs out and about that say "tidy kiwi." So cool!
Maybe some Kiwis do this. But the fact we have to pick up a lot of rubbish (I do that daily) means there are necessarily a lot of people who drop rubbish. The only reason NZ isn't an open rubbish dump is because there are not enough Kiwis to mess the place up. If there were 30 million people in NZ, the place would be disgusting.
LOL there is trash everywhere in NZ. yes we were taught to be a tidy kiwi…. 30 years ago… ppl are messy as now. You see those bloody masks everywhere on the ground too. NZ is NOT a tidy country
@@Becca.Loveless A bit further back - months after westerners found NZ, natives were jumping on ships to visit other countries, I guess the original "working holidays" perhaps, as they had to work on the ships lol
New Zealand is a compact gorgeous country. Your a very kind hearted person, and it absolutely shows, that's why you'll fit into our culture so easily good video indeed, you have a calming voice it makes the video plesent to watch. Kiaora.
@@jeremyashford2145 Exactly i bet this person will have a different view of NEW ZEALAND in a few years time when this commie pm has handed half the country over to maori ,i bet they would be back on the next plane to the USA ,NZ is going down the pan very quickly.
I watch a lot of these NZ/US comparison vids - which is probably why RUclips dropped it into my feed. Probably the best, more comprehensive summary I’ve seen.
Love that you and your whanau (family) are having fun adapting to kiwi culture. So refreshing as a local to hear your take. All the best and thanks for sharing 👍😁
Nice! Once this lockdown has past, if you get the chance to travel I highly recommend having a look at central otago and the milford sound! Even as a Kiwi the scenery blew me away!
There is tax on food. 15% Goods and Services tax (GST) is applied to virtually everything here, but it is incorporated into the ticket price. In most cases you don't pay it on top of the advertised price.
That was what I was unclearly trying to say 😂. That the price you see is the price you pay here whereas in the US there’s an invisible, unknown amount of tax added on at the register.
@@Becca.Loveless Here if the price doesn't include GST you have to say it doesn't, most things to do with trades are like this as you can get back the GST so the lower one is showen
Guns are allowed, you just have to apply for a licence to own one. Years ago, every individual weapon had to be registered. They just clamped down hard on any sort of automatic rifle.
@@Becca.Loveless We actually have _lots_ of guns per capita -- 20th in the world according to Wikipedia, and some of the ones ahead of us have recently been war zones. But there are no civilians randomly carrying handguns or automatic weapons here -- gun owners are generally hunters, farmers or target shooters.
@@Becca.Loveless I think also it's just not our culture to fetishize gun freedoms like other counties do. There's farmers and hunters that have guns but I think it's not normal for the average Joe to have a gun
As you say, guns are allowed, and the rules around getting one are very strict indeed, as is the licence to use one. Farmers, hunters, collectors and competition shooters have guns, hardly anyone else does. Most New Zealanders don't think guns make you safer, they make you a target. It's incredibly unsettling to us to see our police carrying weapons and most of us are fighting tooth and nail to not have our police armed all the time.
Hi Becca, We celebrate the Queens birthday in Enzed, as the Queen is officially the Head of State as she is for over 15 countries, including Straya and Canada....
Don't you just love it in the morning when you wake up and hear birds singing and to be able to see the sun before the rest of the world, we're truly blessed
Wait until you have your first summer Xmas! It's right around the longest day of the year so a looong day, involves bbq's, the beach, salads and other 'lighter' summer foods, the Queen's Xmas message, everyone's going camping etc... best time of the year!
That was magic Becca! You inspired me to subscribe.👍🏻. A couple of things. Firstly your content was pretty much spot-on. Secondly, there was so much of it, l had to pause and replay from time to time to keep up! These are just production comments. Take a breath between subjects. A pause, and with some maybe even a graphic or title to denote a change of subject. Also I respectfully suggest you get a microphone. Maybe a simple clip on the collar unit that will help us better hear you. And finally and most importantly, don't stop what you're doing! You're a breath of fresh American air that we're loving!💕 (PS: I've never seen better or as efficient responses to comments! You go girl!!)
I am pretty mad at myself about the audio! But once it's posted there's not much you can do about it 🤷🏼♀️. It made me realize that it is definitely time to invest in a microphone though! I had so much I wanted to say, but didn't want to have the video be 30 minutes long so I tried to make it as compact as possible! So, sorry for the pace. And thanks so much for being here! For watching, subscribing, and taking the time to comment. I love getting feedback - otherwise it feels like I'm talking to a black hole :)
Haere Mai, Welcome to Aotearoa "The Land of the Long White Cloud" New Zealand, it's nice of you to mention our Maori culture in such a positive light. I'll try and cover most of your topics... It's more of a dialect thing with pronunciation of vowels incorporated into words which makes kiwi's sound different, I can see how you would render some of them hilarious, like buggy for stroller is also called a pushchair or pram (if you're old school like me), dairy or shop is our version of a 7 eleven or convenient store. The kiwi and Maori slang is what usual gets a lot of our visitors tongue twisted, things like, 'sweet as (good)', 'bro or cuzzy (friend and relation)', 'mean (awesome)', 'yeah nah (yes I understand but no I do not agree)', 'chur bro (hello or goodbye)' just to name a few. Kumara is Maori for sweet potato, you will rarely hear it being called the latter. If you register with your local GP then your visits are free only if you use them exclusively, however, you will be charged a fee only by some and only if you use another GP service visit certain walk-in emergency centre's. Yes you are quite right about the indigenous being Maori myself, we are at least more culturally accepted compared to some other countries of mixed race as I have friends who are Native to America that are still in a tug-of-war over human and cultural differences. NZ tries to keep farm fresh and organic discarding any GMO additive foods, you will notice that certain items will sky rocket in price due to availability but those prices will always drop when the season has them overstocked so they will not succumb to being tossed out as waste. NZ exports a ton of dairy and meat products and wool, we import a lot of fossil and mineral fuels, machinery and electrical equipment. Tipping, yeah nah I'm not a fan of it but some friends have told me that tipping is how some earn a living, but isn't that why they get paid a wage? Some services I've experienced tipping seemed compulsory and I've witnessed a sudden change in attitude and the customer being frowned upon when it is not offered to the server, personally, to me tipping is only deserving when the service is beyond exceptional otherwise, no. Some cafes in NZ have a tip jar much like some place in the US so it is optional. Prices in NZ are all inclusive of taxes or GST, there is no need to charge someone extra tax when it is deducted in your yearly tax and is returned to you via tax refunds if you have over paid. We are members of the Commonwealth so yes we drive on the opposite side of the road much like our English and Australian comrades and we don't incorporate much of or any of the US road rules. Hopefully you will never experience those that are free for all drivers who will drive like they're still out in the country roads where stoplights or marked intersections don't exist. The cars and motor cycles here are very European or Japanese and are targeted at being more economical and environmentally friendly, NZ roads aren't built for Harley Davidsons or big block gas guzzling V8 supercars as there are too many curves and winding roads to navigate compared to the vast long stretches of US highways (motorway), we also import a ton of Australian made vehicles by Holden, Ford and Chrysler. The NZ banking system is probably one of the best in the world with the exception of it's fee's and surcharges they put on international transactions, otherwise your money is pretty safe. Pay waive is only recent to NZ as we've only just been introduced to it over the past couple of years. Bank to bank transfers are the safest way to deal with online retailers. Yes, warning on the voltage, if you bring your electrical ware to NZ it will work regarding you plug it into a step down voltage convertor or else you will risk damaging your devices. Some smaller electrical devices will just require a wall socket adapter. Guns can still be privately owned but you must be approved to hold a gun licence and have to register your firearm, police don't carry firearms here but that may soon change. I celebrated 4th of July a couple of times in the US with friends in the middle of the Arizona desert as we bought fireworks from a road side seller, NZ fireworks are nothing compared to US fireworks, you guys do it big over there. Smaller business aren't open 24-7 but only a couple of the bigger brand supermarkets are which are usually based in the city. Our female Prime Minister is doing pretty good during these covid times keeping the country running as best as possible to allow us the freedoms of a normal life when we are not in lockdown. Yeah, humility in NZ is huge, we are a chill nation and don't take kindly to those that think they're all that, humble down or risk being humbled by the locals. The metric system here is meant to simplify whilst also being relative of all types of measurements, however we do use some variants when referring to certain types of measure as in weight = kilograms, milligram, microgram, nanogram. I wouldn't know what system US would use if referring pound in weight relative to each unit, millipound, nanopound? NZ much like Australia have common sports activities, again very unique to Commonwealth countries, Rugby Union is NZ's National sport and almost every kiwi's pride and joy, also water sports are big here, yes cricket, Rugby League where Australia is dominant with the sport, Softball which is Baseball in the US, Basketball, Soccer or Football in the EU, NZ isn't as excited as the US with American Football as it has never been adapted as one of our native past time or recreational sports. We like to recycle, we are an Island of 5 million so we try to keep our backyard clean. International shipping is expensive and time consuming because of the insurance policies of certain businesses such as Amazon and the length between transit is dependent of how many customs checks it goes through to get here. Yeah, NZ females get all 'clucky' when babies are present but I think it's just a natural thing for females and children to share a natural bond. I think the work ethics here are focused towards one's ability to perform at their personal best rather than the glam and glory of being the best, involving family time and holidays gives people an incentive to work more accurately and sensibly simply because it helps keep a clear mind, refreshes the body and their families reap the benefits and rewards. If you cannot function properly then you will have difficulty completing your task and you will become a hazard to those around you. Kiwi's are very upfront about boundaries and once crossed it is a dark and evil path you've entered, nah not really, but you will most likely just be suspect to them from there onwards if you break their trust. I think we are quick witted as we like to make fun of the conversations in place especially if the delivery sounds corny to us, we'll jump at every chance to make someone crack up laughing. To travel is everyone's dream, kiwi's are no exception, I've met NZer's in the US who started their travel to America as a holiday but have now opened a small business or become American citizens because of work or sport and have just fallen in love with the place. I think we are most grateful with what we have in our small country in the South Pacific, the fact we have nature right outside our back door and a huge landscape to explore is just something we've all grown up with, it would be foreign to many kiwi's to wake up and look outside the window with the lack of green hillsides or native trees scattered everywhere. There's not much to be threatened with in the NZ outdoors, no common poisonous critters, snakes or bears which might seem unchallenging to some that like to camp. You can still hear the call of some native birds at certain times of the day / evening depending on where you live. The ozone layer is slowly healing itself, but no thanks to both human and natural occurrences, it will never completely heal.
Thank you for the write up! Tipping in america is a product of an outdated system where people could make $2.50/h and live off that and tips on top. But that wage hasn't got up for servers in restaurants, and so that is pushed onto the customer. Horrible system. Banking is incredibly easy here, in the US we us Venmo to send money between people, and it only creates a pointless middle man. Micro pounds! 😂 for anything less than a pound we use ounces sometimes, mL, and sometimes grams, but those would usually only be cooking. We haven't gotten used to using Kilograms yet. I love not worrying about dangerous animals while being outside, not that it is super common in America to see bear, but we have seen moose on hikes and they are enormous and terrifying. Thank you for watching!
@@Becca.Loveless Very welcome, I miss my friends there in the US as the last time I saw them was March of 2020 and hearing your voice just bought back memories of them. I love to catch up with friends in the US when our band tours there and I can honestly say I've probably seen more of America than most of my friends that live there, from North to South and East to West. Wow! $2.50 an hour is criminal and disgusting, I've met some really great servers who I've left a generous tip for and those that seemed like they didn't want to be there let alone serve of which I only left them with some advice offering no tip. An outdated system that needs to change for the better perhaps. Banking is incredibly awesome when you have money in your account 🤣 Micro pounds 😁, during our travels on our tour bus in the US we found it weird trying to work out an ETA with having to convert kilometres to miles and I also notice that most states use 24hr time clocks which removes the ambiguity associated with am/pm and which supposedly makes it easier to express time across time zones... nope, still confused the s**t out of us. I saw my first bear in Lake Tahoe whilst taking a morning jog which turned into a sprint with me almost being run over by cyclists, and my second up in Whistler Canada after a show around 1.00am when walking back to my hotel room, didn't know bears came out at night... saw an orange coloured snake the thickness of my arm and it's babies in Colorado and a creepy tarantula the size of my hand in the Nevada desert, ewwww. True story, I was travelling with friends in a van through the snowy mountains of North America and we stopped roadside to take a non sanctioned leak and my friend (who was high on cannabis) said he saw a tree moving... what he saw was a moose which had snow on it's antlers, the thing was the height of our van and acted very territorial as it moved toward us, probably a mama moose protecting her baby meese / mooses? LOL, we were out of there quick smart! Thanks for taking the time to read through my novel 🤣
'Sweet potato' is English for kumara, Europeans only encountered potatoes when they finally crossed the Atlantic in the 1400s, Maori beat them to the punch on 'sweet potato' cultivation by several centuries =)
Is that a really loud clock you have in the background or death-watch-beetle? :-) Another excellent video... I love the insight you offer as someone new to the country.
Becca, I too am a recent transplant to Aotearoa. I've recently moved here at the end of January 2019. NZ is a beautiful country. I struggled with the colloquialisms here initially. My wife is a Kiwi, the first time we dated (2011) she used the phrase; "happy as Larry"! that totally threw me because she didn't know much about me back then and how did she know I have a brother named Larry and when did she talk to him? Shopping was probably the biggest challenged. Products have different names. The subject you touched on that I don't think the Kiwis appreciate how well they have it, is their health care. It's awesome here!
What I found difficult initially was knowing which shops to go to for different things. The two main chemists chains in the UK carried everything you find in a pharmacy here but so much more, same with supermarkets, which in many cases would be the equivalent of merging Countdown and the Warehouse into one store. The other shock was having to pay for a cell phone and the cost of the plans, so expensive here.
Hello fellow transplant! The healthcare is huge! It's such a comfort knowing I have access to any help I need. I haven't come across the "happy as Larry" yet, but I'm prepared now for when it does 😄 that's too funny. There are times when I online shop and the words I use to search don't even pretend to exist (like garbage bin, pajamas, etc.) So different!
It took us a couple months to figure out which stores we like to get what from! I have four different shops that I go to regularly. Very different from the US!
Hi Becca - We are so pleased that you are loving your life in New Zealand. As I commented in one of your earlier videos, you folks have just the right positive attitude. BTW, "Dear" means expensive and a "bach" in the Sth Island is know as a "crib" (my wife is from the South Island). Also we do pay tax on goods and services (G.S.T.) but it is incorporated into the display price but will show on your receipt(if you are interested in that sort of thing). Also New Zealand was the first self governed country in the world to give women the right to vote (1893 - which was pretty sad that is was so late! but then again Switzerland did not give women a right to vote until 1971!! which still amazes me - I still like their watches though :-). Keep enjoying and be careful crossing the road - I always look the wrong way last when I have visited the USA. Take care and best wishes, Andy and Lynne from Napier (Come and visit us sometime). P.S. The ozone hole above us has actually got smaller than it was, since the ban on fluorocarbons aka CFC's commonly found found in spray cans and fridges - but still slip, slop and slap is wise - especially for your fairer skin and the wee fellow's.
I feel like it's hard to have a bad attitude about NZ - it's such a different and beautiful place :) Aw man! Should've mentioned that women got the right to vote first here! That's a huge one that I totally missed. Another miss on my part - I totally screwed up on ALL the words! Lol. Oh well. I'm still learning 😂. I didn't know that bach means something different in the South Island. Like a bach is a baby bach? Crazy. I always look both ways twice before crossing the road because my wires get crossed every time and I can't remember which way I'm supposed to look. And we'd love to visit you when we come down that way! Send me an email! And good to know about the hole in the ozone. That makes me happy to hear that it's healing. I wasn't aware that it could heal :) But I guess that Mother Nature for you.
@@Becca.Loveless bach is short for 'bachelor pad'... it was like a place men went themselves back in the early days... not sure where crib came from but is the same thing. The ozone thing really got us angry down here when it first was discovered in the late 80's.. we felt we were suffering from everyone else's pollution, which is true, but why it came 'down' this way we don't know...
Kiwi vernacular relies heavily on hypercorisms which baby words, making them shorter like presie for present, blankie for blanket. Oxford dictionary says that these pet words are "monosyllabic or disyllabic, with the second syllable bearing no stress". This falls completely in line with the kiwi mentality of a successful life being one with less stress,family/collectively oriented and a more work/ life balance. So we intentionally "work" & speak "lazy". ;-)
I'm glad you are enjoying living here. When I lived in America for 10 months I found people incredibly friendly and open, generous and kind. What goes around comes around ☺️.
Love your attitude, how long are you planning to live here? You're so kind and enthusiastic about New Zealand I'm pleased you're having a good time. A lot of Kiwis do a couple of years going on an OE before we settle down, I really appreciated what we have after spending time in Europe, East and West , Scandinavia, the U K and Australia, I've only been to San Diego and the lovely Hawaii in the USA I found the tipping quite stressful at first because I didn't have a clue and I've heard the wages are low and the people depend on the tips for their income .
Hopefully forever! We’re having an amazing time here! We have a three year work visa but are hoping to get residency after a year. That’s incredible that you’ve been to so many places! Tipping is very stressful. It was always a huge deterrent for me to go eat out. Especially when you’re in a big city - pay to park, pay for your food, pay taxes on food, and tip on top of that. It’s insane.
* Rent, can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly it is an agreement between you and your landlord and can be based on your pay cycle. * There are plenty of 24 hour shops... they are just different to what you are use to in the US ;-) * The hole in the OZone is not as bad as it is made out to be... (Ozone is formed throughout the atmosphere in multistep chemical processes that require sunlight.) Ozone requires sunlight... during winter there is less sunlight over the south pole and can create a hole... (a similar is over the north pole) as Summer hits and more sun the hole does shrink... but during that time there is less OZone but the end of summer the Ozone can be thinner
What a lovely viewpoint of our little slice of paradise, and your style of delivery was so full of joy. It made me immensely proud. America is wonderful in many ways but it did really make me wonder why the US sticks to separate tipping, state taxes, avoiding the metric system. We learn from each other. I'm a recruiter so will send this to my American candidates looking to move here. Good on you btw.
Thanks! I'm sure we have plenty more differences to point out. I love the small differences between countries, and we are trying to absorb as much about the Kiwi lifestyle as we can.
Hi becca, love your take on some of the many differences we have between our two countries, it's quite funny but also interesting to hear and know how the other half live, and good on you guys for taking that leap of moving to another country (NZ) can't of been easy...lol, hope all is well take care guys😎❤️✌️
Lol hope you enjoyed me getting all the words wrong 😂 Oh well. At least I get taught in all the comments. And it was a big leap but one that was definitely worth taking. Thanks so much, and hope you're getting along well as well!
Love your video - being from Canada (although I have been here 22 years now), I agree with everything you pointed out. If you like birds, try going to Tiri Tiri Matangi - the ferry leaves from Whangapaeroa (North of Auckland) and it is a bird sanctuary island you might enjoy. I didn't know that about the moon - I will have to check it out now... I agree that Orion's belt being upside down (and the big dipper) is just freaky!
It's also nice here because you leave Auckland and you can see a sky full of stars! More than I ever could in any of the places I lived in the US. I love thinking about how sea-men used stars to navigate when to me that seems crazy because it's very dependent on so many variables (location, weather, moonlight strength..). And we have Tiri Tiri on our list! It sounds amazing there!
I take full responsibility for your version of 'ta'. I use it towards a child/toddler meaning "give it to me, ta". So I suppose it does mean thank you as in "give it to me, thank you" but I've always shortened it to just "ta". Certainly something my mother said and her Scottish mother before her :)
You're not the only one that uses it as a give it to me, though! Someone else said it well - it's like the thank you to initiate a child giving you something. I got both of the words wrong in the video, lol. Oh well 🤷🏼♀️
Hi Again Becca…..So pleased you seem to have settled down well in Godzone. Shame that you have come at a difficult time with this COVID business,but I feel sure you will enjoy your first full Summer when it arrives. Look forward to your future posts, because I am interested in how you get on,and seeing your enthusiasm continue (hopefully! )
From what I hear, New Zealand just gets prettier! So I can't see my enthusiasm diminishing :) Even with Covid making things a bit more difficult, I feel it has made us appreciate being here that much more!
Ta means thank you, very informally. In the same way you would say thank you upon reception of something. You say it to motivate the giving of something by a child. Dear means expensive. Jandals are not sandals Sandals are sandals Jandals are flip flops. There are taxes on every product. 15% sales tax is standard. The taxes are just included in the sticker price. There are no ANZAC cookies... they are ANZAC biscuits. 😉
I had to go look up were ta came from, it is informal thank you from North England and Wales, but the first recording of it was in 1772, "natural infantile sound of gratitude" [Weekley]. (Online Etymology Dictionary, Oxford Languages and American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
Of course there are taxes on pretty much everything, GST (goods and service tax) it is included in the price that you see and not added on for shock valve then you check out. If you look at your receipt it will indicate how much of your purchase is GST.
You can use most 120 electronics if you use a plug adapter as most electronics are also designed to work on 240. I too moved to a 240 country and brought and used my US electronics with no problem.
Such a great video Becca. The language differences are always so funny to hear - lol "pigs". Ugh, yes pies - so hard for Kiwi's living in the USA when they see a sign for "hot pies" and it's fruit - nooo! Oh and the fairy bread/saveloy sausages, haha, such a Kiwi childhood staple. Loving all your videos, they're just brilliant! x
Thanks, as always ☺️. And I'm a huge fan of both savory and sweet pies. Let's make the best of both worlds and incorporate both into everyday life. I've yet to try fairy bread, and I'm not sure if I can bring myself to ever try it, but it's pretty fascinating stuff. And obviously I need to try harder with the word differences because I got all of them wrong 😂. One day I'll figure it all out!
We do have fruit pies, but I think mince pies are such a staple of the kiwi diet that if someone says "wanna stop and get a pie?", the assumption is; meat pie. But then again, in parts of the states "pie" would mean pizza pie, right? I think a bigger difference is sausages. America has weiners/hot dogs, but we have pork sausages and "saveloys" (those weird red ones.. delicious, try them!) What we call "hot dogs" are what I believe are known as corn-dogs in the states.
Lovely to hear from you and welcome to our dear little country so far from the rest of the world.We are huge travellers but love coming back home.Just a heads up…soon you will be hearing about Christmas mince pies. These are little pastry pies with a mixture of minced up dry fruit mix and dry spice. In our family we like to have tried 12 peoples pies, one good luck for the next year. Welcome to our lovely country, so sad to see what’s happening in the dear old USA.
This is only the second video of yours that I’ve seen. Just discovered you this morning, and decided to subscribe immediately. We are so fortunate to have you and your family move here. I think you are already an asset to our country. Ngā mihi aroha ki a koe (Kind regards/love).
'Ta' - northern English dialect word for thank you - probably became very common in New Zealand due to British television shows - e.g. 'Coronation Street'
@@Becca.Loveless people do you're right. Saying ta to a baby is usually used to convince a child to give whatever is in their hand, usually something they shouldn't have lol
Garbage. Ta for thank you has been used in New Zealand since before television. I was born in 1939 and I remember as as a child hearing Ta for thankyou
I was curious an checked entomology of ta it appears to have originated in northern England in the 1770s and came to New Zealand with the first settlers.
@@Becca.Loveless it is the same here in Oz, but ta is thank you or thanks, so having had kids myself when a mum says ta in that context it is a direction for the kid to hand something over but it is like we say the 'thank you' in the form of ta as an encouragement to hand it over. I love how we all use the English language different, and how it has come about. Bill Bryson wrote an interesting book on it.
Hope you and your family have settled well here. New Zealand is far from perfect and things are way too expensive but Im grateful to be here. Good luck to you and your family.
We have settled well, thank you! Things are a bit pricier, but I like to think that the stuff I'm purchasing is better quality (at least with the food) and the systems we're supporting are better functioning (like taxes for healthcare, etc.). We really love it here :)
I find you very funny and like I commented to one of your fellow country men/women, that you've helped me fall back in love with my homeland. Thanks mate. Welcome to what is becoming a melting pot. All nationalities help make us more diverse and I believe that is a win,, win. I live in Melbourne Australia and am Tangawhenua of Aotearoa, or in English a native of New Zealand.
Kia ora! Thanks so much for saying! That makes me so happy to hear that you’re falling back in love with NZ. It’s so great here! And I believe it’s a win-win too :)
@@Becca.Loveless appreciate the Holla back, fills me with so much appreciation what you have to share about NZ. I have spoken to two American people in my whole life but only one of them was as grounded as you seem to be and I like that. My wife and I enjoy your channel and find it most refreshing and down to earth, not fake, so plz keep them coming. Plz don't get me wrong and I say from the heart and not in a stalking way, but your son is just delightful. Thanks once again.
@@teiwiwalker7359 That makes me happy to hear, we absolutely love this country, and the people here, this Channel has been a great way of talking with so many different people and learning many new things. And yes I also think our son is a delight! Thank you so much!
I can tell you what the difference is and it's color, it must be great to live in a country where every person no matter what ethnicity, religion or culture you're treated the same. 🤣
Oh the hole in the ozone layer is a major problem in summer, when going outside when it's over about 25 I'd recommend using SPF 50 sunscreen anything below that isn't effective enough to prevent burning, it's available at pretty much every pharmacy and supermarket. Also summer here is quite fickle, 2016/17 and 2020/21 were really rainy but 2018/19 and 2019/20 were scorching for nearly 5 months
That was well done and informative from a kiwi perspective , but to be a kiwi you have to go to a all blacks test match then we will give you the ok to here. Anyway good luck an welcome to NZ
I'm so happy you guys are enjoying your time here. I enjoy staying in holiday parks when on holiday as i get to meet people from all over the world. It doesn't take long to make new friends and the kids love it.
You're right, that is what I was trying to say. NZ has it included in the price, so what you see is what you pay. Whereas in America when you look at a price, you have to try and figure the tax amount in your head, which is pretty near impossible because there are different tax amounts for different products, and then when you have a whole cart full of items and you have several different numbers...it's a mess. I like how they do in NZ :)
Another fab video. I love your definition of the "tall poppy syndrome". We are very humble folk down here and are terrible at talking about our own successes. So when one of us seems too big for their boots we like putting them in their place and telling them to pull their head in. Your explanation is spot on!! Don't shy away from saying "ta" to adults. A lot of us do casually. I often add a muchly "ta muchly" for "thanks very much". Don't worry about the mistakes, you'll learn our confusing ways quick as! So pleased you love it here. It's a pretty great place. (Tip. Our expressions of praise often seem very understated as well, as do our insults (I'm sure you've heard the use of "egg" in some of our films? - "egg"/"major egg" is one of our biggest/strongest insults). That's something to keep in mind).
I got all the word wrong in the video! At least I'm learning a lot from the comments :) I learned about "egg" from Taika Waititi movies - love them! And I agree, it is a pretty great place ☺️
Hi Becca, Thanks alot for this video, I observed you mentioned you moved in six months ago that's definately during the lockdown, My partner is currently in Newzealand and we have been brainstorming on ways I can join him..Thank you
If your partner is already here you can try for a partner visa? Or if you have a critical skill apply for jobs over here. I'm no expert on visas, however. Wishing you the best.
As a Kiwi. Burn time - without sunscreen. January '96. Completely lost all track of time. Had sunscreen - very high quality for the time. Even with that, I was good for maybe 15 minutes. I ended up with 2nd degree burns over 55% of my body. According to the hospital staff, I was maybe ten or fifteen minutes away from ending up in the burns unit with scars for rest of my life. Time in sun without sunscreen was about 3.5 hours.
So glad you’re enjoying it here! My mom is from cali so I recognized a lot of your opinions as being similar to hers, she’s seems to be happy here so I hope you stay happy and safe here too!
We use a lot of similar words in Australia - Macca's (McDonalds), Bikkies (biscuits), etc. "Ta" is an informal way of saying thank you, not just for children. Oddly (at least in Australia) "ta" is often paired with "thank you", as in "Here's your coffee." "Oh, ta. Thanks." We have some American friends who, when they first arrived in Australia, were invited to have tea with an Australian family. Thinking that 6:00 pm was quite late in the day for "taking tea" they ate a full meal before going for "tea". To their horror they quickly discovered that, in Australia (and probably in New Zealand) "tea" is the term used for the evening meal. Typical of American politeness, they ate the (second) meal, but it was a lesson well learned - If you're invited for a cuppa it will usually be called morning or afternoon tea. If you're invited for "tea", then it's supper.
The two best places in Auckland for birds are Tawharanui and Tiri. But if you want an insane bird experience then go to the bird Avery at Hamilton Zoo. Arrive at the Zoo early and then wait at the gate for opening. Once you’ve gone inside, you go straight to the Bird Avery, as it’s early in the morning, they’re very active and will fly to you and sit on your shoulder. Parrots will walk around you and will be very active. It means leaving Auckland early making sure your there on opening, but it’s by far the most amazing bird experience you’ll have.
Wow! That sounds incredible and something I definitely want to do soon! I've had Tiritiri on our list for a while, but every time I look at the ferry cost I decide a waterfall around Auckland sounds nice 😂. We'll get over there soon though. I've been meaning to see Tawharanui for a couple weeks now, but I didn't realize it was a good place for birds.
@@Becca.Loveless Hamilton gardens is also a magical place fun for kids too maybe download a map before you go so you can find the kids play park. You can make Hamilton a day trip instead of finding accomodation we use to do that .
@@Becca.Loveless If you go to Tawharanui, go early in the morning during the week. Take a small light fold up camping chair, walk into the park track and sit down, stop talking and just listen and watch. Too many people just walk and talk……..missing the whole point of being there. The Saddle Backs will come out and walk the path next to you, beautiful. Here is a link to a video I made with just a phone, the pictures are not great but it picks up the birds well. ruclips.net/video/B2BQGOnAbOo/видео.html
Burn times are so unique I didn't even remember it hahahahah... Thank you for sharing your experiences in NZ, Becca. It's been 7 years since I was there and your videos are helping me remember a lot of it
"Ta" is an old British colloquialism: The Oxford English Dictionary lists it as "An infantile word expressing thanks," and dates its first reference from 1772 Possibly derived from the Danish the Vikings in northern England spoke. In modern Danish "thanks" is "Tak"
peg /pɛɡ/ plural noun: pegs 1. a short pin or bolt, typically tapered at one end, that is used for securing something in place, hanging things on, or marking a position. pin verb 1. attach or fasten with a pin or pins. "he pinned the badge on to his lapel" So you pin a peg but you don't peg a pin.
Gee, you are absolutely lovely. Do enjoy your life here!. I had the great privilege of driving over the in the USA back in 2005 with a friend originally from there. Travelled across 25 States - 6500 miles (10,000km's). Loved it. Always good to see the other half :). Looking forward to seeing more videos.
@@Becca.Loveless Yes, The U.S. is vast. We got to see a lot of fantastic places, but the people we met were great. We stayed with my friends' relations when we could, so that was great. My friend was from SF, but has been here for 40+ years. More of a Kiwi than I am :). Keep up the good work.
COVID-19 National Lockdown The algorithm has just kicked up your channel, I love your enthusiasm and down to earthlyness (Is that actually a word?), anyway count me in as a new subscriber. You and your family have only been here 6 months, welcome, welcome, welcome...... I would be very interested in a video on how you see New Zealand handling of Delta, now that it's in the community and the lockdown. Watching your vid a couple of sayings came to mind In NZ & Oz it's Tall Poppy, In Japan it's, The raised nail gets hammered down. Work to live, not live to work. Don't confuse kindness, with weakness. and Travel, 54 countries for me.......so far I now know what I'm doing for this lockdown, Binge watching your channel..... 😀👍
Wow! This comment just came through for some reason. 54 countries! I'm very impressed! And too embarrassed to say my very pathetic number 😂 The algorithm has certainly taken a liking to me all of a sudden and I have to say it's a little overwhelming (but in a good way). I feel too "young" as a RUclipsr to be getting this much attention. Hope your lockdown is going well! Thanks for watching, and really glad you're enjoying it 😊
"Ta" does in fact mean "thank you", as a few people have mentioned. If you remember that, you'll understand it more when you're heard it a few more times. The context you were saying, ie asking a toddler for something, like "Ta?", it still means "thank you", but it's more like anticipating the "ta" that you're going to say when the toddler hands the thing over. Almost like "am i going to say thank you when you hand that over?"
@@Becca.Loveless I'm not 100% sure, but I think Ta is simply an abbreviation of Thank. Why use 5 letters when 2 will do. And btw Ta is used very commonly. I probably use "thanks" and "ta" about equally.
Question about cars: In a stick shift car, what is the order of the pedals? In the US, it goes clutch-brake-accelerator from left to right - what it is in NZ? At 7:03 - what isn't allowed in NZ? I've tried to listen to it three times, and the closed caption says "guides" - ??
Guns. Which apparently they are allowed here, just much more regulated. I haven't seen a stick shift here in NZ. But I heard the car makers are kinda lazy, so they use the same couch system as a us car (or visversa) and so its in the same order. Not sure if that's true though.
@@Becca.Loveless Ohhhhhhhhh, duh. I was also under the impression that automatic cars and bath tubs are not common in NZ. Can you confirm/deny those assumptions? I've been having a lot of fun bingeing your videos the last week or so. I meant to comment on the "no longer vegan" video but didn't, so here's my thoughts here: I was a vegetarian for 15 years and thought it would be forever. Then I ran into some food allergies, other dietary restrictions, and health problems, and I was running out of things to eat! So on my doctor's advice, I started eating seafood and chicken - and that was a mentally and emotionally hard transition. So, you're not alone, and it's ok. My spouse (still vegetarian) has an "out of the country" rule - if he's outside the US, he's going to accept the food offered even if it's not vegetarian, and he'll do the best he can. 🙂
Something else that Kiwis use that Americans don't are electric blankets and dehumidifiers. I turn on my electric blanket an hour before sleep and turn it off when I get into bed. It's toasty warm.
That's the difference (I didn't speak clearly). The price you see on the sticker here is the price you pay, whereas in the US it's a hidden price you pay at the register.
There is taxes on everything but it's included in the price. We get taxed automatically before we get paid. And often you get a tax return automatically
Even though we don't have tipping culture in NZ especially in cafe's. I work in a restaurant and even though it's not mandatory to tip if you enjoyed the service or it was more than you expected a tip is very appreciated. :) Love your videos
- Never thought about the 24hr open stores thing. We have some but it's usually just certain supermarkets, gas stations or fast food joints. Are most stores in the US open 24/7? 🤔 Because that's kind of awesome lol. - Tall Poppy Syndrome. Lived here for 30 years and it's my first time hearing about this 😅. I guess it makes sense though, we like to be down to earth here and don't appreciate people with big heads. - Shipping. One of the worst things about living here tbh. It's so far away from everywhere (except Australia) that we pay more for things and also wait a lot longer. Plus we just generally have less access to various products which sucks.
Most stores are open 24/7 - especially all fast food places like Taco Bell and McDonald's and the like. Also Walmart (the supermarket). Haha I'd never heard of it before I moved here. It does suck about the shipping, but I kind of like the reminder to be less materialistic though!
Hi becca, ahh nzl, multicultural in design Cultures and different races of people who walk and share the same piece of dirt as a nation, all living side by side which takes the boring out of a country and shouldn't for the love of god devide a country because of the colour of their skin, religion and so on i.e Maori, pakeha, you as a American, Pacific people, indian and countless other beautiful nationalitys who all love to call this place home is what makes new zealand unique and identifies who we are as a nation of mishmash cultures which to me makes NZ so beautiful as a country...hehe! We all get along, we all side with eachother, we all respect eachother and it works, culture definitely adds diversity, beauty, intrigue, love and so much more not to be confused or afraid of eachothers understanding of life like religion and so on, to me culture also brings character, look IV traveled many parts of the world and I must say hate, war, corruption and anamosity is strife, although new zealands back yard ain't exactly tidy by any means but through the good, the bad and the ugly the will of the people provails not to mention all the hard work...lol, kiwis will always unite as one in creating love, fairness, and equality, we will walk with a smile and show kindness to others when in need, side by side on lands we all share and love but more importantly we all just like to call home, aotearoa...Kia ora!🙋❤️🇳🇿
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Thank you for acknowledging the differences between the treatment of the Maori culture and the Native American people's. 💜 Not many of these videos mentions the importance of culture, that part was awesome to see and hear. 🙂
I didn't want it to come across that I was belittling the experiences of the Maori people, but it was something that really struck me when we first moved here. There's a stark contrast, and it makes me incredibly happy when I see the Maori people and culture not only accepted, but appreciated. I know there's still loads of room for improvement, and I hope it keeps getting greater 🤍
@@Becca.Loveless Sometimes when you have people from other countries move to Aotearoa, they tend to forget that this country is in riched with culture and language that we all love to showcase whether it's publicly or just within the home and it is beautiful and heart warming to see another embrace the native peoples of the country they now reside in 🖤☺️ So thank you 💜 I know exactly the struggles our Native American brothers and sisters are going through and have been for hundreds of years, even the acknowledgement is an effort for them to receive. Aotearoa still has a fair way to go but we are treated a lot different and have a lot more to strive for with that support now. Thank you for you're video and I hope you enjoy you're new life here. ❣️😊
I was going to say that too 💜 I’m māori NZ born n raised, I moved to Australia and got a job in disability care. I attended a work seminar about the treatment of the indigenous aboriginal culture and why certain clients decline help from “white” workers. They used Māori as an example of how indigenous should be treated. Sad to see it’s still a problem here in Aus.
And the fact you picked up on being tidy and caring about the environment 😊 there’s a phrase ur son will learn if youse stay long enough “be a tidy kiwi” it’s taught in school and another I noticed from living overseas is in NZ we have big signs on the freeways saying “please do not litter, keep New Zealand beautiful “ which is a nice reminder also growing up if you threw rubbish on the ground you were called a “litter bug” 😂.
@@Becca.Loveless IT WILL
An American couple who would always visit my small cafe in a small town every morning. Forgot their wallet and couldn't pay for their coffees I told them "don't worry pay tomorrow or when you can" . Came back the next morning praising me. I never thought for a sec it was that big a deal. Untill they explained their experiences and how that would never happen where their from.
It's true. We don't trust each other in the US. I'm amazed by it every time I see it here 🤍
It's interesting to hear anothers interpretation of NZ language etc. I always used "Ta" as a abbreviation of Thank you ... non formal and mainly amongst friends or with the children. Dear is also a term for something expensive as well as a term of affection .... yes dear 😂. They both cost money.
You're not the only one saying Ta means Thanks! I think it's kind of a "give it here, thanks!" to children? I've seen many moms use it as a command, though. I asked a couple of them, and they say they don't really know where it came from or what it means, so 🤷🏼♀️
@@Becca.Loveless That's a case of the preemptive 'thank you' - using the the 'thank you' that you would normally expect at the end of process to initiate the process - so yes it does mean 'hand it over' in that context but with a very heavy coating of sarcasm. "Thank you" and "dankie" (Afrikaans) are used in the same context.
Yup. I would say Ta is thank you amongst friends / people you know or feel close. Not strangers.
@@ArmTubeYou That is the best way to explain it! I was very confused about it all, but this makes the most sense. Thanks!
Ta is definitely a give it here thanks to children, most people here would more likely say thanks or cheers to an adult
Good on ya e hine! Hope you're enjoying your time here, even through rāhui (another word for lockdown) ❤️
We tend to pick up our rubbish because one of the mantras of NZ is that it's "Clean and Green" and a lot of people really take that to heart. Also we're almost constantly exposed to nature so we're always reminded of what could happen if the rubbish gets into the water or the bush.
Thanks for these videos, they're really cool to watch for a young fulla who's never been to the US - keep up the good work e hoa! ❤️🖤
Sadly in America its not ingrained in us. Thank you for watching!
Hi Becca! Just found your channel and I’m so glad I did! We seem similar in a lot of areas. I am a plant-based, environmentally conscious mom of 3. My husband and I have been thinking about moving to NZ so we are devouring all of the RUclips content on the subject. I’m so happy to see you so happy! I will be keeping my eye out for more videos and more suggestions, pros/cons, advice and info on NZ in general. Thanks again! Hugs to you from TX!
Hey I'm from Texas! Thanks so much for commenting. You can DM me on instagram with any question you have and I can answer them much more in depth there. And I hope you do make it over here! It's such a fun and beautiful place.
Haha you probably know more than me :)
I lived in New Zealand for 7 years and landed in Austin upon my return. Found some interesting similarities between New Zealand and Texas! Definitely an independent spirit and self reliance in both places. Considering moving back to New Zealand now that my parents have passed. Look forward to seeing your videos!
@@Becca.Loveless Thank you so much!! I will do that!
Hi Natalee Mackrell.. interesting last name.. I hope you make the move to New Zealand / Aotearoa.. Land of the long white cloud is our Native name for New Zealand 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿.
The difference between the US and NZ , is when NZ has a "World series" or in our case a rugby world cup we invite other countries :). This video is a very good representation of things in NZ indeed
Awesome representation of who we are ...good on ya because loveless :)) eggs with P hahaha and Al u might num...ALUMINIUM
I tried! I got some things wrong, but it's just helping me learn even more :)
Referring to the picking up of rubbish. There was a NZ campaign about being a "tidy kiwi" growing up in the 80s/90s. Not sure if they still preach that but most kiwi's have grown up with this mindset i think. Pocket your rubbish until you come across a rubbish bin etc...
1. That's genius of them to come up with the campaign and 2. It's so nice that people actually responded to it. And now that you say that I do recall seeing a few signs out and about that say "tidy kiwi." So cool!
'leave only footprints' eh!
It's still around! We do it with our school kids today.
Maybe some Kiwis do this. But the fact we have to pick up a lot of rubbish (I do that daily) means there are necessarily a lot of people who drop rubbish.
The only reason NZ isn't an open rubbish dump is because there are not enough Kiwis to mess the place up. If there were 30 million people in NZ, the place would be disgusting.
LOL there is trash everywhere in NZ. yes we were taught to be a tidy kiwi…. 30 years ago… ppl are messy as now. You see those bloody masks everywhere on the ground too. NZ is NOT a tidy country
The "Big OE" (overseas experience) is a right of passage, We are so remote and many of us have ancestry in Europe.
I really believe it's what makes Kiwis so great! Traveling is so important.
@@Becca.Loveless A bit further back - months after westerners found NZ, natives were jumping on ships to visit other countries, I guess the original "working holidays" perhaps, as they had to work on the ships lol
New Zealand is a compact gorgeous country.
Your a very kind hearted person, and it absolutely shows, that's why you'll fit into our culture so easily
good video indeed, you have a calming voice it makes the video plesent to watch.
Kiaora.
Kia ora! It really is an amazing country! And I can only hope I'll fit in well :) We love it here 🤍
Thank you so much for all your kind words!
People consider the Prime Minister a “kind hearted person” yet she is setting the police against the people. This is the road to hell.
New Zealand is long, just not very wide. To drive from the bottom to the top is the same as driving from Miami to the Canadian border.
@@jeremyashford2145 Exactly i bet this person will have a different view of NEW ZEALAND in a few years time when this commie pm has handed half the country over to maori ,i bet they would be back on the next plane to the USA ,NZ is going down the pan very quickly.
@@steventhomas9461 sounds like you should go somewhere you would be more comfortable.
Love it Bec's! Hope you and family enjoy your time here with us.
So far it has been great, even with the lockdown.
I watch a lot of these NZ/US comparison vids - which is probably why RUclips dropped it into my feed.
Probably the best, more comprehensive summary I’ve seen.
Thank you! 😊 I love pointing out the little differences.
Love that you and your whanau (family) are having fun adapting to kiwi culture. So refreshing as a local to hear your take. All the best and thanks for sharing 👍😁
Thanks for watching! And we love learning about Kiwi culture and having a fun time adopting as much of it as we can :)
Nice! Once this lockdown has past, if you get the chance to travel I highly recommend having a look at central otago and the milford sound! Even as a Kiwi the scenery blew me away!
I am dying to see Milford Sound! I didn't know about Central Otago but it is now on my list :) So excited to see more of NZ!
There is tax on food. 15% Goods and Services tax (GST) is applied to virtually everything here, but it is incorporated into the ticket price. In most cases you don't pay it on top of the advertised price.
That was what I was unclearly trying to say 😂. That the price you see is the price you pay here whereas in the US there’s an invisible, unknown amount of tax added on at the register.
@@Becca.Loveless Here if the price doesn't include GST you have to say it doesn't, most things to do with trades are like this as you can get back the GST so the lower one is showen
Guns are allowed, you just have to apply for a licence to own one. Years ago, every individual weapon had to be registered. They just clamped down hard on any sort of automatic rifle.
I didn’t know that! It seems to be a bit more effective than America 🤷🏼♀️
@@Becca.Loveless We actually have _lots_ of guns per capita -- 20th in the world according to Wikipedia, and some of the ones ahead of us have recently been war zones. But there are no civilians randomly carrying handguns or automatic weapons here -- gun owners are generally hunters, farmers or target shooters.
@@Becca.Loveless I think also it's just not our culture to fetishize gun freedoms like other counties do. There's farmers and hunters that have guns but I think it's not normal for the average Joe to have a gun
The only people I know who have guns have them as a collecting hobby, they're a hunter, or they're a farmer
As you say, guns are allowed, and the rules around getting one are very strict indeed, as is the licence to use one. Farmers, hunters, collectors and competition shooters have guns, hardly anyone else does. Most New Zealanders don't think guns make you safer, they make you a target. It's incredibly unsettling to us to see our police carrying weapons and most of us are fighting tooth and nail to not have our police armed all the time.
Hi Becca,
We celebrate the Queens birthday in Enzed, as the Queen is officially the Head of State as she is for over 15 countries, including Straya and Canada....
My favorite part is that it’s not on her birthday 😂
@@Becca.Loveless That's because a previous monarch chose that date as the weather would be the best for trooping the colour. It's like President's Day
Don't you just love it in the morning when you wake up and hear birds singing and to be able to see the sun before the rest of the world, we're truly blessed
Really and truly! It feels so special that we see the sun of the new day first ☺️
Indeed we sure are :) Nothing beats a morning cup of tea looking at the Waitakere Ranges indeed
@@robosborne5489 I can just imagine sweet music
kia ora! loving you're energy, new zealand does that too ya, all the best with your new life, love it!
Thanks so much! And it really is an incredible place 🤍
Wait until you have your first summer Xmas! It's right around the longest day of the year so a looong day, involves bbq's, the beach, salads and other 'lighter' summer foods, the Queen's Xmas message, everyone's going camping etc... best time of the year!
I absolutely cannot wait! We haven't had a proper summer since before the pandemic.
That was magic Becca! You inspired me to subscribe.👍🏻. A couple of things. Firstly your content was pretty much spot-on. Secondly, there was so much of it, l had to pause and replay from time to time to keep up! These are just production comments. Take a breath between subjects. A pause, and with some maybe even a graphic or title to denote a change of subject. Also I respectfully suggest you get a microphone. Maybe a simple clip on the collar unit that will help us better hear you. And finally and most importantly, don't stop what you're doing! You're a breath of fresh American air that we're loving!💕 (PS: I've never seen better or as efficient responses to comments! You go girl!!)
I am pretty mad at myself about the audio! But once it's posted there's not much you can do about it 🤷🏼♀️. It made me realize that it is definitely time to invest in a microphone though!
I had so much I wanted to say, but didn't want to have the video be 30 minutes long so I tried to make it as compact as possible! So, sorry for the pace.
And thanks so much for being here! For watching, subscribing, and taking the time to comment. I love getting feedback - otherwise it feels like I'm talking to a black hole :)
we celebrate the Treaty of Waitangi every year on February 6 - that is our "thanks giving"
Bulls*** to that.
I didn't know that! We got here after that. We'll experience it next year. probably not as food packed as US Thanksgiving.
@@Becca.Loveless ignore keith he obviously has issues
Haere Mai, Welcome to Aotearoa "The Land of the Long White Cloud" New Zealand, it's nice of you to mention our Maori culture in such a positive light.
I'll try and cover most of your topics...
It's more of a dialect thing with pronunciation of vowels incorporated into words which makes kiwi's sound different, I can see how you would render some of them hilarious, like buggy for stroller is also called a pushchair or pram (if you're old school like me), dairy or shop is our version of a 7 eleven or convenient store.
The kiwi and Maori slang is what usual gets a lot of our visitors tongue twisted, things like, 'sweet as (good)', 'bro or cuzzy (friend and relation)', 'mean (awesome)', 'yeah nah (yes I understand but no I do not agree)', 'chur bro (hello or goodbye)' just to name a few.
Kumara is Maori for sweet potato, you will rarely hear it being called the latter.
If you register with your local GP then your visits are free only if you use them exclusively, however, you will be charged a fee only by some and only if you use another GP service visit certain walk-in emergency centre's.
Yes you are quite right about the indigenous being Maori myself, we are at least more culturally accepted compared to some other countries of mixed race as I have friends who are Native to America that are still in a tug-of-war over human and cultural differences.
NZ tries to keep farm fresh and organic discarding any GMO additive foods, you will notice that certain items will sky rocket in price due to availability but those prices will always drop when the season has them overstocked so they will not succumb to being tossed out as waste.
NZ exports a ton of dairy and meat products and wool, we import a lot of fossil and mineral fuels, machinery and electrical equipment.
Tipping, yeah nah I'm not a fan of it but some friends have told me that tipping is how some earn a living, but isn't that why they get paid a wage? Some services I've experienced tipping seemed compulsory and I've witnessed a sudden change in attitude and the customer being frowned upon when it is not offered to the server, personally, to me tipping is only deserving when the service is beyond exceptional otherwise, no.
Some cafes in NZ have a tip jar much like some place in the US so it is optional.
Prices in NZ are all inclusive of taxes or GST, there is no need to charge someone extra tax when it is deducted in your yearly tax and is returned to you via tax refunds if you have over paid.
We are members of the Commonwealth so yes we drive on the opposite side of the road much like our English and Australian comrades and we don't incorporate much of or any of the US road rules. Hopefully you will never experience those that are free for all drivers who will drive like they're still out in the country roads where stoplights or marked intersections don't exist.
The cars and motor cycles here are very European or Japanese and are targeted at being more economical and environmentally friendly, NZ roads aren't built for Harley Davidsons or big block gas guzzling V8 supercars as there are too many curves and winding roads to navigate compared to the vast long stretches of US highways (motorway), we also import a ton of Australian made vehicles by Holden, Ford and Chrysler.
The NZ banking system is probably one of the best in the world with the exception of it's fee's and surcharges they put on international transactions, otherwise your money is pretty safe. Pay waive is only recent to NZ as we've only just been introduced to it over the past couple of years. Bank to bank transfers are the safest way to deal with online retailers.
Yes, warning on the voltage, if you bring your electrical ware to NZ it will work regarding you plug it into a step down voltage convertor or else you will risk damaging your devices. Some smaller electrical devices will just require a wall socket adapter.
Guns can still be privately owned but you must be approved to hold a gun licence and have to register your firearm, police don't carry firearms here but that may soon change.
I celebrated 4th of July a couple of times in the US with friends in the middle of the Arizona desert as we bought fireworks from a road side seller, NZ fireworks are nothing compared to US fireworks, you guys do it big over there.
Smaller business aren't open 24-7 but only a couple of the bigger brand supermarkets are which are usually based in the city.
Our female Prime Minister is doing pretty good during these covid times keeping the country running as best as possible to allow us the freedoms of a normal life when we are not in lockdown.
Yeah, humility in NZ is huge, we are a chill nation and don't take kindly to those that think they're all that, humble down or risk being humbled by the locals.
The metric system here is meant to simplify whilst also being relative of all types of measurements, however we do use some variants when referring to certain types of measure as in weight = kilograms, milligram, microgram, nanogram. I wouldn't know what system US would use if referring pound in weight relative to each unit, millipound, nanopound?
NZ much like Australia have common sports activities, again very unique to Commonwealth countries, Rugby Union is NZ's National sport and almost every kiwi's pride and joy, also water sports are big here, yes cricket, Rugby League where Australia is dominant with the sport, Softball which is Baseball in the US, Basketball, Soccer or Football in the EU, NZ isn't as excited as the US with American Football as it has never been adapted as one of our native past time or recreational sports.
We like to recycle, we are an Island of 5 million so we try to keep our backyard clean.
International shipping is expensive and time consuming because of the insurance policies of certain businesses such as Amazon and the length between transit is dependent of how many customs checks it goes through to get here.
Yeah, NZ females get all 'clucky' when babies are present but I think it's just a natural thing for females and children to share a natural bond.
I think the work ethics here are focused towards one's ability to perform at their personal best rather than the glam and glory of being the best, involving family time and holidays gives people an incentive to work more accurately and sensibly simply because it helps keep a clear mind, refreshes the body and their families reap the benefits and rewards. If you cannot function properly then you will have difficulty completing your task and you will become a hazard to those around you.
Kiwi's are very upfront about boundaries and once crossed it is a dark and evil path you've entered, nah not really, but you will most likely just be suspect to them from there onwards if you break their trust.
I think we are quick witted as we like to make fun of the conversations in place especially if the delivery sounds corny to us, we'll jump at every chance to make someone crack up laughing.
To travel is everyone's dream, kiwi's are no exception, I've met NZer's in the US who started their travel to America as a holiday but have now opened a small business or become American citizens because of work or sport and have just fallen in love with the place.
I think we are most grateful with what we have in our small country in the South Pacific, the fact we have nature right outside our back door and a huge landscape to explore is just something we've all grown up with, it would be foreign to many kiwi's to wake up and look outside the window with the lack of green hillsides or native trees scattered everywhere.
There's not much to be threatened with in the NZ outdoors, no common poisonous critters, snakes or bears which might seem unchallenging to some that like to camp.
You can still hear the call of some native birds at certain times of the day / evening depending on where you live.
The ozone layer is slowly healing itself, but no thanks to both human and natural occurrences, it will never completely heal.
Thank you for the write up!
Tipping in america is a product of an outdated system where people could make $2.50/h and live off that and tips on top. But that wage hasn't got up for servers in restaurants, and so that is pushed onto the customer. Horrible system.
Banking is incredibly easy here, in the US we us Venmo to send money between people, and it only creates a pointless middle man.
Micro pounds! 😂 for anything less than a pound we use ounces sometimes, mL, and sometimes grams, but those would usually only be cooking. We haven't gotten used to using Kilograms yet.
I love not worrying about dangerous animals while being outside, not that it is super common in America to see bear, but we have seen moose on hikes and they are enormous and terrifying.
Thank you for watching!
@@Becca.Loveless Very welcome, I miss my friends there in the US as the last time I saw them was March of 2020 and hearing your voice just bought back memories of them.
I love to catch up with friends in the US when our band tours there and I can honestly say I've probably seen more of America than most of my friends that live there, from North to South and East to West.
Wow! $2.50 an hour is criminal and disgusting, I've met some really great servers who I've left a generous tip for and those that seemed like they didn't want to be there let alone serve of which I only left them with some advice offering no tip. An outdated system that needs to change for the better perhaps.
Banking is incredibly awesome when you have money in your account 🤣
Micro pounds 😁, during our travels on our tour bus in the US we found it weird trying to work out an ETA with having to convert kilometres to miles and I also notice that most states use 24hr time clocks which removes the ambiguity associated with am/pm and which supposedly makes it easier to express time across time zones... nope, still confused the s**t out of us.
I saw my first bear in Lake Tahoe whilst taking a morning jog which turned into a sprint with me almost being run over by cyclists, and my second up in Whistler Canada after a show around 1.00am when walking back to my hotel room, didn't know bears came out at night... saw an orange coloured snake the thickness of my arm and it's babies in Colorado and a creepy tarantula the size of my hand in the Nevada desert, ewwww.
True story, I was travelling with friends in a van through the snowy mountains of North America and we stopped roadside to take a non sanctioned leak and my friend (who was high on cannabis) said he saw a tree moving... what he saw was a moose which had snow on it's antlers, the thing was the height of our van and acted very territorial as it moved toward us, probably a mama moose protecting her baby meese / mooses? LOL, we were out of there quick smart!
Thanks for taking the time to read through my novel 🤣
'Sweet potato' is English for kumara, Europeans only encountered potatoes when they finally crossed the Atlantic in the 1400s, Maori beat them to the punch on 'sweet potato' cultivation by several centuries =)
“Chill Nation”. Love it.👍🇳🇿
Is that a really loud clock you have in the background or death-watch-beetle? :-)
Another excellent video... I love the insight you offer as someone new to the country.
It’s a metronome
Lol I was in charge of the "music" this week.
Yes. Let's say that.
It's background music.
The way you laugh at the differences between US and our country sounds quite arrogant and putting down our culture
For some reason this popped up on my feed. I'm so glad I watched it, you are delightful! Welcome to New Zealand :D
Thank you for watching!
You probably seen quite a few Holdens state side, since it sold as a Chevy or Pontiac.
I haven't ever seen them to my knowledge in the States. Then again, I don't pay much attention to cars 🤷🏼♀️
Becca, I too am a recent transplant to Aotearoa. I've recently moved here at the end of January 2019. NZ is a beautiful country. I struggled with the colloquialisms here initially. My wife is a Kiwi, the first time we dated (2011) she used the phrase; "happy as Larry"! that totally threw me because she didn't know much about me back then and how did she know I have a brother named Larry and when did she talk to him? Shopping was probably the biggest challenged. Products have different names. The subject you touched on that I don't think the Kiwis appreciate how well they have it, is their health care. It's awesome here!
What I found difficult initially was knowing which shops to go to for different things. The two main chemists chains in the UK carried everything you find in a pharmacy here but so much more, same with supermarkets, which in many cases would be the equivalent of merging Countdown and the Warehouse into one store.
The other shock was having to pay for a cell phone and the cost of the plans, so expensive here.
I've heard that Americans struggle when Kiwis tell them that we're going tramping. :)
Hello fellow transplant! The healthcare is huge! It's such a comfort knowing I have access to any help I need. I haven't come across the "happy as Larry" yet, but I'm prepared now for when it does 😄 that's too funny. There are times when I online shop and the words I use to search don't even pretend to exist (like garbage bin, pajamas, etc.) So different!
I know I should say tramping, but I have to force myself to every time! It's not a natural one, and not one that I ever want to say to my mother..
It took us a couple months to figure out which stores we like to get what from! I have four different shops that I go to regularly. Very different from the US!
Hi Becca - We are so pleased that you are loving your life in New Zealand. As I commented in one of your earlier videos, you folks have just the right positive attitude. BTW, "Dear" means expensive and a "bach" in the Sth Island is know as a "crib" (my wife is from the South Island). Also we do pay tax on goods and services (G.S.T.) but it is incorporated into the display price but will show on your receipt(if you are interested in that sort of thing). Also New Zealand was the first self governed country in the world to give women the right to vote (1893 - which was pretty sad that is was so late! but then again Switzerland did not give women a right to vote until 1971!! which still amazes me - I still like their watches though :-). Keep enjoying and be careful crossing the road - I always look the wrong way last when I have visited the USA. Take care and best wishes, Andy and Lynne from Napier (Come and visit us sometime). P.S. The ozone hole above us has actually got smaller than it was, since the ban on fluorocarbons aka CFC's commonly found found in spray cans and fridges - but still slip, slop and slap is wise - especially for your fairer skin and the wee fellow's.
I feel like it's hard to have a bad attitude about NZ - it's such a different and beautiful place :)
Aw man! Should've mentioned that women got the right to vote first here! That's a huge one that I totally missed. Another miss on my part - I totally screwed up on ALL the words! Lol. Oh well. I'm still learning 😂. I didn't know that bach means something different in the South Island. Like a bach is a baby bach? Crazy.
I always look both ways twice before crossing the road because my wires get crossed every time and I can't remember which way I'm supposed to look.
And we'd love to visit you when we come down that way! Send me an email!
And good to know about the hole in the ozone. That makes me happy to hear that it's healing. I wasn't aware that it could heal :) But I guess that Mother Nature for you.
@@Becca.Loveless bach is short for 'bachelor pad'... it was like a place men went themselves back in the early days... not sure where crib came from but is the same thing. The ozone thing really got us angry down here when it first was discovered in the late 80's.. we felt we were suffering from everyone else's pollution, which is true, but why it came 'down' this way we don't know...
Kiwi vernacular relies heavily on hypercorisms which baby words, making them shorter like presie for present, blankie for blanket.
Oxford dictionary says that these pet words are "monosyllabic or disyllabic, with the second syllable bearing no stress". This falls completely in line with the kiwi mentality of a successful life being one with less stress,family/collectively oriented and a more work/ life balance. So we intentionally "work" & speak "lazy". ;-)
Haha love this! I think it’s fascinating how Kiwis speak 😊
Sweet As Bro!!!! Get used to hearing that!!! Haha. I lived in Mission Bay outside of Auckland.
We say sweet as all the time now :)
@@Becca.Loveless
It's "choice" that you say "sweet as"
😀👍
I'm glad you are enjoying living here. When I lived in America for 10 months I found people incredibly friendly and open, generous and kind. What goes around comes around ☺️.
Most people are really nice and great hosts. Thanks for watching.
Love your attitude, how long are you planning to live here? You're so kind and enthusiastic about New Zealand I'm pleased you're having a good time. A lot of Kiwis do a couple of years going on an OE before we settle down, I really appreciated what we have after spending time in Europe, East and West , Scandinavia, the U K and Australia, I've only been to San Diego and the lovely Hawaii in the USA I found the tipping quite stressful at first because I didn't have a clue and I've heard the wages are low and the people depend on the tips for their income .
Hopefully forever! We’re having an amazing time here! We have a three year work visa but are hoping to get residency after a year. That’s incredible that you’ve been to so many places! Tipping is very stressful. It was always a huge deterrent for me to go eat out. Especially when you’re in a big city - pay to park, pay for your food, pay taxes on food, and tip on top of that. It’s insane.
@@Becca.Loveless You can still tip hard-working staff if it is warranted. Good thing is-it is optional and they don't rely on it.
@@Becca.Loveless I hope you get to stay, we need people like you.
* Rent, can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly it is an agreement between you and your landlord and can be based on your pay cycle.
* There are plenty of 24 hour shops... they are just different to what you are use to in the US ;-)
* The hole in the OZone is not as bad as it is made out to be... (Ozone is formed throughout the atmosphere in multistep chemical processes that require sunlight.) Ozone requires sunlight... during winter there is less sunlight over the south pole and can create a hole... (a similar is over the north pole) as Summer hits and more sun the hole does shrink... but during that time there is less OZone but the end of summer the Ozone can be thinner
Thanks for the corrections! I didn't realize all of that about the Ozone. Thanks for watching.
What a lovely viewpoint of our little slice of paradise, and your style of delivery was so full of joy. It made me immensely proud. America is wonderful in many ways but it did really make me wonder why the US sticks to separate tipping, state taxes, avoiding the metric system. We learn from each other. I'm a recruiter so will send this to my American candidates looking to move here. Good on you btw.
Thanks! I'm sure we have plenty more differences to point out. I love the small differences between countries, and we are trying to absorb as much about the Kiwi lifestyle as we can.
@@Becca.Loveless You love this city so much, is there anything else you don’t know right now
Hi becca, love your take on some of the many differences we have between our two countries, it's quite funny but also interesting to hear and know how the other half live, and good on you guys for taking that leap of moving to another country (NZ) can't of been easy...lol, hope all is well take care guys😎❤️✌️
Lol hope you enjoyed me getting all the words wrong 😂 Oh well. At least I get taught in all the comments.
And it was a big leap but one that was definitely worth taking. Thanks so much, and hope you're getting along well as well!
Love your video - being from Canada (although I have been here 22 years now), I agree with everything you pointed out. If you like birds, try going to Tiri Tiri Matangi - the ferry leaves from Whangapaeroa (North of Auckland) and it is a bird sanctuary island you might enjoy. I didn't know that about the moon - I will have to check it out now... I agree that Orion's belt being upside down (and the big dipper) is just freaky!
It's also nice here because you leave Auckland and you can see a sky full of stars! More than I ever could in any of the places I lived in the US. I love thinking about how sea-men used stars to navigate when to me that seems crazy because it's very dependent on so many variables (location, weather, moonlight strength..).
And we have Tiri Tiri on our list! It sounds amazing there!
Welcome! Great to have you - Always loved the states and the people in it :)
I do have a great love for some parts of America. It's been a rough few years there, but I think they'll sort themselves out sooner or later.
I take full responsibility for your version of 'ta'. I use it towards a child/toddler meaning "give it to me, ta". So I suppose it does mean thank you as in "give it to me, thank you" but I've always shortened it to just "ta". Certainly something my mother said and her Scottish mother before her :)
You're not the only one that uses it as a give it to me, though! Someone else said it well - it's like the thank you to initiate a child giving you something. I got both of the words wrong in the video, lol. Oh well 🤷🏼♀️
Yep it's everywhere from Northland down to Otago 😂
Hi Again Becca…..So pleased you seem to have settled down well in Godzone. Shame that you have come at a difficult time with this COVID business,but I feel sure you will enjoy your first full Summer when it arrives.
Look forward to your future posts, because I am interested in how you get on,and seeing your enthusiasm continue (hopefully! )
From what I hear, New Zealand just gets prettier! So I can't see my enthusiasm diminishing :)
Even with Covid making things a bit more difficult, I feel it has made us appreciate being here that much more!
glad to hear the family is settling in and happy :-)
We really are! :)
I live in Wellington too ,don’t get your hopes up too high for a hot Wellington summer though , they are very rare. !
American summers are HOT, so I don’t think much will be that bad here. Can’t wait to get down to Wellington!
That was an awesome video, thank you
Thanks for saying!
Hopefully you enjoy your first summer christmas! Great to have ya here, chur!
So excited to experience it! It seems so wrong 😂
Ta means thank you, very informally.
In the same way you would say thank you upon reception of something. You say it to motivate the giving of something by a child.
Dear means expensive.
Jandals are not sandals
Sandals are sandals
Jandals are flip flops.
There are taxes on every product. 15% sales tax is standard. The taxes are just included in the sticker price.
There are no ANZAC cookies... they are ANZAC biscuits. 😉
Haha I got everything wrong 😂 Hopefully I'll figure a few things out by the next six months :)
I had to go look up were ta came from, it is informal thank you from North England and Wales, but the first recording of it was in 1772, "natural infantile sound of gratitude" [Weekley]. (Online Etymology Dictionary, Oxford Languages and American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)
Of course there are taxes on pretty much everything, GST (goods and service tax) it is included in the price that you see and not added on for shock valve then you check out. If you look at your receipt it will indicate how much of your purchase is GST.
I misspoke - I was trying to say the price you see is the price you pay here, which is very nice.
You’re so sweet. I love how much you love it here. Honestly wait until you see the South Island sights. Next level!!!!!!!
Yip the south Island is definitely another level altogether.
Springtime I think is when we're planning for it!
I can't wait!
Found the mainlanders.
You can use most 120 electronics if you use a plug adapter as most electronics are also designed to work on 240. I too moved to a 240 country and brought and used my US electronics with no problem.
Yeah it works well for phones and laptops, but smaller appliances like hair clippers, and immersion blenders not so well, RIP
Such a great video Becca. The language differences are always so funny to hear - lol "pigs". Ugh, yes pies - so hard for Kiwi's living in the USA when they see a sign for "hot pies" and it's fruit - nooo! Oh and the fairy bread/saveloy sausages, haha, such a Kiwi childhood staple. Loving all your videos, they're just brilliant! x
Thanks, as always ☺️. And I'm a huge fan of both savory and sweet pies. Let's make the best of both worlds and incorporate both into everyday life. I've yet to try fairy bread, and I'm not sure if I can bring myself to ever try it, but it's pretty fascinating stuff. And obviously I need to try harder with the word differences because I got all of them wrong 😂. One day I'll figure it all out!
We do have fruit pies, but I think mince pies are such a staple of the kiwi diet that if someone says "wanna stop and get a pie?", the assumption is; meat pie. But then again, in parts of the states "pie" would mean pizza pie, right? I think a bigger difference is sausages. America has weiners/hot dogs, but we have pork sausages and "saveloys" (those weird red ones.. delicious, try them!) What we call "hot dogs" are what I believe are known as corn-dogs in the states.
Lovely to hear from you and welcome to our dear little country so far from the rest of the world.We are huge travellers but love coming back home.Just a heads up…soon you will be hearing about Christmas mince pies. These are little pastry pies with a mixture of minced up dry fruit mix and dry spice. In our family we like to have tried 12 peoples pies, one good luck for the next year. Welcome to our lovely country, so sad to see what’s happening in the dear old USA.
This is only the second video of yours that I’ve seen. Just discovered you this morning, and decided to subscribe immediately. We are so fortunate to have you and your family move here. I think you are already an asset to our country. Ngā mihi aroha ki a koe (Kind regards/love).
You are too kind! I’m not sure I deserve half of those kind words 😂 but thanks anyways for being here with us 🧡
'Ta' - northern English dialect word for thank you - probably became very common in New Zealand due to British television shows - e.g. 'Coronation Street'
It does also mean thanks, but I've also seen lots of moms use it as a command to give something, too..
@@Becca.Loveless people do you're right. Saying ta to a baby is usually used to convince a child to give whatever is in their hand, usually something they shouldn't have lol
Garbage. Ta for thank you has been used in New Zealand since before television. I was born in 1939 and I remember as as a child hearing Ta for thankyou
I was curious an checked entomology of ta it appears to have originated in northern England in the 1770s and came to New Zealand with the first settlers.
@@Becca.Loveless it is the same here in Oz, but ta is thank you or thanks, so having had kids myself when a mum says ta in that context it is a direction for the kid to hand something over but it is like we say the 'thank you' in the form of ta as an encouragement to hand it over. I love how we all use the English language different, and how it has come about. Bill Bryson wrote an interesting book on it.
The vowel sounds are different in NZ to what I was used to in the UK, but once you come to terms with this it makes life a lot easier.
I think it's really fun, too :)
Hope you and your family have settled well here. New Zealand is far from perfect and things are way too expensive but Im grateful to be here. Good luck to you and your family.
We have settled well, thank you! Things are a bit pricier, but I like to think that the stuff I'm purchasing is better quality (at least with the food) and the systems we're supporting are better functioning (like taxes for healthcare, etc.). We really love it here :)
Glad you're enjoying it here in New Zealand, hope you're excited for your first summer Christmas here!
So sooooo excited!
I find you very funny and like I commented to one of your fellow country men/women, that you've helped me fall back in love with my homeland. Thanks mate. Welcome to what is becoming a melting pot. All nationalities help make us more diverse and I believe that is a win,, win. I live in Melbourne Australia and am Tangawhenua of Aotearoa, or in English a native of New Zealand.
Kia ora! Thanks so much for saying! That makes me so happy to hear that you’re falling back in love with NZ. It’s so great here!
And I believe it’s a win-win too :)
@@Becca.Loveless appreciate the Holla back, fills me with so much appreciation what you have to share about NZ. I have spoken to two American people in my whole life but only one of them was as grounded as you seem to be and I like that. My wife and I enjoy your channel and find it most refreshing and down to earth, not fake, so plz keep them coming. Plz don't get me wrong and I say from the heart and not in a stalking way, but your son is just delightful. Thanks once again.
@@teiwiwalker7359 That makes me happy to hear, we absolutely love this country, and the people here, this Channel has been a great way of talking with so many different people and learning many new things. And yes I also think our son is a delight! Thank you so much!
Ohhh hellsss yes!! Such a sick video!! Actually learnt alot about my own country!! Thank you!! Glad you love it here!! 😁🇳🇿
I always wonder how anyone could not love it here! Glad to hear you enjoyed it - and learned something! Such a compliment 😊
Welcome. Hope you find NZ a home, for you and family and friends. 👊👍
Kia ora and thanks! We love it here so much!
Kia ora, like your vid, thank you for talking about our country, i would love to come and explore your country.
Thank you! America is really great, so many different places to see.
Haha! Gonna hang my clothes up.....pass me the pigs please.....😳🤣🤣
🐷
. .oh and the island sanctuaries will drop your jaw, sure the sights will amaze but the bird song especially at dawn . .
I can't wait! It's on the top of my list :)
I can tell you what the difference is and it's color, it must be great to live in a country where every person no matter what ethnicity, religion or culture you're treated the same. 🤣
I wouldn’t say it’s perfect here, but it’s worlds better than the US.
It’s “colour”. Just being picky.
@@Colonel_Blimp it's cause he's American
Oh the hole in the ozone layer is a major problem in summer, when going outside when it's over about 25 I'd recommend using SPF 50 sunscreen anything below that isn't effective enough to prevent burning, it's available at pretty much every pharmacy and supermarket. Also summer here is quite fickle, 2016/17 and 2020/21 were really rainy but 2018/19 and 2019/20 were scorching for nearly 5 months
I'll take any summer I can get! I will be very diligent about the sunscreen, even though I hate the stuff.
That was well done and informative from a kiwi perspective , but to be a kiwi you have to go to a all blacks test match then we will give you the ok to here. Anyway good luck an welcome to NZ
Oh no! We still need to go to one! Haha we're really excited to, just haven't done it yet. We'll get there soon ☺️
I'm so happy you guys are enjoying your time here.
I enjoy staying in holiday parks when on holiday as i get to meet people from all over the world. It doesn't take long to make new friends and the kids love it.
Once things open up again it will be fun to travel and meet many more people.
EVERYTHING has taxes, it's included in the price.
You're right, that is what I was trying to say. NZ has it included in the price, so what you see is what you pay. Whereas in America when you look at a price, you have to try and figure the tax amount in your head, which is pretty near impossible because there are different tax amounts for different products, and then when you have a whole cart full of items and you have several different numbers...it's a mess. I like how they do in NZ :)
Another fab video. I love your definition of the "tall poppy syndrome". We are very humble folk down here and are terrible at talking about our own successes. So when one of us seems too big for their boots we like putting them in their place and telling them to pull their head in. Your explanation is spot on!!
Don't shy away from saying "ta" to adults. A lot of us do casually. I often add a muchly "ta muchly" for "thanks very much".
Don't worry about the mistakes, you'll learn our confusing ways quick as!
So pleased you love it here. It's a pretty great place.
(Tip. Our expressions of praise often seem very understated as well, as do our insults (I'm sure you've heard the use of "egg" in some of our films? - "egg"/"major egg" is one of our biggest/strongest insults). That's something to keep in mind).
I got all the word wrong in the video! At least I'm learning a lot from the comments :)
I learned about "egg" from Taika Waititi movies - love them!
And I agree, it is a pretty great place ☺️
Great video, remember to slip, slop, slap! (small correction of the order, slap on a hat is last)
Haha thanks! I didn't even notice I'd been saying it wrong this whole time.
Slip on a shirt slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat😊 haven't heard this in ages.
Noice Video😊
And WRAP on sunglasses.
@@listay1 slip slop slap n wrap 😊
Hi Becca, Thanks alot for this video, I observed you mentioned you moved in six months ago that's definately during the lockdown, My partner is currently in Newzealand and we have been brainstorming on ways I can join him..Thank you
If your partner is already here you can try for a partner visa? Or if you have a critical skill apply for jobs over here. I'm no expert on visas, however. Wishing you the best.
Loving the finger guns.
Lol why am I so awkward?
As a Kiwi. Burn time - without sunscreen.
January '96. Completely lost all track of time. Had sunscreen - very high quality for the time. Even with that, I was good for maybe 15 minutes.
I ended up with 2nd degree burns over 55% of my body. According to the hospital staff, I was maybe ten or fifteen minutes away from ending up in the burns unit with scars for rest of my life.
Time in sun without sunscreen was about 3.5 hours.
Insane! I’ve heard the ozone hole is repairing itself. Scary to think of older kids that think they don’t need it and having the same thing happen!
So glad you’re enjoying it here! My mom is from cali so I recognized a lot of your opinions as being similar to hers, she’s seems to be happy here so I hope you stay happy and safe here too!
I feel like it's hard not to feel happy here! There's so much to love 🤍
Yeah girl thank you for your kind words we are kind and caring enjoy your life in NZ
We love it here! Especially for the culture and people 🧡🧡
We use a lot of similar words in Australia - Macca's (McDonalds), Bikkies (biscuits), etc. "Ta" is an informal way of saying thank you, not just for children. Oddly (at least in Australia) "ta" is often paired with "thank you", as in "Here's your coffee." "Oh, ta. Thanks." We have some American friends who, when they first arrived in Australia, were invited to have tea with an Australian family. Thinking that 6:00 pm was quite late in the day for "taking tea" they ate a full meal before going for "tea". To their horror they quickly discovered that, in Australia (and probably in New Zealand) "tea" is the term used for the evening meal. Typical of American politeness, they ate the (second) meal, but it was a lesson well learned - If you're invited for a cuppa it will usually be called morning or afternoon tea. If you're invited for "tea", then it's supper.
yes, both countries showing their British heritage. I haven't heard "tea" used here in NZ for many years , though, everyone I know says "dinner"
That is good to know. I’ll remember that if we are ever invited for tea.
The two best places in Auckland for birds are Tawharanui and Tiri. But if you want an insane bird experience then go to the bird Avery at Hamilton Zoo. Arrive at the Zoo early and then wait at the gate for opening. Once you’ve gone inside, you go straight to the Bird Avery, as it’s early in the morning, they’re very active and will fly to you and sit on your shoulder. Parrots will walk around you and will be very active. It means leaving Auckland early making sure your there on opening, but it’s by far the most amazing bird experience you’ll have.
Wow! That sounds incredible and something I definitely want to do soon! I've had Tiritiri on our list for a while, but every time I look at the ferry cost I decide a waterfall around Auckland sounds nice 😂. We'll get over there soon though. I've been meaning to see Tawharanui for a couple weeks now, but I didn't realize it was a good place for birds.
@@Becca.Loveless Hamilton gardens is also a magical place fun for kids too maybe download a map before you go so you can find the kids play park. You can make Hamilton a day trip instead of finding accomodation we use to do that .
@@Becca.Loveless If you go to Tawharanui, go early in the morning during the week. Take a small light fold up camping chair, walk into the park track and sit down, stop talking and just listen and watch. Too many people just walk and talk……..missing the whole point of being there. The Saddle Backs will come out and walk the path next to you, beautiful.
Here is a link to a video I made with just a phone, the pictures are not great but it picks up the birds well. ruclips.net/video/B2BQGOnAbOo/видео.html
It;s an AVIARY
Burn times are so unique I didn't even remember it hahahahah... Thank you for sharing your experiences in NZ, Becca. It's been 7 years since I was there and your videos are helping me remember a lot of it
Glad to hear it! I’m excited to get exploring again to make some more experiences of our own :) and hopefully we don’t get burnt!
"Ta" is an old British colloquialism: The Oxford English Dictionary lists it as "An infantile word expressing thanks," and dates its first reference from 1772
Possibly derived from the Danish the Vikings in northern England spoke. In modern Danish "thanks" is "Tak"
Thank you! I didn’t know it was that old of a thing. Good to learn.
Welcome to you and your family. Enjoy us and we'll enjoy you too.
Thank you! We are really enjoying it here.
peg
/pɛɡ/
plural noun: pegs
1.
a short pin or bolt, typically tapered at one end, that is used for securing something in place, hanging things on, or marking a position.
pin
verb
1.
attach or fasten with a pin or pins.
"he pinned the badge on to his lapel"
So you pin a peg but you don't peg a pin.
Lol. Fun fact about me - I can’t hear the difference between pen and pin. Or Ben and bin. It’s all very confusing to me 😂
@@Becca.Loveless So if someone was to say, "we'll stick a pin in it" you'll be looking at your biro thinking why?
Gee, you are absolutely lovely. Do enjoy your life here!. I had the great privilege of driving over the in the USA back in 2005 with a friend originally from there. Travelled across 25 States - 6500 miles (10,000km's). Loved it. Always good to see the other half :). Looking forward to seeing more videos.
Thank You! We have done multiple cross country trips in the US, a lot of extreamly beautiful parts, and also a lot of farmland or desert.
@@Becca.Loveless Yes, The U.S. is vast. We got to see a lot of fantastic places, but the people we met were great. We stayed with my friends' relations when we could, so that was great. My friend was from SF, but has been here for 40+ years. More of a Kiwi than I am :). Keep up the good work.
Welcome to you and your Family here in New Zealand, you nailed it with all your informative knowledge, well done and enjoy your life here.
I got several things wrong, but a lot of the comments have pointed them out very nicely. Thank you for watching! 😊
Nice to have you here.
Thank you! We're very glad to be here :)
COVID-19 National Lockdown
The algorithm has just kicked up your channel, I love your enthusiasm and down to earthlyness (Is that actually a word?), anyway count me in as a new subscriber.
You and your family have only been here 6 months, welcome, welcome, welcome......
I would be very interested in a video on how you see New Zealand handling of Delta, now that it's in the community and the lockdown.
Watching your vid a couple of sayings came to mind
In NZ & Oz it's Tall Poppy, In Japan it's, The raised nail gets hammered down.
Work to live, not live to work.
Don't confuse kindness, with weakness. and
Travel, 54 countries for me.......so far
I now know what I'm doing for this lockdown,
Binge watching your channel.....
😀👍
Wow! This comment just came through for some reason. 54 countries! I'm very impressed! And too embarrassed to say my very pathetic number 😂
The algorithm has certainly taken a liking to me all of a sudden and I have to say it's a little overwhelming (but in a good way). I feel too "young" as a RUclipsr to be getting this much attention.
Hope your lockdown is going well! Thanks for watching, and really glad you're enjoying it 😊
"Ta" does in fact mean "thank you", as a few people have mentioned. If you remember that, you'll understand it more when you're heard it a few more times. The context you were saying, ie asking a toddler for something, like "Ta?", it still means "thank you", but it's more like anticipating the "ta" that you're going to say when the toddler hands the thing over. Almost like "am i going to say thank you when you hand that over?"
Yeah I messed it up, still learning! Thanks for watching! ☺️
@@Becca.Loveless I'm not 100% sure, but I think Ta is simply an abbreviation of Thank. Why use 5 letters when 2 will do. And btw Ta is used very commonly. I probably use "thanks" and "ta" about equally.
Pram is what most people in nz would call a stroller . Also as kids we are encouraged to be tidy kiwis.
It’s a great thing to grow up learning. We didn’t have that ingrained in us.
I love the way you have embraced your new country. Welcome to NZ
We really love it here! We feel so lucky ☺️
Watched this video a second time.you are so funny. Carry on the great work. Cheers
I take that as a very high compliment! 😂 thanks!
really enjoyed the video :D
I'm so glad! That makes me very happy to hear :)
Question about cars:
In a stick shift car, what is the order of the pedals? In the US, it goes clutch-brake-accelerator from left to right - what it is in NZ?
At 7:03 - what isn't allowed in NZ? I've tried to listen to it three times, and the closed caption says "guides" - ??
Guns. Which apparently they are allowed here, just much more regulated.
I haven't seen a stick shift here in NZ. But I heard the car makers are kinda lazy, so they use the same couch system as a us car (or visversa) and so its in the same order. Not sure if that's true though.
@@Becca.Loveless Ohhhhhhhhh, duh.
I was also under the impression that automatic cars and bath tubs are not common in NZ. Can you confirm/deny those assumptions?
I've been having a lot of fun bingeing your videos the last week or so. I meant to comment on the "no longer vegan" video but didn't, so here's my thoughts here: I was a vegetarian for 15 years and thought it would be forever. Then I ran into some food allergies, other dietary restrictions, and health problems, and I was running out of things to eat! So on my doctor's advice, I started eating seafood and chicken - and that was a mentally and emotionally hard transition. So, you're not alone, and it's ok. My spouse (still vegetarian) has an "out of the country" rule - if he's outside the US, he's going to accept the food offered even if it's not vegetarian, and he'll do the best he can. 🙂
Hi Becca- ANZAC day is a solemn commemorative day a bit like Memorial Day in USA- Also ANZAC biscuits- absolutely NOT cookie
Still not always sure I understand the difference between the two 😂
@@Becca.Loveless Hi Becca- Please watch this video regarding ANZAC biscuits - ruclips.net/video/oGzVIFjg5Xg/видео.html
Something else that Kiwis use that Americans don't are electric blankets and dehumidifiers. I turn on my electric blanket an hour before sleep and turn it off when I get into bed. It's toasty warm.
Dang! We should have invested in one at the beginning of winter haha. Maybe I'll find on one sale this summer for next year..
Gst (goods & services TAX) is applied evenly to all products and services,
And is usually already calculated into the sales price
That's the difference (I didn't speak clearly). The price you see on the sticker here is the price you pay, whereas in the US it's a hidden price you pay at the register.
We call those little red sausages cheerios. To add to the confusion we also now have cheerios the cereal.
Those sausages are so weird! I guess kids would eat hotdogs like that in the states.
The people saying 'Ta' means thank you are right, however, it's only used as a thank you as part of a close-quarters exchange.
Words are hard 😂
There is taxes on everything but it's included in the price. We get taxed automatically before we get paid. And often you get a tax return automatically
So much nicer than the states!
I love how excited you are.
☺️ it’s hard not to be excited about this country!
Even though we don't have tipping culture in NZ especially in cafe's. I work in a restaurant and even though it's not mandatory to tip if you enjoyed the service or it was more than you expected a tip is very appreciated. :) Love your videos
It’s a very nice change from where the staff rely on your tips because they’re getting paid $3 an hour. And thanks for watching!
@@Becca.Loveless $3 an hour! That’s ridiculous, how much roughly do people tip in the US?
- Never thought about the 24hr open stores thing. We have some but it's usually just certain supermarkets, gas stations or fast food joints. Are most stores in the US open 24/7? 🤔 Because that's kind of awesome lol.
- Tall Poppy Syndrome. Lived here for 30 years and it's my first time hearing about this 😅. I guess it makes sense though, we like to be down to earth here and don't appreciate people with big heads.
- Shipping. One of the worst things about living here tbh. It's so far away from everywhere (except Australia) that we pay more for things and also wait a lot longer. Plus we just generally have less access to various products which sucks.
Most stores are open 24/7 - especially all fast food places like Taco Bell and McDonald's and the like. Also Walmart (the supermarket).
Haha I'd never heard of it before I moved here.
It does suck about the shipping, but I kind of like the reminder to be less materialistic though!
You fit in fine.
You gotta go to Tiri Tiri matangi if you really want to see the native birds.
It's totally worth the time and small cost.
We have Tiri Tiri Matangi on our list! I'm hoping to go to it soon. We were actually planning on going this past week if the lockdown hadn't happened.
Ta equals thank you....teaching baby manners as well
Lol I got that one wrong. And "dear" 🤦♀️
You've been here six months but I think you've gotten a good idea of what it's about. 👍🏻
Still more to learn!
You're making Kiwis blush!
Lol
Yes we do have gst (goods & services tax). So basically when you pay for goods & services gst is included.
I guess the difference is the gst gets added at the register in America and you have no idea how much it will be until you're checking out.
@@Becca.Loveless you are right so much better to know what we are actually deducting out of our account. 😊
Hi becca, ahh nzl, multicultural in design Cultures and different races of people who walk and share the same piece of dirt as a nation, all living side by side which takes the boring out of a country and shouldn't for the love of god devide a country because of the colour of their skin, religion and so on i.e Maori, pakeha, you as a American, Pacific people, indian and countless other beautiful nationalitys who all love to call this place home is what makes new zealand unique and identifies who we are as a nation of mishmash cultures which to me makes NZ so beautiful as a country...hehe! We all get along, we all side with eachother, we all respect eachother and it works, culture definitely adds diversity, beauty, intrigue, love and so much more not to be confused or afraid of eachothers understanding of life like religion and so on, to me culture also brings character, look IV traveled many parts of the world and I must say hate, war, corruption and anamosity is strife, although new zealands back yard ain't exactly tidy by any means but through the good, the bad and the ugly the will of the people provails not to mention all the hard work...lol, kiwis will always unite as one in creating love, fairness, and equality, we will walk with a smile and show kindness to others when in need, side by side on lands we all share and love but more importantly we all just like to call home, aotearoa...Kia ora!🙋❤️🇳🇿