KEY POINTS:
Auckland finished eighth in a global honesty survey of major cities around the world - ahead of cities such as London and Sydney.
The Reader's Digest had its reporters plant 960 mid-priced cellphones in busy public places from Amsterdam to Zurich and observe from a distance what happened.
How honest are you? What have you handed in and what have you kept?
Here is the lastest selection of Your Views:
Jeremy Budd
On the same day we read an article regarding the yawning income disparity in this country, it's good to hear that the lowest paid are getting a deserved pay rise. Then comes the complaints of possible restaurant price rises. As a nation, I think we need to get our priorities right to see the benefits of this settlement helping to reduce the income disparities rather than complain about rising restaurant prices!
Roy
I found four dollars in the car park at my workplace and handed it in. The receptionists thought I was crazy. It was never claimed and I was given it four weeks later. On the other hand I lost my wallet with $70 in it and it was returned to me with no cash left in it.
Maddy
Once, at Goat Island reserve, I pointed out what looked like a bottle cap to my boyfriend, who dutifully picked it up. It turned out to be a ruby, diamond and gold ring. We looked around for someone searching for something, and didn't see anyone, so handed it into the local DoC officer, with our details. A few weeks, later, I received a phone call from the owner, whose husband had been given it to look after while she was diving in the reserve. She sent me a cheque for $100 for returning her ring, worth $2500 in money but priceless in sentimental value. While it was good to know the ring found its home, it was also good to be rewarded for being honest, as I was really kind of hoping I'd get the ring!
Peterbiggles (Perth)
This test of honesty is a marketing exercise by the organizers of it. It sells newspapers, makes headlines, gets people to discuss things (like me now) and in reality, the facts and stats of the story are so vague as to make any conclusions completely untrustworthy, except of course to the non questioning media! We can argue all day long about what of this or that in regard to the "honesty test". Look at the total number of phones lost each year and extrapolate some percentages from that with regard to population and you get different results. It's all meaningless. Except to those that have some agenda (like marketing and advertising rates!). If these phones had been locked (say with a pin number) like most of us have, then how on earth would any of them have been able to be returned? It says nothing more or less about the integrity of NZ people, it just removes the opportunity for them to return it. But the media may well have concluded that the general consensus of people was one of dishonesty! Try the test with a digital camera! No, best not to, the results wont be what they want!
Ms Auckland
Whenever I found something I have always returned it to its owners or the police. Do the same if a shop assistant give me too much change. That way I sleep and dream better.
Judith
A little while ago, someone smashed the window of my car, stealing my Bible. It was in a black case and I can only assume that they believed it was a laptop as it was later dumped next to the river (perhaps when they realised what it was?). A lady found it and, even though it was in a pretty miserable state, went to a huge amount of effort to track me down and return it. I've always been incredibly grateful to her. She didn't have a lot to gain by keeping it, but she definitely spent a lot of time and energy on tracking me down.
Kirsten
I think it's personal to the individual. Brought up a certain way and I was taught to value and respect other peoples properties. So if I find a wallet, cell phone etc I try to ensure it gets back to the original owner. If I can not then its handed into the police and they can try to track it back to owner. Do unto others as you would have them do to/for you.
Ex-pat Mark (USA)
Eighth! Woop de do! If you come eighth at the Olympics it is hardly something to boast about! Of course many Kiwis are not honest. Look at the burglary problems around the country. If something is not bolted down it will likely get pinched, like nothing I've ever seen here. With no intention of handing it back! Steal, steal and steal some more. Wasn't there a TV documentary on honesty boxes recently? Locals blatantly helping themselves. Honest Kiwis? That is a joke. Stealing is a sport there.
Fisch
This was only a Readers' Digest survey. I personally question how rigorous the methodology was. The exact location where the 'tests' took place is a major variable. I lived in Helsinki, which ranked equally to Auckland, and in general, Finns are much more honest than New Zealanders.
Tammy
A few years ago, when I was a struggling student I lost my wallet. I used to take two buses and a train into Wellington from Stokes Valley. It was missing for a day and a half before I realised and by then I had almost no idea where I'd lost it. My Aunt tracked it down for me at the Waterloo Train Station. Some extremely kind person had handed it in, money and all. At that point in time, my wallet was practically my only possession and irreplaceable. I'm forever grateful to that kind stranger and I hope someday I'll be able to return the favour.
CP (Auckland)
My grandmother picked up a cellphone after going out for a meal with friends. The SIM card was disabled and all the contacts were stored in the SIM card, so there was no way to track the owner down. She ended up keeping the phone.
Honest Mum
I did find a pouch with 3 gemstone rings in them in Australia - handed them to police - they were handed back to me as no after 3 months - nobody claimed them and I sold them for $2000 to a jeweller. That was a great feeling. However I have been burgled many times and in various addresses and stuff taken and never returned that sucks.
Waikato Girl
I don't think it matters which generation you are born into, I think it is how you have been raised! I'm in my early 20's and I found a cellphone in a taxi one night and when we got home we waited for the person to call us. There was about 10 of us some younger than most of us, and not one person wanted to keep it and not hand it back to the owner. We all knew it was worth heaps but once you reverse the situation - you wouldn't want that happening to you would you?! In the end the person called and was extremely happy when we told them the address to come pick it up. Doesn't that make you feel good! On the other hand a guy found my sisters phone and she called it, he said "well this is the only phone I've got now, you can buy it for $150." Unbelievable! Lucky she talked him round after a couple of weeks she got her phone back. I believe in karma, give and you will receive, doesn't it feel better that way!
Miranda (Wellington)
My partner's cellphone recently went missing when we were on holiday in Queenstown. We were sure it had been left in our rental car but the rental company said they couldn't find it. We'd given up on it and he was ruing all the irreplaceable numbers stored in it. Then just last week someone phoned my partner's mum to say he'd found the phone in his rental car and could he send it back to us. The caller was now back in Australia but he'd hung onto the phone and insisted on couriering it back to us rather than posting. His name was somewhat familiar - it was ex-Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones. We reckon that scores pretty highly on the honest-and-also-a-very-nice-guy meter.
Maggie
I believe in karma, what goes around comes around. I have returned 3 or 4 phones over the years by tracking down the owner via their contacts in the phone. To be honest it's a really nice feeling when you call the owner and tell them you have found their phone.
Maria G.
How honest am I? A better question is how honest is this article. Nowhere is it pointed that New York City ranked higher than Auckland in honesty, as did Mumbai and Manila. These are major urban centres, with many times the population of Auckland. At the very end of article there is brief mention that New York City ranked first in a previous survey on global politeness. I think Auckland's ranking in either survey is nothing to boast about.
Milan271
My sister lost her mobile phone a few weeks ago. I called her number to see if someone will answer her phone and surprise, a lady answer her phone. I asked her "who is this?" and "this is my sister's phone". The lady with an Asian accent replied, "I don't understand" then hung up. If I found a lost mobile phone then I will return to the owner. To me I would think to myself, "This person must of work their butt of just to buy this new mobile phone". I will definitely locate the owner of the mobile. I don't want my kids to be dishonest.
Andy (Auckland)
I don't agree with the survey. I lost a jumper and a wallet in the stagecoach public bus before three years and never returned to me. It depends up on the commodities what you loose, things like cameras, wallets , I don't think will be returned.
Kelly-Anne (Auckland)
When we visited California Adventure Park (across the courtyard from Disneyland) my brother found two expensive cellphones on the rollercoaster and handed them in to a member of staff. This man thought it was really nice the first time it happened and the second time it just happened to be the same man and he was quite shocked that we had found two and handed them both in!
Matt F
An interesting comment made about the honesty of young people, and how we perhaps should have more faith in them. Perhaps it could be looked at a different way. Should our trust in the honesty of the older generation be questioned instead? After all, it is that generation who have most of the wealth and make most of the decisions that affect the rest of us.
Westie
In 1985, whilst walking up Queen Street in Auckland, I found an envelope crammed with money. I immediately dropped it off to a Police officer without even looking at how much was in it. I was told later that there was $766. Back then I was on a low income and that money would be more than 2 weeks wages for me. Had I not been so honest that money would have come in useful. A fortnight later I was in the ASB bank on Wellesley Street when again I was confronted by a cash-filled purse. Again my honesty came to the forefront and I immediately handed over to Garry, the security guard, the purse. The owner came up to me whilst I was waiting in a queue wanting to give me some reward. I told her not to as I felt pleased the purse had found its owner. I firmly believe in total honesty as when it comes time to meet ones Maker one must be accountable for ones actions in this lifetime. There are many out there in the big wide world that would rip you (and others) off if/when the opportunity comes along. They are without a conscience. They have to live with their actions and the Karmic Law of what goes round comes round. At least I can sleep well at night and with a clear conscience that I have done what I know is right. In general, to me, NZers are very honest. There are a minority (as we have heard in the news recently) that alter their wordings when answering questions or display dishonesty in more hidden ways.
Megs Hood
I found a wallet while on holiday in Melbourne and handed it into the police. They looked at me strangely when they opened it and found that there was cash still inside. A young woman called me that evening to thank me for handing it in. It was her grocery money for the week, not a lot either. Surely honesty is part of being a good kiwi?
BJ (Auckland)
I think it would be a different result if high end phones were used in this survey. As the younger generation these days know more about mobile phones and are tech savvy. I believe they would be more inclined to keep the phone if it was expensive. A possible reason for the dishonest over 50s could be the fact they had less knowledge about the cost of the phone and thought any phone would be of value. I'm pretty sure everyone would contemplate taking the phone home. It would depend on the environment in which it was found, busy street or quiet park?