New Zealand or 1950's America?

At the Thames Mineralogical Museum and School of Mines, I met a very interesting character who told me how most Americans describe New Zealand: New Zealand is like the United States circa 1950. I tend to agree with him. Although I was not around in the 1950’s, what I’ve learned from my parents and grandparents is about how simple life was back then. Without modern technology to get in the way, the focus of life was on hard honest work with emphasis on family. The New Zealand life that I have been exposed to in the past couple weeks reflects this simplicity. The people here, both Pakeha and Maori, are more preoccupied with experiencing the outdoors, living simply, and being culturally enriched than they are with competing with their neighbors for the best house, car, or television.
Since I did all of my travelling alone, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of people staying on the farm and at the hostels. My first night on the farm, I met Anna and Lindsay, students of English and Law, respectively, from San Francisco, CA. We sat around the kitchen table talking with a family of four from Tauranga, NZ. The family had also visited the west coast of the U.S. some years ago, so they were able to compare NZ and the U.S. much in the way we students could. Our attention was drawn to a wide variety of topics from the Treaty of Waitangi to bill-board advertisements.
One of the most visible contrasts between the two countries that I’ve found is the display of wealth through real estate, automobiles, and other material goods. In New Zealand, the houses, regardless of the owners’ incomes, are pretty much one style—simple ranch. I have seen a lot of compact cars and station wagons, a handful of minivans, and rarely any SUV’s. Children are content to play outdoors, catching fish or playing tag. In the U.S., eyes are focused on how big houses and cars can be made or how much attention they can draw. Children beg their parents for cell phones and iPods.
The father of the family summed up American life in one sentence, “You buy things you don’t need with money you don’t have to impress people you don’t know.” Kiwis are much more self-confident. They don’t waste their time or efforts impressing other people; they are focused on living life to the fullest. I believe that the best NZ souvenir I can take home with me is this attitude on life!