Like many other Australians, I thought this week would be a good time to clarify my citizenship status.
Born in Brisbane to an Australian and a Kiwi, I hadn’t bothered to fact-check my potential New Zealand citizenship.
It was a fair surprise then, when I took the test on the New Zealand government website and discovered I was a Kiwi citizen by descent.
Despite owning no documentation whatsoever, the New Zealand government recognises me as a citizen, which can be certified in passport form for $318 if I so choose.
As a sport-lover, this raises a tricky question, particularly after the Wallabies’ appalling Bledisloe Cup loss – can I, as a citizen of Australia and New Zealand, justifiably support the All Blacks?
There are a few arguments for and against this to help me make a decision.
For: I am a Kiwi citizen
My mum is a Kiwi and I have citizenship. Surely, this entitles me to support any of New Zealand’s national teams, including their crown jewels, the mighty All Blacks.
Against: It’s too late
I am a couple of months short of entering my 20s, and I have been watching the Wallabies for a long time. The current period is undoubtedly the toughest of my life, but jumping ship now would be cowardly and wrong.
The All Blacks’ success would definitely partially compensate for the guilt, but could I ever live with the abuse from my mates for ditching the Wallabies when they needed me most? Could they live with my smugness with every Bledisloe Cup smashing?
[latest_videos_strip category=”rugby” name=”Rugby”]
For: I will enjoy rugby again
A no-brainer. The All Blacks are the best team in world rugby and have been for a long time.
They have elevated themselves to almost mythical status since collecting a long overdue World Cup in 2011, so much so that for them to lose more than one Test a year is a shock.
Australian rugby is obviously in a far poorer state. The dismal performances of this year’s Super Rugby contingent, the dreadful handling of the Western Force’s folding, and the Wallabies’ horrendous showing in Sydney on Saturday sum it all up.
You can’t blame a guy for just wanting to enjoy watching a sport… can you?
Against: You can’t pick and choose national teams
I already own shirts representing the Socceroos, the Kangaroos and Australia’s cricket team.
Where national pride is concerned, it’s a little tricky to cheer hard for a country in some sports, and for another country in others.
Divided loyalties are a tricky business, as many politicians have discovered in the last month.
If I were to dedicate myself to the All Blacks, would I not be obligated to go all in and support the Kiwis, Black Caps and All Whites as well?
This issue is all the more difficult considering the prominent Australia-New Zealand rivalry which permeates across most of our favourite codes.
For: I truly identify with New Zealand
I don’t want to create the impression I had nothing to do with New Zealand until I googled my potential Kiwi status.
I have been to the Shaky Isles six times to visit family or for recreation, and certainly plan to go again.
Without sounding too much like a tourism campaign, New Zealand is a beautiful country with a great sporting culture.
I do feel a certain sense of pride when I’m there, and having a Kiwi parent contributes strongly to that.
All the same, I certainly feel strongly about my Aussie pride as well, having lived here all my life. I couldn’t bring myself to hate Australia, despite its many faults.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Against: Good things come to those who wait
Probably the weakest of any of these points is to ‘hang in there, baby’.
The chasm between Australian and New Zealand rugby has never been wider. With Australian participation rates plummeting, a Super Rugby team recently cut, and a dreadful team playing for the Wallabies in the present, there is little reason to have hope for the future.
One would be forgiven for thinking the Wallabies will never win the Bledisloe Cup again.
All the same, there is a little voice in the back of my mind saying the Aussies will – eventually – win it back. Two close victories on home soil would do it.
Sure, it won’t be this year. Or next year. Or 2019. But eventually. And when it happens, how sweet it will be.
For New Zealand, the Cup has become a yearly formality. The Wallabies should be far more determined than their opponents to claim it.
All that said, I remain unsure where to go from here.
To you, dear reader, I await your helpful hints or vitriolic abuse.
Illya Kuryakin
Guest
Moaman, really you've met Australians who didn't know where NZ is? I call BS on that unless you're a lower primary school teacher or meth dealer.
moaman
Guest
I have met Australians who didn't know where NZ is.Americans don't have a monopoly on general ignorance. Some people just don't have an iterest in the world around them...and that is fair enough I suppose. Each to his own.
moaman
Guest
'Die Mannschaft'.....literally 'The Team' --seriously? I didn't know that.
JohnB
Guest
Meant to suggest you note Titus' fourth point in particular.
JohnB
Guest
Liam, Jack and I know who you are and where you live. As in so many fields, Titus O'Reily says all that needs to be said on the subject of changing allegiances (albeit through the prism of AFL) https://titusoreily.com/afl/it-ever-ok-change-afl-teams
Fionn
Guest
Ash, I'm really shocked and horrified to hear that. I'm sorry for your mother, yourself and your family (even though it isn't my business). I am just shocked to hear that. I've never been to New Zealand but I had always thought that Kiwis and Aussies were best of friends (aside from when rugby was involved, anyway). Really strange to hear.
Ash
Guest
Fionn my mother wouldn't hurt a fly and was constantly ridiculed for being an Aussie when in New Zealand. Because of this both my brother and I both view ourselves as Aussies even though he was born in NZ. As for the rugby thing my mother got spat at during an AB v WBs game some years ago.
Targa
Guest
It is also very cool having a black passport. I have travelled to some random countries and the immigration people love looking at such a beautiful passport
Fionn
Guest
Fanny and Alexander was indeed utterly fantastic. Thts interesting about the actor and the social life, however... Yeah, man, I to be honest I think it is much better than Apocalypse Now, it is just much subtler and more intimate than Apocalypse Now so it hammers home further, and the setting is better. I really like apocalypse now and Heart of Darkness, but I preferred the novel I think - the setting in the Congo was darker and more terrifying, and especially meeting Kurtz was a bigger moment.
woodart
Guest
quick quizz then, person with #10 on back is a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _?
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
Best Swedish movie ever is Fanny & Alexander. Ingemar Bergman's last movie that won a couple of Academy Awards despite being in Swedish (no small feat). One of the actors in that movie (Jan Malmsjö) plays his rather evil character - a priest - so convincing that for many years he had trouble in his social life, hence people could not separate him from his character. I absolutely hated that priest character while watching the movie. Well, you are really selling "Come and See" at a high value here. Better than Apocolypse Now? That is seriously big words. In my little world Apocalypse Now (and the book the movie is based "Heart of Darkness") is as good as it gets.
woodart
Guest
yes, come over to the dark side. first thing, we dont call home " the shaky isles". as for having to support other kiwi teams, why? unless you follow those sports. I couldnt care less about cricket ,so dont support the kiwi team. big plus about finding out you are one of us, you cant be an aussie politician.....
Fionn
Guest
I've never heard of Johan I'm afraid :P. I like Swedish movies but they are just so bleak. I have seen that! Great film. This movie is... different. It is about the Nazi genocide of the Soviets during the Nazi occupation of the USSR. Horrifying stuff – imagine the themes of Apocalypse Now done far, far, far better (and I like Apocalypse Now). It was filmed sequentially over 6 months, and the 14 year old actor needed therapy after the movie, and his hair turned grey during the filming and suffered from psychological issues afterwards. Adapted from a book named Khatyn by a guy who was a partisan during the war in Belorussia.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
Hahaha, yeah Swedish crime movies are lame and bleak. Stopped watching them a long time ago, despite a good friend of mine is one of the main actors in "Johan Falck". Gonna check up "Come and See" ASAP. Thanks for that Fionn. Best WW2 movie for me is "Das Boot". No competition really. If you have not seen it, check it out. A masterpiece. I rewatch it every year at least once.
Fionn
Guest
When I was in Hungary over Christmas my cousins were showing me some Hungarian comedy. It was... bleak... to say the least... Judging by how depressing some of your crime fiction is I would imagine it would be similar to the Hungarian, just without the Communist hangover? The best Edgar Wright movies are Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. All else pales in comparison. Airplane and Fletch? Hmmm, I'll check them out. Also, if you're interested in the best WWII (and war) movie I've ever seen, search 'Come and See'. I just went to look for the trailer to link to you but it looks like the whole movie could be on there broken into two parts but with a Cyrillic title, weird. Dunno, however, haven't looked at the video so I could be talking nonsense, it just came up when I searched the name of the movie. It'd be weird if it was on YouTube, especially since I waited weeks and weeks for the DVD to arrive from like South Korea or something, wherever it was shipped from.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
Hi Fionn Never heard of Edgar Wright, but I am gonna google him right away. I am not sure if it can be called Irony, but an old comedy movie like Airplane I still find very funny. Fletch is another old movie in the same mold that still makes me laugh hard. I would say we have our own version of irony in Sweden that is pretty brutal (maybe it is the never-ending darkness six months a year that hardens us). For an outsider, it can be pretty confusing. Would love to show you some examples, but it will be lost in translation I suspect.
Fionn
Guest
I don't know why you assume I travel on an Australian passport.
Mr Hollywood
Guest
If you can, Fionn get yourself a kiwi passport then you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Mr Hollywood
Guest
Okay Fionn. It's okay. All good. I'm predicting your humour will get better as you age. Then you'll eventually be able to recognise talent. Please don't be hard on yourself.
Fionn
Guest
Out of interest, if you're a fan of the old irony then do you love the Edgar Wright comedies, Black Books and the like? How about Karl Pilkintgon :P?