Kiwi or New Zealander? Depends where you live

Whether we like to be known as kiwis or New Zealanders depends on where we live in the world.

Among those living overseas, those in Australia are most likely to call themselves "kiwi".

Ex-pat residents of New York and Tokyo were more likely to go for the more straightforward "New Zealander".

Those living back home in Godzone are somewhere in the middle.

A Bank of New Zealand survey showed 64 per cent of respondents living in Sydney referred to themselves as kiwis. The figure for people living in New Zealand was 54 per cent.

In England, 53 per cent preferred to be known as kiwis, compared to 43 per cent who preferred the term New Zealander.

In New York, 36 per cent of those surveyed said they would call themselves kiwi. In Tokyo it was 35 per cent.

"We see it as a byword for New Zealanders and the things that we value in New Zealand -- egalitarianism, a fair go for everyone, and inclusiveness. It's not a slang term. It describes who we are and what we stand for," BNZ national sponsorship manager Richard Allen said.

Professor Charles Crothers, Professor of Sociology at Auckland University of Technology, said the term "kiwi" was a badge of identity.

"I'm not surprised by the results for Australia. It's probably something to do with the love-hate relationship we have with our nearest neighbours," he said.

"The results for the United Kingdom reflect our shared heritage and the long tradition of young New Zealanders flocking to England for their OE (overseas experience).

"But the willingness of one-in-three New Zealanders to use 'kiwi' in places like Tokyo and New York, where the term has much less local meaning, is the big surprise. It obviously has tremendous significance for us as a nation."

BNZ sponsors the Kiwi Recovery Trust and Mr Allen said this was one reason the bank felt so strongly about saving the kiwi.

"If the bird disappears from the wild, a little piece of our collective kiwi spirit will go with it," he said.

- NZPA