Australia and New Zealand; Quarterly Essay 80

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In a tumultuous year, Australia and New Zealand have never been closer, as we move towards a shared travel zone. But why, despite being so close, do we seem to know so little about each other? And is there such a thing as national character?

In this wise and illuminating essay, Laura Tingle looks at leadership, economics, history and more. Competitiveness has marked our relationship from its earliest days. In the past half-century, both countries have been compelled to remake themselves amid shifting economic fortunes. New Zealand has been held up as a model for everything from tax reform to the way we conduct our politics. What have been the outcomes? How do they compare to ours? Tingle considers everything from Morrison and Ardern as national leaders to the different ways each country has dealt with its colonial legacy. What could we learn from New Zealand? And it from us?

This is a perceptive, often amusing introduction to a country just like ours in some ways, but quite different in others.In a tumultuous year, Australia and New Zealand have never been closer, as we move towards a shared travel zone. But why, despite being so close, do we seem to know so little about each other? And is there such a thing as national character?

In this wise and illuminating essay, Laura Tingle looks at leadership, economics, history and more. Competitiveness has marked our relationship from its earliest days. In the past half-century, both countries have been compelled to remake themselves amid shifting economic fortunes. New Zealand has been held up as a model for everything from tax reform to the way we conduct our politics. What have been the outcomes? How do they compare to ours? Tingle considers everything from Morrison and Ardern as national leaders to the different ways each country has dealt with its colonial legacy. What could we learn from New Zealand? And it from us?

This is a perceptive, often amusing introduction to a country just like ours in some ways, but quite different in others.
Laura Tingle is chief political correspondent for ABC-TV's 7.30. She won the Paul Lyneham Award for Excellence in Press Gallery Journalism in 2004, and Walkley awards in 2005 and 2011. She is the author of Chasing the Future- Recession, Recovery and the New Politics in Australia and three acclaimed Quarterly Essays, Great Expectations, Political Amnesia and Follow the Leader.