Thinking About "What I Saw During My Homestays"

Mamoru (George) Nakajima

International Relations, Director professor, 
Osaka Christian College and Seminary
Osaka Sumiyoshi Rotary Club member

Introduction

In recent years, New Zealand has become a very popular place (although the last year or so, interest has been waning a bit) among Japanese young people for short-term (1 month to 1 year) English exchange student programs and as a honeymoon spot. So, just what is our image, as Japanese, of New Zealand?

My image of New Zealand, I'm a bit ashamed to say, used to be rather rough or unrefined. I have a good friend from my university days who is from New Zealand, but still, I only thought of New Zealand as "a jewel in the British Empire, a country with a Christian culture, a country that treats women as important, a nation of good Caucasians, and a country that has recently undergone administrative reform." For this reason, and because this was my first time to visit New Zealand, I had great expectations.

First, let me briefly list the places we visited during the GSE tour.

1. 17 Rotary Clubs where we gave a presentation and deepened friendship
2. 15 factories or businesses
3. 13 schools (from elementary through university) or educational facilities (nursery
schools, kindergartens, etc.)
4. 10 farms and ranches (of all sizes)
5. 7 government offices (one regional [state] and 6 city)
6. a number of famous tourist spots
7. 14 different homestays (each member stayed alone with different families) where we
stayed from one to four nights

We learned much during these homestays that changed our preconceptions about New Zealand, and we also got to see both sides of New Zealand's well-known administrative reforms. In a book, which I purchased while in New Zealand, I found the following:

"Why should New Zealand - a small, geographically remote group of islands in the South Pacific, with a population of just 3.4 million people - be of interest to the rest of the world? New Zealand used to claim credit as the first country to give women the vote, as the birthplace of the welfare state, for a harmonious multiracial society and, more recently, for being 'clean, green and nuclear free'. Today, it is becoming infamous for what is known as the 'New Zealand experiment'." (1)

However, I am fully aware that the purpose of this report is not to serve as data-based "essay" or "treatise" (if it had been, I would merely have translated the book I bought and been done with it). I want to write my report around the theme "What I saw during my homestays," sharing what I was made to think about by what I saw, while quoting from the book from time to time. Before beginning, however, I want to mention a few things at the start.

1. I realize that 6 weeks is longer than most tourists spend in New Zealand, but it is impossible during such a short stay for a foreigner like myself to understand all that is taking placing in a rapidly-changing country like New Zealand.

2. In particular, it is inappropriate for an outsider such as myself to critique or evaluate New Zealand's government, economy, administration, etc. I will leave that up to the other team members.

3. I think that most of the Rotarians I met, and those I was introduced to by Rotarians, were in the upper crust of New Zealand society (even though New Zealand is said to be a "classless society"). For this reason, the opinions I heard need to be weighed in light of this fact.

4. This report is in no way a systematic report. Rather, it is a "record of what I saw and heard." While backing up my conclusions using the data contained in the aforementioned book purchased in New Zealand, I will be sharing my own personal interpretations of things in this essay.

New Zealand is called "Aotearoa" in the language of its native inhabitants, the Maori. According to a brochure I read, this word means "Land of the Long, White Clouds".(2) As a matter of fact, we did see such thin, white clouds hanging over the beautiful mountains of the South Island during our trip, and it was an amazing sight.

Some facts about New Zealand

I can't cover everything given in the recent statistics about New Zealand found in the book, but I would like to share a few "facts" about New Zealand here at the start.

1. Population

According to recent census results, New Vision reports that there were 3.53 million people in 1993, but that figure rose to 3.66 million by 1996 (an increase of 3.3%). (3)

England and Japan, which have about the same land area as New Zealand, have 58 million and 125 million people respectively, and there is absolutely no comparison between the countries in regard to population. I felt very keenly the importance of human resources while I was in New Zealand.

According to another source, the population of New Zealand is increasing more and more, and the population should reach 4.5 million by the year 2031. (4) I felt that the sentences contained a kind of pathetic hope in them.

New Zealand has more races living there than I had thought. Breaking the population down racially, we see the following races represented. (5)

European 73.8%
Maori (native inhabitants) 12.9%
Pacific Polynesian 3.5%
Chinese 1.1%
Indian 0.8%
Others 11.1%

2. Working hours

In New Zealand, "full time" workers are those who work 30 or more hours per week. As a result of recent administrative reforms, people may work until they are 64 years old, and as a result the potential working population has increased. Those aged 15 to19 are also included in the potential working population, but most of them are students, so the number of people actually working is low. In the total potential working population, 74% of the males are working and 56% of the females, for a total working population of 64%.

Since the administrative reforms, people are working longer hours than before. According to a June 1990 survey, the average person worked 1,821 hours per year, but in June of 1995, this figure had risen to 1,848 hours.

New Zealand boasts a low rate of unemployment, Facts, which was published by the Department of Statistics of New Zealand in 1995 says, "After Japan and the United States, New Zealand had one of the lowest standardised rate of unemployment among OECD countries in the June 1995 quarter - 6.3%. In comparison, the rate in Australia was 8.2% and in the United Kingdon 8.7%". (6)

3. Average life expectancy

In recent years, the life expectancy among New Zealand males is 73.4 years and 79.1 for females, making it 16th among OECD nations. Incidentally, the book mentioned the fact that Japan has the highest (men 76.3 and women 83.5) life expectancy. (7)

4. The home

Recently, as a result of social changes in New Zealand, 85% of the population is living in a family unit, and a variety of family types have come into being. In the aforementioned survey, the traditional family unit (in which the husband works and the wife takes care of the household) accounts for 13.5% of the homes, and this family make-up is rapidly changing. Homes in which the partners are not formally married (living together) increased 58% between 1981 and 1991. Also, single-parent homes, which accounted for only 9% of the homes in 1976) accounted for 17% in 1991. The number of two-parent homes is decreasing. Today, about two thirds of the households are, in one form or another, two-parent homes, but the report noted that this figure is expected to drop to 50% over the next 20 years. (8)

There is another report. "Today, one quarter of all children live with one parent and for Maori children that rate is more than one third. Why does that matter? Because the average income of a single parenut that figure rose to 3.66 million by 1996 (an increase of 3.3%). (3)

Moreover, 75% of these people live in the North Island, and the movement of people to the North Island is quite conspicuous, particularly in Auckland, which experienced a 12.5% increase in population. Even in the South Island, there is a trend toward movement to the larger cities, with a 7.2% increase in the population of Christchurch. The book noted that the majority of these people have moved from the southern part of the S New Zealand, you can see large, beautiful church buildings, with some of these being over 100-year-old, traditional Gothic-style edifices. These were built around 1850 by Christian immigrants who had come to New Zealand from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland seeking a new world. But in New Zealand today, the religious situation seems no different to me than that found in other countries in Europe. The book I read devoted only half a page to religion, and it contained this sentence. "Interest and active involvement in churches is at an historical low of less than 20% of the population, making New Zealand one of the most secularised societies in the world."
(11) I felt, however, that even this figure of 20% is too high. It is a fact that when I asked my host families and those I met on the street "What percentage of New Zealanders do you think goes to church on Sunday?", most people gave me an answer somewhere between 4% and 7%. Whenever the conversation with my host families turned to religion, I always asked them about the state of religion in New Zealand. They often said something like, "About 20 years ago, many people went to church."

The New Zealanders' (Kiwis') Dilemma

In any event, because we were able to stay with 14 different host families during our stay in New Zealand, we spent many enjoyable evenings with those families and sometimes with those they had invited to meet us. What a great abundance of information I was able to gather when talking together with 10 or more people in such situations. I don't know if it was because I happened to be the oldest member of the GSE team, but many of the families I stayed with (all but two or three) were older folks whose children had already grown up and left for the cities. I am very grateful for the extremely meaningful discussion I was able to have with such people who have moderate, less critical views of the political situation in New Zealand. Also, it was a great privilege to be able to speak with so many VIP's (thanks to the Rotary Club!), which most people would never be able to meet. I would like to mention a few of the things I was able to talk to people about while I was in New Zealand.

1. "Australia? Never!"

In Timaru, I stayed with the family of a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Peter ...., (of the Chalmers Presbyterian Church, which means his family is Scottish) who is in his late 50's. He and his wife, Janet, have one 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. We talked about many things, among them the government's policies following the recent administrative reforms. In particular, we talked about the acquisition of New Zealand's natural resources by foreign enterprises, and in the midst of a lively discussion, I mentioned the possibility that New Zealand might one day become a possession of another country. Half-jokingly, I mentioned America as a possibility, and then added, "No, Australia is probably the most likely candidate." When I said this, Rev.　...'s countenance changed, and he said, "Oh, never! If New Zealand were annexed by Australia, I'd take my family and move to another country." I was rather surprised by this reaction.

A few days after arriving in New Zealand, we went to see a rugby match between an Australian team and the local New Zealand (Otago) team one evening. I remember thinking then how deep-seated the Kiwis' sense of rivalry is toward Australia as I saw the heated competition between the teams and the fan reaction. And I felt this same sense of rivalry a number of times during my stay in New Zealand. Deep in their hearts, the Kiwis pride themselves in being pioneering immigrants who arrived from all parts of the British Empire in search of a new life and a new world. The fact of the matter is, however, that in recent years, Australia has overtaken New Zealand economically, and this seems to have created a great dilemma for them.

2. Leisure or work?

I learned many new words and expressions while I was in New Zealand, one of which was "smoko." It's used in this way: "Let's have a smoko," which means, more or less, "Let's take a break and have a smoke." This meaning makes it quite similar to the Japanese expression ippuku, which means "to have a smoke or take a break."

To me, it appeared that the average New Zealander's day consists of breakfast, morning tea (smoko), lunch, afternoon tea (smoko), supper and then tea before bed. A kind of like they eat every two hours or so. No wonder they aren't as thin as the Japanese.

One morning, we visited Summit Wool Spinners, Co., which is a Sumitomo Group company with a Japanese president, Mr. Takahiko Nagao. While we were talking, Mr. Nagao said, "Their's is a culture in which they only work two hours at a time." I felt that he had hit the nail on the head.

Maybe it is because western European culture is one which affirms "leisure," or maybe they have expanded upon the concept in New Zealand. In comparison, Japan is a culture which rejects leisure, or one which makes people feel guilty for taking time off from work. I heard many times, or was asked many times while I was in New Zealand, "Japanese people work too hard." "What are you working so hard for?" "Since you work such long hours, do you take very long vacations?" I was always at a loss as to how to respond. Almost all of our host families (Rotarians) take 4- or 5-week vacations overseas every year, and they had souvenirs from all their trips on shelves around their homes. Most of them go to Australia, England, or Europe, and there were even a few who had traveled to northern Japan. They all said, "You should just make as much money as you need." "There is no need to leave a big inheritance to our children." "I work so that I can enjoy my leisure time."

The first ranch we visited is owned by the chairman of the Mosgiel Rotary Club, Mike Roller. We got in three 4-wheel drive trucks owned by local Rotarians, and they drove us around the ranch and over several hills on the ranch. There was a spring in the valley running between some of the distant hills about one hour's drive away. He owns the land on both sides of the stream that flows from that spring for 7 kilometers, and it is the water source for the city of Dunedin (pop. 110,000). After showing us around, he said, "When I retire, I'm going to donate the spring and the land on both sides of the stream to the city." I remember feeling from deep down inside me, "What for?!" I think he will do it partly because that's the type of person he is, but also because it is one way of viewing life. Still, I wonder just how long this generation, which is able to live in this way, will continue.

3. People or nature?

New Zealand, and particularly the southern part of the South Island, is a wonderful region with countless spots of great beauty. But it is the most sparsely populated part of the country, with only 300,000 people living in a region about the size of that part of Japan's main island west of Nagoya. When commenting that there seems to be mostly just sheep living there, the people laugh and say, "That's why it's so beautiful here. We don't need any more people here." They say this, but I think this too is one of New Zealand's dilemmas.

When we visited Central Otago City Hall (pop. 4,700) in Alexandra, after finishing our introductions and pleasantries, we had the opportunity to talk with the top city administrator (In Japan he would be called a mayor, but here he is a bureaucrats and a Rotarian) and some other executives. (During most of our visits to such places, we received more or less this type of reception.) Throughout the GSE tour, I always asked two questions at the end of such official visits. Namely, "What is the most important task or topic of concern you have?" and "What do　you think about the direction New Zealand's administrative reforms are taking?" What　follows is a summary of the answers I received.

1) They are groping for some kind of policies to help stem the flow of people out of the region, which is the cause of its sparse population. There are only about 800,000 people in the entire South Island, and on top of that, many young people are moving from the countryside to larger cities like Christchurch. The older people lament the fact that once young people go to the city, they never return. This means that the large landowner ranchers have no one to whom they can pass on their ranches when they die, and it also means that there aren't enough people to do all the work that needs to be done. The only way to get more workers is to hire them, which means more expense than they have had to bear in the past, and this is very hard on the farmers. In the past, a family could get by raising 800 sheep, but today things are tough with even 2,000 sheep. And to handle that many sheep, the ranchers need more land, which is a tremendous economic burden. Moreover, there aren't enough people to help them run such large ranches. When the government instituted its economic reforms, the first thing it did was cut off aid to farmers. This was particularly hard on the small farms, and many farmers ended up getting out of farming. Those farmers who had already established themselves firmly before the economic reforms are able to live off of their savings right now, but the future is unclear, and they are uneasy.

2) There are almost no job opportunities in the country in the southern part of the South Island. There are no industries there, so it's only natural that this is the case. And there are no policies in effect to increase the employment in the region. Everyone is aware that this is the cause behind the exodus of the young people to the big cities, but since the national government has taken a hands-off position on regional　government, the fact of the matter is that local administration is presently not able to　stand on its own. To be sure, it appears that decentralization is moving forward a bit,　but nothing is functioning in a concrete manner. There are areas which need financial assistance from the government, but......

3) The administrative reforms are generally moving in a positive direction. There are still a number of things which need some adjustment and refinement, and they must all be done.

The sight of young people longing for life in the big cities and leaving behind the natural beauty of their birthplace is a common one wherever you go. The attraction of nature is not enough to reverse the trend toward depopulation. I felt that the problem is similar to the dilemma regional governments are facing here in Japan. I think these high level government officials were speaking very frankly to me, but I wasn't able to hear anything about the lower class people who have been cast aside as a result of the administrative reforms.

4. Group or individual?

My host family in Gore was that of Alec Clark, minister of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church. His wife, Jan, is also an ordained minister, and together they are in charge of one parish. They are in their late thirties with two sons (Richard, 13, and Steve, 10), and they are an active family, and one of the few couples I stayed with that are young. As a result, I was fortunate to be able to hear their lively opinions about a variety of topics. We discussed many different things, but one thing was how the administrative reforms　had affected society and the church. Here is a summary of what they said.

1) One major facet of the administrative reforms was "free working time," and as a result of this policy, the "weekend" disappeared as people began using their Sundays in many different ways. Because of this, many volunteer groups are in trouble. And the church's　social programs are also hurting, as are the Rotary's service activities.

2) Since the government ceased guaranteeing a number of things, it is now necessary for individuals to make sure they have what they need to live. As a result of this thinking, people have lost the care and concern they used to have for others. Those who were once quite generous in their giving are now unable to give.

3) At the root of the government's reform policies is the philosophy that "One should take care of his own concerns himself," and government welfare policies for those who are in need are fast disappearing. The result is that "Those who have are getting more." Since the country is now being run by a minority of wealthy people, this policy works toward their benefit.

4) The government priority is profit-centered private enterprise, and privatization is the form it is taking. And in order to get rid of the government debt, it has been selling off the nation's resources one after the other. Many people are very concerned about the future of the country.

5) The Anglican Church appointed people who served in The Social Respocibility Commission and who were involved in surveying and studying conditions, gathering this information and submitting it to the government, but the government will not even acknowledge that "the poor" exist. So it isn't even possible to talk about the need. Those interested in the church's official report can obtain a copy by contacting: Ms. Catherine Goodyear, Director The Anglican-Methodist Family Care Center Dunedin, New Zealand Office: 477-0801 FAX: 477-0888

6) The direction the government is moving in is completely wrong. The philosophy behind the government is wrong, and it is not the direction taken by New Zealand in the past, the traditional Christian way. A government that has no "concern for the poor" is destructive. At such a time, it is the Church's mission to proclaim that it is the ally of the poor, and to carry out programs to help them. The thing that was most interesting to me during my time in New Zealand was the fact that of all the different people we met and talked to, so few people spoke out clearly and said that the government's administrative reforms were bad, as the Clark's did. (The other people who expressed a similar opinion were my host family in Oamaru, Mr. And Mrs. David Rudd. They are also both in their late thirties, and the wife, Allison, who has progressive opinions, is chief reporter for the local newspaper, the Oamaru Mail.)

In the aforementioned book by Kelsey, she said the same thing. "It's generally accepted that we in New Zealand are going through a period of revolution, in the sense that the old order is being replaced with a new order which has not just an infrastructure, but more importantly an ideology, beliefs and value system which ranged across all domains. It featured pain on the part of those whose political, economic and psychological well- being cut away; and a feeling of exhilaration and excitement for those with opportunities in the turbulence of change to grow, to achieve and to increase their political and economic and ... psychological well being. [Quoted from N. Marsh, "Theory K Can Culture Change?" in A. von Tunzelmann and J. Johnston (eds), Responding to the Revolution, New Zealand Institute of Public Administration, GP, Wellington, 1987, p.70.] This was the revolution led by those who benefited - and left the mass of the poeple behind." (12) "People were working in more jobs than before. ... Labour productivity fell by around 1.6 percent in the 1995/6 year." (13)

So, to summarize the administrative reforms being carried out by the government of New Zealand, we see the following things: privatization of public enterprises (capitalism), individual life style is the responsibility of the individual, thorough regional decentralization of authority, reducing the service industry to its smallest possible size, personal payment of educational expenses, and social programs and assistance are the responsibility of churches and volunteer organizations. To be sure, there is the idea of personal responsibility within the spirit of Christianity, and today's democracy and　capitalism were originally formed in Western Christendom.

The spirit of public concern and helping the poor is one of the major themes of the Bible. However, if you look at the present state of affairs in western Europe, everything is based these days upon economic principles, and no one considers the countries of western Europe to be Christian countries anymore. I also felt very keenly during the tour that New Zealand is no exception to this trend.

Group or individual? It's a problem of balance. I also sensed that this is a big dilemma for New Zealand. When one thinks about it carefully, isn't the dilemma facing New Zealand the same as that faced by the world as a whole these days? Japan is no exception. Just what is the way to overcome this dilemma?

In conclusion

Considering the difference in the populations of Japan and New Zealand (1/30 that of Japan), it appears that there isn't much that Japan can imitate immediately. However, even though the fundamental way of thinking may be starting from a different point, isn't the problem being faced by both countries now, "the present," which is being carried along by powerful currents? Still, something I heard has left a deep impression on me, even now. It was said by Stuart Botting at my first homestay (in Mosgiel). "We may have much pain and suffering, but will head in a good direction in the end." After he said this, I heard basically the same thing from many Rotarians during my time in New Zealand, and it is just such an optimism that is the Kiwis' underlying strength.

Theirs is not merely an optimistic "What will be will be" kind of mentality. I think it is important that they are optimistic because they are determined to play a part in making this a reality. I am looking forward to the New Zealand of 10 to 20 years from now.

Lastly, I would like to take the opportunity while writing this report to thank those who gave me the opportunity to participate in the GSE program: D-2660 governor Nakagawa, Rotary Foundation Committee chairman and the past-governor Yamanaka, and all those on the GSE committee, particularly chairman Kashimura and vice-chairman Matsuoka. I would also like to express my gratitude to the 4 team members who supported and helped this inexperienced team leader during those 6 long weeks in New Zealand. Words cannot express just how I was encouraged by their wonderful personalities and good humor. Thank you all very much.

I said this at the D-9980 District Conference, but thank you so much to all of the New　Zealand Rotarians.

(Notes)

1. Kelsey, Jane. The New Zealand Experiment: A World Model for Structural Adjustment?, Auckland University Press, Bridget Williams Books, NZ, 1997. Taken from p. 1, and translated by the author. This book was recommended to me by Rotarian John Parr (retired professor of Otago University and a licensed eye doctor), whom I met in Roxburgh. He told me, to borrow his own words, "This book is the best book written that frankly criticizes the administrative reforms that have taken place in New Zealand since 1984." Considering things from the standpoint of their usefulness as reference materials, I think this is the best reference book I came across during my 6 weeks in New Zealand. It was evaluated highly by Listener magazine (a magazine that introduces　books; Feb. 3, 1996 issue) and other magazines.

2. Pope, Diana and Jeremy. South Island; Mobil New Zealand Travel Guide, 7th edition, Reed Books: Auckland, NZ, 1995, p. 9. "Presumably it was the South Island that earned New Zealand its first name of Aotearoa (long white cloud) as its mountain backbone is frequently covered in cloud".

3. Brooks, Norman. "Trends in the Nation," Bruce Patrick, ed., New Vision, vol. 2,　Auckland: Vision, NZ, 1997, p. 35.

4. Department of Statistics, Facts New Zealand, Daphne Brasell Associates, Press: Wellington, 1992, p. 22.

5. -----, p. 24.

6. -----, pp. 106-106.

7. -----, p. 69.

8. -----, p. 91.

9. New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, Poverty in New Zealand, NZCCSS: Wellington, 1996, p. 4.

10. Brooks, p. 83.

11. Department of Statistics, p. 30.

12. Kelsey, p. 323.

13. -----, p. 377.　