When I moved from Alberta to Auckland on a working holiday visa, I assumed Canadians and New Zealanders were basically cousins. We both apologize too much, love the outdoors, and live in the long shadow of a larger, louder neighbour.
I wasn’t entirely wrong. But after nearly a full year in New Zealand, I realized that fitting in had less to do with my accent and more to do with my attitude. Turns out there are a few unwritten rules – and, rather inconveniently, nobody gives you the handbook when you land.
If you’re a Canadian heading to New Zealand, here are the lessons that helped me feel more like a local – and a few I wish I’d known before confidently embarrassing myself in public.
1. Stop comparing everything to Canada
You will be tempted to announce:
“Back home we…”
“In Canada we…”
“Our mountains are bigger.”
Resist this urge.
Nobody cares.
Instead, be curious. Ask why things are done differently in New Zealand. You might learn something interesting – and, at the very least, you won’t get the polite smile reserved for someone who’s just explained snow to people who have, in fact, seen snow.
2. Learn to love “Sweet as”
You’ll hear it constantly:
“Sweet as.”
“Yeah, nah.”
“Nah, yeah.”
“How you going?”
“Good on ya.”
“She’ll be right.”
“I reckon…”
“Bring your togs and jandals.”
“Let’s go tramping.”
Don’t panic. Don’t overthink it. Just laugh and pretend you know what they’re saying.
3. Buy a decent rain jacket
You’ll use it. A lot.
New Zealand has a strong “just kidding” policy: sunshine at breakfast, sideways rain by lunch, back to sunshine before you’ve finished questioning your life choices.
Locals will stroll through this with nothing more than a hoodie. You, however, will quickly learn that optimism is not waterproof.
You’ll wear your rain jacket while everyone around you insists it’s “fine.”
Then, one day, you’ll leave the house without it because the forecast looked promising.
That’s how New Zealand wins.
4. Rugby exists
You don’t need to become an expert overnight, but you do need to accept that it will be everywhere. On every screen. In every pub. Occasionally on a screen in a pub showing a replay of a game that already ended while someone argues about it again.
Your flatties will be watching it at home. It’ll be on at family dinners. Entire conversations will pause the moment someone makes a break for the try line.
You may try to keep talking. You may even think you’re being heard.
You are not.
The national team, the All Blacks, are treated with the kind of reverence usually reserved for ancient mythology.
Then there are the Warriors, whose greatest rival is their supporters’ blood pressure.
You don’t need to understand all of it. Just know when to stop talking and start nodding.
5. Bare feet are acceptable
Shoes? Often unnecessary. Occasionally suspicious.
You’ll see it at cafes, your local dairy, the supermarket – and yes, even the beer fridge aisle, where someone is calmly deciding between lagers like they didn’t just walk in from their driveway.
At first, it throws you. You’ll do a double take.
You will be wearing shoes, of course. Sensible ones. Possibly even tied properly. You will feel, for a moment, like you are the only person who misunderstood the assignment.
Then it happens slowly. One day you’re barefoot on the deck “just for a second.” Then it’s the mailbox. Then it’s “I’m just running in quickly.”
And that’s how it starts.
You don’t become barefoot in New Zealand.
You just stop noticing that you forgot shoes again.
6. Roundabouts run clockwise
Don’t be like me. Enter the roundabout the correct way.
New Zealand kindly flips the script on you here.
You will hesitate. You will second-guess. You will briefly forget which country you’re in.
You will stop traffic coming from three different directions, and – at some point – you will make eye contact with another driver who has already accepted their fate and is now just watching your performance with quiet concern.
If you’re lucky, you’ll escape with nothing more than a chorus of honks and a new understanding of humility.
If you’re not, you’ll attempt a slow, shameful reverse in the middle of the roundabout while reassuring yourself that “no one will notice,” despite everyone noticing.
7. Don’t mistake laid-back for lazy
One thing I admire about Kiwi culture is that people seem less interested in looking busy all the time.
Weekends matter.
An arvo tennis match is a perfectly acceptable activity for the day.
Collecting seashells at the beach can happily consume an entire afternoon.
I remember one Sunday morning at my flat. As I was heading out for a surf, I found two of my flatmates playing ping-pong with the freebie paddles and ball that came in the box of Malibu rum we’d opened the night before. They may have been at it for hours. There was no scoreboard. No urgency. Just pure commitment to the bit.
And honestly, it was perfect.
People work hard – but they also seem completely comfortable switching it off without guilt or apology.
As a Canadian, I found that refreshing. It’s a reminder that a day doesn’t have to be productive to be well spent.
8. “Eh” belongs at the end of every sentence
As a conversational tag, it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting. Agreement-seeking, soft emphasis, emotional punctuation – sometimes all at once.
Be prepared for it to quietly infiltrate your speech until you begin wondering if sentences are even complete without it.
One day you’ll hear yourself say, “Good on ya, eh,” and nobody will react.
That’s when you realize there’s no going back.
9. Get out of Auckland
Auckland really does grow on you, but New Zealand’s magic is found beyond the city.
Pick a beach on the west or east coast and just drive. No elaborate plan. Just a vague sense of direction.
Stop whenever something looks interesting.
You won’t remember the kilometers you covered. You’ll remember the places you almost drove past.
10. Say yes
The best experiences I had weren’t on my itinerary.
They came from saying yes whenever someone invited me surfing, hiking, camping, or to a local concert I’d never have found on my own but will somehow remember forever.
Working holidays reward curiosity, not control.
Final thoughts
Canadians tend to fit into New Zealand pretty well.
We’re polite enough not to offend anyone, friendly enough to make friends, and adventurous enough to appreciate what makes New Zealand special.
The biggest adjustment isn’t learning Kiwi slang.
It’s letting go of the idea that there’s a “right” way to do things and embracing a culture that’s wonderfully relaxed, quietly confident, and completely unbothered by whether you’ve optimized your life or not.
Some places change where you live.
New Zealand changes how you live.