Similarities between Canada and New Zealand
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The nations of Canada and New Zealand have many similarities.
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History and language
They are both formerly resource-based economies which are transitioning to being service-based. Both were colonized by the British Empire, primarily from the 18th century onwards. In the 19th century, they were both among the British Dominions. Consequently, both have inherited much from British culture and politics (such as the parliamentary system of government). Today both are independent countries with the Queen as head of state, and a locally elected prime minister as head of government--currently Paul Martin in Canada and Helen Clark in New Zealand.
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Both nations have traditionally viewed themselves as bicultural, with the French–English split in Canada and the British/Pakeha–Maori split in New Zealand. Both have a region that takes particular pride in its Scottish ancestry (Otago in New Zealand and Nova Scotia in Canada), each having some remnants of a Scottish accent. Both Canada and New Zealand have English-language accents similar to their respective neighbours', causing confusion for third-parties.
Canadian and New Zealand English are being strongly influenced by American and Australian English, respectively. In New Zealand, a tell-tale difference in speech from that of Australia is the use of the sentence ending word "eh?" - an affectation introduced from Maori. Canadian speech is much caricatured in the US for its use of the same word.
Geography
Each is located near a much more populous and more conservative former British colony. Although relations are close, New Zealanders and Canadians each feel a certain ambivalence towards their more populous neighbour (Australia and the United States of America respectively). Most Canadians and New Zealanders dislike being mistaken for Americans and Australians. They also take offence at attempts to dismiss their countries as identical to their larger neighbours.
Auckland is the largest city of New Zealand and Toronto of Canada, but neither is its country's capital. Each of them has a very diverse immigrant community, and each has the tallest free-standing structure in its hemisphere — Sky Tower in Auckland and CN Tower in Toronto. Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is located between Ontario and Quebec, the two major historical divisions of pre-Confederation Canada; Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is located between the North and South islands, the major divisions of New Zealand.
Industry
Both nations have recently become home to important film industries, mostly producing American-financed films at low cost. The cities of Wellington and Vancouver are the major centres of film production.
Both make substantial use of hydro-electric power, some of which is used to process materials sourced elsewhere (e.g., Australian bauxite in Southland, New Zealand). Both countries have important forestry and cattle primary industries.
In both nations, the national sport (rugby in New Zealand and ice hockey in Canada) is a contact sport marked by legal aggression and incidents of illegal violence. Both nations are competitive with any other nation in their respective sport.
Both nations spend a relatively smaller percentage of their national budget on the military compared to their larger neighbours.
Politics
Both nations have recently enacted progressive policies towards their native peoples (the First Nations and Inuit in Canada, and the Maori in New Zealand), in contrast to their neighbours, who both have had a more contentious history of relations with their native peoples.
Unlike their respective neighbours, neither Canada and New Zealand participated in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, and resisted pressure for support.
Both nations are relatively geographically isolated, thus they are relatively sheltered from the conflicts that affect their neighbours. For example, the United States' perpetual problems with illegal immigration from Mexico and Cuban animosity, and Australia's difficulties with instability in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. This can strain relations, as the United States and Australia take umbrage at what they perceive as Canada and New Zealand's disinterest in their problems. In particular, Canada and New Zealand are often seen as insufficiently vigilant in the War on terror, although both nations participated in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
Major Differences
Of course, the two countries have many differences. Not least of these is their relative sizes: Canada has a population of 32.2 million and an area of 9.98 million square kilometres; New Zealand has a population of 4.0 million and an area of 0.268 million square kilometres.
Canada suffers from the chronic problem of separatism in Quebec. New Zealand does not have a similar regional separatist movement.
New Zealand has been suspended from its regional security organisation, ANZUS, over its opposition to nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed naval vessels. By contrast, Canada remains committed to NATO, striving to work past differences over the invasion of Iraq in order to preserve the alliance.
External links
NZ Herald — O Canada! We stand on guard for thee (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=3521966)
NZ Herald — Canada's opposition to war strains relations with U.S. (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=3350894)