8 Tribes : the hidden classes of New Zealand
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: Suburbs with concentrations of malls, nice cars, H.P. plasma TVs and gyms – especially north, east and central Auckland, north and west Christchurch, Tauranga, Hamilton.
The Grey Lynn Tribe - Intellectual
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: Bookshops, cafes and former working class suburbs with concentrations of renovated villas especially Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Point Chevalier, Mt Victoria, St Albans, Otago Peninsula.
The Remuera Tribe - Entitled
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 suburbs with concentrations of mansions, English gardens and private schools – especially Remuera, Epsom, Karori, Wadestown, Fendalton, Maori Hill, Havelock North
The Balclutha Tribe - Staunch
The Tribal Mind 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: Small towns and any other area with a concentration of sheep, cows, and utes.
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, or fitness fanatics or adrenaline junkies. Many Kiwis join the Raglan tribe for three weeks at Christmas.
Found in: Professions where freelancers predominate, trades where free agents are well paid. Living in city suburbs in the midst of renewal, coastal towns and suburbs, near ski fields and lakes, or living the dream in a remote Kiwi bach.
The Cuba Street Tribe – Avant-Garde
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: Draughty warehouse apartments and rundown student flats in the grungy industrial zones of major urban areas five years before the mainstream rediscovers and redevelops.
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 – esp South Auckland, Porirua, East Christchurch
The Papatoetoe Tribe – Unpretentious
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 & towns with concentrations of car yards, supermarkets and sports grounds – especially South and West Auckland, Hastings, Hutt Valley, South Christchurch, Tokoroa, Invercargill.
A quick guide to the 8 tribes of New Zealand
