These Tales Of Trans-Tasman Mateship Will Make Your Heart Warm
Share the lamb this summer.
Whether it’s the Bledisloe Cup, Barnaby Joyce’s citizenship, or the West Island’s tendency to claim the East Island’s goods (Russell Crowe, Neil Finn, Pavlova and the Flat White, for starters), Australia and New Zealand have a checkered history.
But heart-warming tales of friendship and harmony pepper our shared history, too. Today, we’re going deep on a handful of trans-Tasman tales of mateship – from the enduring ANZAC legacy, to the bloody good blokes on the Kiwi cricket team.
Unyielding rapport – and some decent banter – is what the Australia-New Zealand relationship is all about.
The Legend Of The ANZACs
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Our Trans-Tasman journey always begins with the ANZACs. As the cornerstone of friendship between our two nations, the ANZAC legend summates the spirit of enduring mateship and connection between the Aussies and the Kiwis that came out of World War I, when troops from both nations fought alongside each other in the trenches of Gallipoli and the Western Front.
April 25 each year is ANZAC Day, a chance to commemorate history, and our lasting shared bond.
Shipwrecked In The South China Sea
Things looked pretty grim for Australian skipper Mark Smith and his Kiwi First Mate Steven Freeman when their 65ft motor yacht flooded and sank in the middle of the South China Sea back in 2005. Battling storms and freezing conditions, the pair were stranded for 11 days, surviving the ordeal with only a paddle and two sponges, which they used to collect water to keep themselves alive.
“We cuddled up like two little babies together at night to keep warm,” Smith later told The Guardian.
In light of their remarkable survival effort and bond under pressure, the two later received the inaugural Spirit of Mateship Award.
‘Australasia’ At The Olympics
You may not have realised this, but Australia and NZ twice banded together as a single unit to compete at the Olympic Games. ‘Australasia’, as they called themselves, took out 12 medals across the 1908 and 1912 Olympiads, mostly in the pool. The Kiwis were responsible for three of the 12, with the Aussies taking out the rest.
Of course, it was a short and sweet collab – the two countries did their own thing from 1920 on. A combined Australia-New Zealand Rugby Sevens team would be a force to be reckoned with, though.
Making Sweet, Sweet Music
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The music world went wild in 2011 when Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist Gotye, AKA Wally De Backer, roared up the charts with pop hit Somebody That I Used to Know. (OK, so Gotye is Belgian-born, but we’re claiming him.) The soaring choruses and reflective verses were, of course, a dual effort: New Zealand’s Kimbra was a showpiece of Gotye’s sonic masterpiece.
In a moment of shared triumph, the two took out Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance awards at that year’s Grammy Awards.
The 2015 Trans-Tasman Test
When Aussie fast-bowler Mitchell Johnson called stumps on his 73-test career back in 2015, it wasn’t just our side championing his efforts. As the Aussies battled out against the Kiwis on day five of that year’s Trans-Tasman test, the Kiwis were just as raucous, applauding Johnson’s legacy as he approached the crease for the final time. That, folks, is what cricket – and the Antipodean spirit – is all about.
Reciprocal Freedoms
In 1973, in a moment of shared goodwill between us two Oceanic siblings, Australia and NZ granted the other’s citizens reciprocal rights to live and travel freely in their country. The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, as it came to be known, allows free travel to and from, without so much as a passport getting in the way.
Things have changed a little since then, but the sentiment still remains.
Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords and ‘Keitha’
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In a 2009 episode of Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine finds temporary and accidental love in the form of Keitha, a rather harrowing Australian bogan with the thickest Aussie accent most Aussies have ever heard. The Kiwis certainly scored a few points in the comedy stakes, with the tongues firmly in their cheeks.
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Share the lamb this summer.