Editorial: Happy to come in 13th

The majority of Kiwis should be happy and proud to live here, writes Gillespie.

If you're happy and you know it, there's a good chance you're Scandinavian.

New research suggests the five happiest countries in the world are, in order, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands and Sweden (I'm not sure what they're doing wrong in Finland and Iceland).

New Zealand is once again near the top of the list, placing 13th this year down from 8th last year. To be fair we've probably come down just a tad from the highs in the wake of our 2011 Rugby World Cup success.

But it's worth noting that, hey, things aren't necessarily that bad and could, in many cases, be a lot worse. Of 156 countries included in the United Nations World Happiness Report, we're in the top 10 per cent.

Perhaps it's got something to do with our legendary though possibly mythical "she'll be right" attitude, our penchant for Bob Marley's Three Little Birds ("Don't worry about a thing, cos every little thing is gonna be all right") and the fact the average Kiwi has got it pretty good.

Yes, our pay packets are smaller than other countries, race relations is an issue never far from the headlines, some of our crime statistics are abysmal and most people couldn't afford to live in our only big city even if they wanted to, but at least we live in a democracy.

We have opportunities people in other countries would kill for, and often do.

Plenty of Kiwis have personal circumstances giving them every reason to be unhappy, but the majority should be happy and proud to live here. New Zealand may or may not be "100% Pure", but for me at least, it's 100% home.

And it's a bloody sight warmer here than in Scandinavia.