New Zealand’s popularity lies mostly in its leisure programmes and way of life.
Way Of Life
The size of New Zealand it many times more that of Singapore’s. The number of population though is similar, or even lesser than Singapore’s. This means that there are plenty of space for each citizen in New Zealand to live in. When I was there, I found that many people lived in single unit houses, unlike the HDB houses in Singapore. This meant that the people living there lived in comfortable spaces.
I also noted a difference in the pace of life in New Zealand. It was way slower and less stressful, as compared to Singapore. The country’s GDP per capita is at $29,000 (World Bank). Although it may seem low, the cost of living there is not as high as Singapore. I was greatly enticed by the way of life in New Zealand when I was there. Personally, I feel that many tourists, especially the older generations, enjoy going to New Zealand because of this.
Leisure Programmes
What comes to your mind when you think of New Zealand? For me, it would be Rugby. The famous “All Blacks” have taken the rugby world by storm with their skillful plays and their famous pre-game show, where they perform the haka. Rugby is a national sport in New Zealand, attracting both foreign and domestic tourists to New Zealand.
On one hand, they have rugby leagues similar to that of the ‘English Premier League’ in England for soccer. This attracts fans from other cities in New Zealand as they travel to support their home team. On the other hand, like soccer, rugby does hold a World-Cup event every 4 years. This however, attracts rugby fans from countries all over the world. The upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011 will be held in New Zealand.
The All Black's Haka, which is an attraction itself.
Other than this major event, other festivals such as Christmas is celebrated yearly, with gusto. A festival which I would like to highlight is the annual Kapa Haka competition. Every year, different groups of people will challenge in performing the haka. This is similar to a dance off. This event usually involves schools but they are also taken seriously as a national competition. More importantly, it is national pride.
