The New Zealand Defence Force’s Expanding Amphibious CapabilityYou might reasonably be confused as to why the notoriously pacifistic island nation might want to be able to put troops ashore and support them there w/o local assistance. Nowhere in the article is that explained.
What goes unsaid is that EnZed styles itself as the protector of South Pacific island peoples. “Protector” should be understood as “benevolent neo-colonial stand-in for British paternalism.”
New Zealand’s attitude toward the South Pacific is much like the U.S. attitude toward the Americas as reflected in the Monroe Doctrine - an “it’s our backyard and we need to be able to police it if need be” attitude.
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If only New Zealanders spoke recognizable English ... the EnZed accent has become near-impenetrable, especially as spoken by women and young people. I remember a nice lady telling us her cute little dog’s name was (phonetically) “gee-see.” We asked her to spell it and learned it was how she said Jesse.
Reminds me of a time in England I asked the attendant at a gas station what product they were selling as “derv,” turned out it was diesel. So I asked her how diesel got called “derv” and she replied, “Dunno, it’s daft, innit?”
I later guessed it was a slang diminutive of “derivative” but I was wrong. It is an acronym of “diesel engine road vehicle” and is the taxed fuel for diesel cars and trucks. As we do in the States, they also sell an untaxed diesel dyed a different color for off-road uses.
