Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Westies still have that Kiwi attitude

These blokes were spotted on Rosier Rd, Glen Eden, Auckland last week. Photo / File

Don't you just love them? Kiwi blokes. The dumb and dumber ones. They're a dying breed now, more's the pity.

You have to hand this week's prize to the chap captured on camera who wanted to move a fridge he found sitting on the footpath. An ideal beer fridge, he thought. Not for him, rounding up a trailer and lashing the fridge secularly in place for the move. Even if it was only going a few hundred metres around the corner. That's what any sensible person would do.

But not in West Auckland. They are known to do things differently. Why waste time and energy on being safe and careful? They use their ingenuity out west. It may remain buried for years, but once in a while there is a freedom break, a burst of "dare devil".

An attitude we used to see in New Zealand before we got blanketed with rules and regulations. Daniel Jackson got snapped by a passenger in a vehicle following behind. He didn't think it was a big deal.

But there have been some very irate Facebook comments. Well there would be wouldn't there? Daniel's been called stupid, careless, foolish and lots more. It seems we've become so sanitised, so risk adverse that no one, other than someone who still dances to the beat of his own drum, would attempt to stick a fridge on the top of a car, stand on the boot to hold it in place and drive around the corner.

Was it risky and unsafe? Of course it was. Did Daniel care, even think to weigh up the pros and cons of his sure-fire transport solution? Hell no. He just got on with it.

We used to be a nation of risk takers. Not any more.

Now we are so damn cautious we even ridicule those who do break out now and again and do something dumb. Yet there is something about this "devil-may-care" attitude I admire. Keeping it simple. Don't over complicate matters. Let's give it a try and see what happens. Such blokes used to give anything a go. They never cared if they were laughed at or thought ridiculous. They were being themselves. They're still to be found in towns throughout New Zealand. Harbouring a fine relaxed attitude to life and not getting bogged down by PC and trivia. But I suspect in younger New Zealanders you'll have to go searching. They will never know a time when their country was unfettered by the plethora of rules and regulations we have now.

All designed to supposedly look out for our safety and wellbeing. Where everything is so prescribed.

I blame the Government. Well why not? The poor Government gets blamed for everything. It's a pity they don't think of what could be the downside to all the rules and regulations they are introducing into the lives of their citizens. One big impact is to stymie creative thinking. To lessen the opportunity for "thinking outside the box". And it starts in the school playground.

You can't just whack up a jungle gym, slide and a few swings anymore. You need the approved, sanitised version of modern playground equipment. No wonder the majority of children don't know how to run, play and scream around the school yard like they used to.

Dumb and dumber they may have been at times. But they were clever, these Kiwi blokes. We scoff at the notion of the "No 8 wire mentality" now. Some say it did New Zealand no favours. I don't agree.

New Zealanders are resourceful and resilient. We can hold our own on all fronts. We have wonderful people doing great work here and overseas. They are developing and designing products that are some of the best in the world.

That well-spring came from somewhere. I like to think some crazy Kiwi blokes contributed. The few today that remain, that still encapsulate the Kiwi spirit of "let's give it a go", I hope they never entirely disappear.

Blokes like Daniel Jackson. Cheers, mate.

• Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.