KEY POINTS:
The term Jafa has been exported to London - where it is being used not for Aucklanders, but Australians.Aussies on their OE or backpacking in Europe have won themselves a hard-drinking and, some would say, arrogant reputation.
This has led to the not-so-complimentary label - traditionally standing for "Just another f***** Aucklander" - beening passed on to our Transtasman friends.
This forum debate has now closed. Here is a selection of your views on the topic.
Sonia
Get over it! I don't mind being called a JAFA, after all, Aucklanders do make up at least a quarter of the NZ population! Plus, I have to admit, there are a lot of very arrogant people living in this city - a small minority ruining the reputation of us all, some may say, I don't mind though.....after all, how many of us make unfounded remarks about South Islanders? Hehehe
Andrew
When I was at uni back in the 80s. Jafa was used to refer to accountants.
Anne-Marie
Auckland is a fantastic city populated by friendly people, who like to travel to see the rest of the country and have a chat just like any other New Zealander. I am sick of stupid labels being imposed by people who seem to have a massive chip on each shoulder and pre-judge you based on where you live, probably having never even been to see Auckland for themselves. I would hazard a guess that there are arrogant people not just in Australia and Auckland, but also in Invercargill, Waipukerau, Westport, Levin... basically anywhere people hail from. It is so pointless to generalise.
Leonie
In any country around the world, in any group of people, you will get the good with the not so good. That is not news in and off itself. All it is is lazy journalism because its like throwing chum to the sharks giving people the chance to exhibit a nice dose of xenophobia and reinforce stereotypes. Can the press give the Aussie/Auckland bashing a rest for just a second? It is boring, if not just down right embarrassing.
David
Once again just another smug snipe at anything Australian. Jealousy is a curse and its name is Kiwi.I looked up arrogance in the dictionary and it said "see smug Kiwi All Black supporter."
Tobias
Hey, Auckland is a cool and happening place! Our mayors last job was making cereal.
Larry Beard
I would say the majority of Aussies and Kiwis that people find overseas are young (on their OE) out to enjoy themselves and no different to the local young people. Their drinking and overall behaviour is not moderated by the "mature and more life experienced" members of their respective countries. People in oversea locations only get to see this. Also, What about the Barmy Army from Britain! Also, the term JAFA comes from American 70s culture and originally meant "Just Another F- A- hole."
Faye Wong
I am really offended that the Aussies have been labelled Jafas. This is related to Aucklanders only, we hold this name proudly in our household (being from Auckland), we travel to Hamilton often and only last week we were hassled for being Jafas by expat Scotsman, even the Scottish know its isolated to the average Aucklander. I find the name hilarious and inventive, I even use it as my email address. We own a book called "The way of the Jafa", this has provided us many hours of tearful, muscle spasm laughter, Aucklanders managed to annoy the rest of the country so much our fellow countrymen felt compelled to label us, who cares, I love that Jafas are that so important to the rest of the country, and they can make good healthy fun of it. I think it should be Aucklands mission to make it known to the world just how Jafa like we are and claim our name back!!PS Go the Blues! Go the Warriors!
John Watt
Jafas a goofy name, period; find something worth reporting.
Matt
It is certainly not okay to use the term JAFA for Aucklanders or Australians, just like its not acceptable to make it 'Asians' or 'Americans'. New Zealand has a tiny population of about 4 million people, and yet the vast majority dislike almost a third of it automatically simply because they live in a city called Auckland. How can this happen in such a small place? We need to find unity, not discriminate against each other because of the places we live! "A house divided cannot stand".
Troy
My fiancee and I travelled to the USA for a holiday over summer, and by the end of our day in Disneyland our heads were just about done in. I like Australia and have travelled there many times. The people have been nice, and the scenery's amazing, but it seems as though there is an arrogant Twit switch which goes off in the heads of some of these people. I sm used to Aussies being Aussies down here in New Zealand, but I wasnt expecting it to happen during an otherwise fun-filled day at Disneyland. It started when my lady and I went to queue up for a bit of food, and wound up being stuck behind a giggly Aussie girl who insisted on holding the line up so she could show the pimply cashier all of her Australian coins: Every. Last. Denomination.
After a long day, my fiancee and I were walking about and talking about our experiences when I decided to go on a tangent about the behaviour of the innumerable Australians we had encountered that day: Rude, arrogant, very much "in your face" about where they were from. Were there any Brits out there? Yeah, but they weren't ramming the Union Jack down anyone's throat. Any French? Any Polish? German? Indonesian? Brazilian? Who knows? The only people going out of their way to let everyone know they had arrived were the Australians, and at the very moment that I concluded my rant, a group of loud Aussie boys came storming down the path from Splash Mountain, and at their head was a tall carrot-top with an Australian flag draped about his shoulders. I wish I could say that I had made that up.
Are Aucklanders worse than Australians? Beats me, but as an Aucklander all I can say is that I do not travel the world letting everyone I meet know that I am from Auckland and giving them a tourist demo of my home country unless they're interested enough to ask about it. I am happy to talk to people I meet about where I am from and how it is. What I do not do, however, is ram it up their behinds without warning or invitation because I am not there to spread the gospel of How Great Thou Art, Aotearoa: I am there for a holiday.
Daniel Kerr
It is early Thursday morning London time and I have just arrived home after heading out for a few drinks. With regards to the featured article it is a fair observation that our neighbours are a little more vocal than ourselves. Also worth noting though is proportionally I am not sure what the numbers are NZ'ers vs. Australians in London but we are definitely outnumbered.
Another factor is definitely how refined the individual is, for example in the right social circles in Auckland (and I include myself) we would be well accepted in any fine drinking spot around the world however as it is mentioned in the featured article the same is often not the case for general punters out there, many of which may frequent Aucklands Viaduct or in Wellington Courtney Place of course this would also be the case again for our neighbouring green and gold friends. Perhaps its time for the return of finishing schools for both genders, which would at least see some manners, tact, courtesy returning to society.
Kel
Its us bloody Aucklanders that are the biggest pricks I reckon. We were the first to get the name Jafa, and its true. You go around the world and most people hate Aucklanders. Im not sure why. maybe due to the fact that they think they are better than everyone else at everything they do? Its like, go to a country where they are famous for something, some stupid kiwi is gunna pipe up and say "I could do that, its easy". Then they fail miserably and cant even do that with style. "aww you cheated, you didnt say I could do that, let me do it again, I know I can beat you." blah blah blah blah blah... Yes there are those of us that go to somewhere for a drink and dont annoy everyone in the pub, but the 60 per cent of us that do ruin it.
Ethan
Advice to any kiwis going overseas, if you find yourself getting pissed, losing control and making a fool of yourself just pass yourself off as an aussie. Good on ya mate!
Andrew
Kiwis and Aussies are both pretty bad overseas, but I dont think I would ever go back to Phuket again. I have been a couple of times and it just gets worse and worse in terms of Aussie white trash. Loud, obnoxious, arrogant, sexist, changing the channel on the TV sets in the pubs and hotels so they can watch Aussie Rules... If I wanted that, I would go to the Gold Coast for my holidays.
NeillR
Typical Aussies, they would steal anything (off us).
Andrew
I am Australian and now live in New Zealand (Auckland for the job oppotunity) and think that Aucklanders are more snobby than their South island Kiwi counterparts. Dean - I partly agree with you that Queenslanders are the most "special" kind of Australians. Some of the most sincere/trustworthy/down-to-earth Aussies I have met were Queenslanders. At the same time, probably the biggest knobs hailed from QLD too.I would say JAFA may be quite apt in either case, but unfortunately too many people use it to judge others before getting to know them.
Dave Elliott
The best thing about loud obnoxious Aussies is that when I have been behaving badly, I merely pass myself off as one to save NZs good name.
Kim Hutcheson
I am an Aucklander now living in Sydney, Australia. The perception that Aussies are ruder in general is not really accurate - they are just less PC than Kiwis, Aucklanders in particular.Having lived in Sydney for a while now - and hence with the benefit of hindsight - political correctness, or at least the use of euphemistic language to mollycoddle minorities, is rife in New Zealand. Australians are simply less reserved in expressing their feelings, whether they be chauvinistic pride, parochialism, or prejudice. Such behaviour tends to be (at best) frowned on in NZ. If there is one thing that I do like about the Aussies - you always know where you stand!
Arron
Being an Aucklander, I must admit we can be pretty bad. But the Aussies top us with the "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi" chant. That is the gayest thing I have ever heard.
Tricky
As an Aucklander living in Australia i find this piece embarrassing. Please focus on real issues and stop trying to reinforce stereotypes. Yawn!
Craig
Think the term is better suited to Aucklanders (and especially the thousands of them in London....). Any form of manners seem to have gone out the window which is standard in the city of s(n)ails but is out of line with the way the vast majority of Europeans seem to behave. Yes some Australians can be annoying but for a smaller population base Aucklanders seem to be disproportionately more so(sign of the times?).
Dean
Aucklanders are about the best people on the planet. Rest of country mostly bogans and the Aussies not too bad except Queenslanders.
MS
Australians are worse by far, but then again, I am an original Jafa myself. Being called a Jafa is by no means an insult, as the rest of NZ may think. But getting back to the Aussies, the arrogance award definitely goes to the good ole Aussies from the behaviour I have seen from them in London and other parts of Europe. When hearing the Aussie accent abroad, I used to think "Oh here we go again". Mind you, they are over there to have fun, but must they do it in such ways to embarrass not only themselves but their country, every single time? The friendliest people I came across while in Europe were Canadians.
Jamie Kennedy
Aussies only just, but some of the Aucklanders are borderline but in general Aussies are worse.
Paul
I am a Kiwi who has lived in Melbourne for 36 years now. What has surprised me is that if I meet a non-Auckland Kiwi we usually have a chat, perhaps find a common friend or interest in NZ. i.e. have a normal interaction. Most often, I find, if I meet an Aucklander the moment they determine I am not one myself the conversation is instantly terminated, some even turning on their heels and walking away. I'm mystified.Extending that a little, I feel that Ozzies are generally fairly friendly, and because of my experience I would rate Aucklanders as less so. Its weird and I cant explain it. It has happened so often.Nevertheless, I enjoy reading the NZ Herald on the net each day, to see how the Auckland universe is.
Hans
I wonder how much of this is due to the fact that when Kiwis misbehave and know they have, they will call themselves Australian - after all, the accent is the same!
Doug Sumner
Your report may have it quite wrong, as the term JAFA in the UK has been used for over 15 years!, this has been used for when one really wants to associate someone as being a wanker! Or at best, as the JAFA orange is seedless, is one way to describe someone who in effect is "seedless" in the downstairs department!
