British traveller’s rant about pints in New Zealand gets heated

A British traveller’s rant about the size of a pint in New Zealand has caused a heated debate online.

Andy Howarth was enjoying his travels around New Zealand when he grabbed a larger in a restaurant and noticed something was not quite right.

“Had what was advertised as a pint of lager in a restaurant the other day, it didn’t seem like a pint so I asked one of the staff if it was definitely a pint,” Howarth in a post to the private Facebook group, New Zealand Travel Tips (NZTT).

Howard said the staff’s response was that it was a 520ml glass, “so very nearly a pint”. Haling from Sheffield, UK, Howarth knew an imperial pint was 568ml and wasn’t pleased about the generous rounding up.

“Wouldn’t normally be bothered but when I’m paying $14.50 for a pint I expect to get a pint,” he wrote, asking the group’s 44,400 members if this was typical.

“Is this kind of thing normal in New Zealand?” he wrote.

The issue clearly hit a nerve with the Facebook group members and quickly racked up almost 80 comments from travellers. who passionately debated the issue.

In the UK, a pint is a specific measurement that translates to 568 ml. However, many claim New Zealand uses the term far more loosely.

“I think of a pint in NZ from experience as a large glass rather like than when I worked in the UK and learnt it was an actual measurement,” wrote Sarah White.

“Colloquially, asking for a pint at a bar is asking for the biggest glass they have,” added Scotty Ogilvie while Chris Kurien agreed.

“Pints don’t exist in NZ, they just give you the largest glass which is usually anything from 440mls upwards,” he wrote. “If you got 520ml you were doing well.”

Howarth likely isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to feel short-changed by the difference.

“I’m a Brit who has been living here for 20 years and it still foxes me,” wrote Emma Tucker.

Depending on what kind of pint the bar was referring to, Howarth could have received a generous pour, one commenter pointed out.

“An imperial pint is 568ml, in the US it’s 473ml,” wrote Anna Taylor.

Many shared the opinion that New Zealand should stop using the term in a misleading way.

“Other than in ‘British’ bars which often do have proper pint glasses, I don’t know why we persist with calling things a ‘pint’ when we’ve had the metric system for so long,” wrote Jane Bland.

“Most craft beer bars offer their beers in a choice of glass size e.g. 300ml, 400ml - which makes a lot more sense.”

Others were less focused on the exact measurements.

“More importantly...where on earth were you paying that much for a pint?!” exclaimed Daniel Phillips, while Vanessa Mercer joked that if the same had happened over the ditch, there would have been serious consequences.

“In Australia that can be reported,” she wrote.

Bradley John had a creative solution.

“Bring your own pint glass,” he suggested, which others agreed should be fair if the menu advertises a ‘pint’.

Despite the number of responses, Howarth admitted he wasn’t any more certain about the answer.

“Many thanks for all your comments, everything has become as clear as mud,” he wrote.