Excuse me while I bag our hypocrisy

Despite occasional evidence to the contrary, I like to think that New Zealanders are pretty good value.

We may not be the planet's most cultured, creative or attractive people, but we do all right, especially when you consider how few of us there are, the tyranny of distance, and how many of us need a few drinks before we can express our feelings.

You really appreciate that there are things we can be proud of when you're overseas and people ask you about New Zealand and you find yourself talking about achievements like Kiwi women being the first to get the vote, and the way we stood up to the French and the Americans over nuclear weapons. I once met some guys at California's Berkeley University who were in awe of New Zealanders for the way so many of us kicked up a stink over the 1981 Springbok Tour. It's a nice feeling, and I think it's a more emotionally legitimate one than the pride that can come from the achievements of sports teams or individuals with whom you have no actual connection.

The downside of looking at the world this way is that when New Zealanders act in ways that are selfish, lazy and ignorant, it's a serious downer, especially when they do it in Nelson.

Want an example? How about the way an apparently insurmountable number of us complained to New World supermarkets about having to pay five cents for plastic bags?

For Nelson, the recent consequent axing of the policy represents another small but sad step along the road towards becoming just like everywhere else. In case you missed it, the 5c charge lasted only a month in the company's North Island stores. Personally, I found it a minor source of pride that Nelson and the rest of the South Island were sticking with the programme. It used to give me a buzz whenever I was in New World's North Island stores and I made a point of telling anyone who would listen. I like regional differences, especially when they suggest that we live in a more enlightened place.

The fact that enough of us whinged about paying 5c a bag for the charge to be scrapped is also a depressing reminder of how little the average Nelsonian really cares about the environment. Sure, everyone talks about sustainability, but nowhere near as many of us cycle or walk to work or school as we did 20 years ago. Practically everyone drives – and, more often than not, we're the only ones in the car.

Then there's housing. Have you noticed that over the last decade, while Kiwis have been raving about the environment, the average home has been getting bigger and bigger?

How exactly is that being kinder to the planet?

And if more of us driving and more resources going into our ever-expanding houses don't make a mockery of our eco-friendly image, consider the following – one of the fastest-growing industries in New Zealand is storage.

That's right, our houses are bigger than ever but we still don't have enough room for all the stuff we've bought that we don't actually need.

Yet we talk about caring for the planet every chance we get, fill our lives with images of dolphins, and hate the Japanese for eating whales. Talk about delusional.

And before anyone fires off a letter about the imposition the 5c fee placed on people on fixed incomes, may I remind you that New World is the country's poshest supermarket chain, and that the least posh, Pak 'n Save, still charges for bags. I'd shop there if I lived in Richmond.

Apart from highlighting what a pack of hypocrites we are, the only good to come out of New World's decision is that it reminds us that the only way to dramatically curb the unnecessary polluting of New Zealand with plastic bags is legislation.

And before anyone gets excited over greater state intrusion in their life, take a moment to think about the end of smoking in restaurants, cafes and bars. Remember how angry people were at that idea? Now, apart from the tobacco industry and you nicotine addicts out there, would any of you like to go back to the way things were? Didn't think so.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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