In the England that I left in 1960 it was likely that any street would be lined with houses that were all the same. Conformity, especially in off-the-hook builders' speculative houses was de rigueur; one of the better known examples would be Coronation Street.
It was quite a surprise to find, in New Zealand, that the citizens were absolutely opposed to uniformity. Under no circumstances could one house look like its neighbour. Indeed, the designers and builders of middle-class housing made sure that there was a large variety of house plans available for prospective buyers, even if they might only incorporate subtle differences.
This row of letter boxes quite close to where I live is a wonderful example of the New Zealander's need to be different - or at least to look different. Even the four boxes that are the same shape are painted different colours
The thing about New Zealanders is that we're all the same - we all want to be different!
© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
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