Looking down on the townies

The great divide between town and country is a myth believed only by rural people, a poll shows.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry undertook the survey to discover whether the rift was real or a myth. The ministry found that it existed - but only in the minds of country people.

The research comprised six urban and rural focus groups and a telephone survey of 1243 people, 608 urban and 635 rural.

Townies had a positive view of rural New Zealand and said this had become more positive in the past five years. Most agreed that if rural New Zealand was doing well, everyone in towns was better off.

In contrast, 64 per cent of country dwellers thought townies did not understand the importance of rural New Zealand. Negative views of towns included over-crowding, traffic, crime, pollution and waste.

One said urbanites were "not necessarily so community focused, more focused on sales and getting ahead, dressed in the latest fashions and they tend to have smaller families than farming families". Another said: "My wife teaches at the college and she said you have to keep amusing them all the time or else they're punching one another. I think the city people are like that. They have to be entertained."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Reasons   #1   02:29 pm Jul 29 2009

One reason why farmers don't think much of townies is because of rates. Farmers are constantly told that the towns support the farmers, but yet farmers can pay upwards of $6,000 per annum in rates and not have rubbish collections, sewer disposal, footpaths, tar sealed roads, etc, whilst the local township residents receives all the above and only pays $1,000 per annum in rates.

As for the "Negative views of towns included over-crowding, traffic, crime, pollution and waste", even towns people think this. I know I get tired of the traffic, crime etc and I choose to live in the city.

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