Kiwis Sour on U.S., and it’s Getting Personal

And a bit ugly. According to a story in the Christian Science Monitor, a recent poll found that while 54 percent of Kiwis had positive feelings about the U.S. in 2001, only 29 percent of them feel that way today. Perhaps more surprising is that Americans in New Zealand are getting an earful. One American teacher on the North Island got so tired of verbal abuse from his students, he filed a complaint with the country’s Human Rights Commission.

In another case, an American who oversaw the Anglican Church’s Wellington Cathedral left the country and vowed never to bring his family back, saying, according to the report, that “his children were taunted by classmates who said they hoped U.S. soldiers in Iraq would be killed.”

The story points to a number of contributing factors, including opposition to the Iraq war and a 20-year-old grievance over a treaty.

Observed the Monitor: “[T]he depths of dislike expressed in polling here, as well as accounts of personal hostility, is surprising from a people who have fought alongside the US in numerous wars, including Afghanistan, and share cultural values.”

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