Inspired by this thread, I would like to know from our Kiwis and Ozzies what is similar and different about them. This is a serious question, because it is hard for me, as a midwestern American, to think there could be many differences. But I want to be educated. It’s okay with me if you want to include your versions of Swedes/Norwegians jokes, too.
Not trying to provoke a turf war or anything.
We had a thread like this just a week or two ago. The main historical difference is that Australian was mainly settled by Irish and English, whereas NZ was by Scots and English.
Australians are more or less halfway between the English and Americans in many ways. NZers can be more English than the English. You can think NZ is to Australia as Canada is to the US and not be too far off.
The NZ Maoris put up a far fiercer military resistance to conquest meaning they at least got a proper treaty with the English Crown, the Australian Aborigines were accorded no such thing - in fact the Crown essentially pretended they didn’t exist via a legal fiction Terra Nullius.
Kiwis are smarter, faster, more energetic, more innovative, tougher, stronger and more modest. Just ask them.
Kiwis talk about sex a lot more. Sex things in a half dozen, sexty minutes in an hour, and there was that movie directed by John Hughes, Sexteen Candles
What are some differences between Australia and New Zealand? ran in IMHO from November 2 through November 6.
I am sure that it is not exhaustive, but it is a good place to start to answer the question of the OP.
We’re from Oz but we’re Aussies, thanks.
Kiwis are from EnZed and are sheep shaggers.
I have friends in both places.
Love 'em!
Q
Hmm - I think you are talking about the Ozzies here. The short i to long e is an element of 'Strine.
At least, thats what we Kiwis think. Wikipedia thinks otherwise…
I hate being lumped with that bunch of under-arm bowling decendants of criminals. 
Si
The two countries are separated by around 1000 miles. They have substantially different climates, geography, history, etc. So it seems fully plausible there could be significant differences.
There are plenty of sheep in Australia, and it gets very lonely for a shepherd when you measure the carrying capacity of land in square miles per sheep.
Right. Just as it’s hard to image that there could be be many differences between people from Illinois and people from Indiana – or between Chicagoans and people from the rest of Illinois.
My broadbrush generalisation is that Australia is to New Zealand as the United States is to Canada. That explains both the similarities and the differences: and a lot of the differences come from the big brother / little brother relationship. In both cases, the little brother looks back to the motherland, Britain, a lot more, while the big brother is brash and arrogant, and thinks it owns the world (or a large part of it).
Or perhaps a better analogy in terms of climate and outlook, between people from Wyoming and those from Vermont.
When I lived in New Zealand, I found that one of the best ways to annoy my Kiwi friends was to suggest there were any similarities between them and Aussies.
And Maoris make up a much larger percentaage of the population. Depending on who you count, Maoris are close to 10% of the NZ population (+/-), whereas Aboriginals in Australia make up only about 2% of the population there.
I’ve been to both places and can agree with **Askance’s **note that NZers can be more English than the English. Plus, NZ’s landscape is more like Britain’s than is Oz’s. The South Island was the perfect setting for LotR.
Whereas some ignoramus in post #2 said
One of you is backwards.
This one always confuses me. Kiwis are known for saying sux not sex. To my Kiwi ear, Australians say seex instead of six. To my Aussie ear, Kiwis say sux instead of six. I’ve never figured why some people seem to think that a New Zealand six sounds like sex.
You both said the same thing, or have I just been wushed?