The North Shore Tribe: Achieving

The ambitious, hard-working, heavily-mortgaged inhabitants of the great suburban jungle for whom looking good and keeping up appearances are fundamentally important. They survive in the jungle by constantly moving ahead, up through the ranks of job, car, house, street and suburb.

Found in: Commuter suburbs, gathering in offices, gyms and shopping malls.

Distinguishing Characteristics: New cars, new toys, long commutes, tropical resort holidays, stress-related health issues.

The highly educated intelligentsia who value ideas above material things and intellectualise every element of their lives. Their most prized possession is a painting by the artist of the moment, they frequent film festivals, secretly wish they had more gay and Maori friends, feel guilty about discussing property values and deep down are uneasy about their passion for rugby.

Found in: Suddenly fashionable ex-working class suburbs. Large groups will gather at bohemian inner city cafes, intellectual bookshops, ethnic cultural events and film festivals.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Prefers to be “challenged” than entertained, seeks out authentic experiences, blushes when talking about property values.

The tribe of the Kiwi heartland, the provincial conservatives, who see themselves as a source of stability and commonsense, bearers of on-going connection with the land – solid, reliable and down to earth, but also deceptively smart.

Found in: Towns with a single main street and muddy utes. Gathers in clubrooms, memorial halls and at the Cossie Club.

Distinguishing Characteristics: down-to-earthness, talks of weather, moans about the government.

The round-vowelled children of privilege for whom breeding is the greatest virtue, manners really do make a difference, money is great if it’s old but crass if it’s new, and what school you went to defines the rest of your life.

Found in: Leafy enclaves of the elite old city suburbs and in leafy corners of provincial towns with old sheep-grazier traditions

Distinguishing Characteristics: Rounded vowels, meticulous manners.

 
The Otara Tribe: Community

Urban, often immigrant, often Polynesian, community-minded people where family is paramount and Church is likely to play a central social role, or if not Church then another club-based group. The sense of belonging and support structures are very strong as is the pressure to ‘do the right thing’ and uphold appearances.

Found in: Areas with concentrations of churches and state housing.

Distinguishing Characteristics: large social gatherings, infectious laughter, wearing of flowers, men in skirts.

 
The Raglan Tribe:  Free spirited

The independent spirits who value the ability to live a life according to their own priorities, not the consumerist pressures for material aggrandizement. They tend to be highly sensate and internally focussed – hedonists, or spiritual journeyers,  fitness fanatics or adrenaline junkies. Many Kiwis join the Raglan tribe for three weeks at Christmas. 

Found in: Laid-back suburbs on the wild side of town, or small settlements in beautiful places.

Distinguishing Characteristics: old station wagons, stacks of firewood, mismatched possessions.

A transitional Tribe for young alternative Kiwis on the cutting edge of cool, where ‘new’ is the greatest virtue, being labelled mainstream the greatest fear and self-expression the great preoccupation. The Cuba Street tribe is the edge from which many trends and fashions emerge – in the 80’s it was the vanguard of espresso, in the 90’s of body piercing and tattoos.

Found in: Bohemian zones in central areas of main cities, at the coolest gigs, at art schools and universities.

Distinguishing Characteristics: looks weird, likes looking weird. 

Urban working people who disdain “wankers” and define themselves by their unwillingness to think of themselves as better than their mates – the classic “state house and jug of beer” Kiwis. 

Found in: Suburbs and towns with concentrations of car-yards, supermarkets and sports grounds.

Distinguishing Characteristics: shift work, blue overalls, budgets.