New Zealand

Mateship

In New Zealand, networking among groups of people (especially among men) at similar status levels is considered a central feature of the New Zealand social structure, although its force is declining as hierarchical distinctions increasingly accumulate. As in Australia (although less so), the local concept of networking is one of “mateship,” with the male role being referenced with alternative terms such as cobber, bloke, joker, good keen man, and, more recently, dude. The concept is both generic—it is often used to greet strangers—but is also rather more intimate in the sense of referring to a long-standing close friend. It is a relationship that can be swiftly developed or mobilized. The term mateship is informal and a mild endearment, although it can be used ironically as an accompaniment to an aggressive or rude statement. Mateship is a primary group loyalty, especially those loyalties forged during periods of shared deprivation and resistance to outside forces (including higher authorities in bureaucracies and sometimes women, and the restrictions of family life).

Mates often indulge in particular shared activities—sometimes including swearing, drinking, gambling, and the telling of legendary tales—and are a means of “working the system” to secure goods or services more cheaply (or for free) than they might cost on the open market. At worst, mateship can become harshly competitive among those in the mateship network. This type of relationship developed in the male-dominated, early settler colonial situations where there were few women, limited authority, and few support structures, and where strong bonds were necessary to meet exigencies.

Network Studies in New Zealand

This well-established image continues into the present; a government Website aimed at describing New Zealand contemporary social life for visitors or potential migrants suggests that there are only two degrees of separation among New Zealanders. However, this claim has yet to be justified with appropriate research, and in fact there has been little systematic analysis of networks in New Zealand, although a range of data on them has been collected, particularly through surveys.

The first two New Zealand network sociological studies were published in 1973. A survey in Wellington that examined the effects of networks on voting found that income had little effect on network range, but that older and less educated people had fewer network involvements. Another study used network methodology to trace marijuana smokers and establish their characteristics and attitudes, finding that few were part of [Page 649]any counterculture, but that most aligned in values and behavior with the rest of society.

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