After a year of living in the Netherlands, I’ve come to find a few things here lacking, so I started wondering if there is anything the Netherlands could learn from New Zealand? Or anything the Dutch could learn from Kiwis?
There is a country at the bottom of the globe named Land of the Long White Cloud (AKA, New Zealand). Its residents are known for their relaxed beach culture, delicious wine, outstanding rugby team, and unrivalled landscapes.
To be clear, there is also a lot that NZ could learn from the Netherlands, such as living more communally, bike culture, effective public transport, better work/life balance, liberal drug policies, and more. But that’s for another article… 😉
1. How to make a decent coffee
You can’t get away from good coffee in New Zealand, and you can’t get away from bad coffee in the Netherlands. There is nothing more disheartening than paying nearly €6 for a sub-par coffee.
There are two places I have found in Amsterdam which do good coffee: Bruno’s in the Jordaan and Scandinavian Embassy in De Pijp (sponsor me please).
Aside from that, can Dutchies please learn how to froth milk properly?
2. Charging an adequate amount for meat products
The Netherlands has seen the biggest annual price rise in 10 years, with an estimated 5% increase in meat prices in recent years.
However, the Dutch government still believes that Dutch food remains too cheap and more efforts should be made to invest in environmental and sustainable food.
And it’s true! You can purchase meat so inexpensively, which is quite possibly why the Netherlands’ meat consumption is remaining stable, despite most Dutchies’ awareness of the negative impact meat consumption has on the environment.
In New Zealand, the price of meat more adequately reflects the cost of meat production.
3. Better weather
Hey Nederland, do you realise there are other types of weather apart from rain?
READ MORE | What’s the weather in the Netherlands like? The 2026 guide
And that there are also four seasons; as well as winter and autumn, there is also summer and spring… fancy that?!
Surprisingly, many people think New Zealand is consistently warm despite it getting very cold during winter.
The beauty of seasons is the fact that they are just that: seasonal. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case in the Netherlands.
4. Not wrapping fruit and vegetables in plastic
Walking into a Dutch supermarket after living in New Zealand for so long can be alarming. Counters are loaded with single vegetables wrapped in plastic. So agonisingly unnecessary.
New World, one of the leading supermarkets in New Zealand, kicked off 2019 with “food in the nude”. In this, they eliminated almost all plastic packaging on their fresh produce.
READ MORE | Recycling in the Netherlands: an international’s guide in 2026
As the NZ Herald reports, Nigel Bond, manager of one of the New World supermarkets, said: “When you take on these projects they can be a disaster and lead to customer pushback, but in my 30 years in the supermarket industry this simple change has resulted in the most positive feedback from customers I have ever received”.
5. How to be honest whilst also being nice
Dutchies are getting endless slack for their Dutch directness.
This straightforwardness is so valued in Dutch society that there’s even a Dutch word for it: bespreekbaarheid. This roughly translates to “speakability” or “negotiability” and means that no topic should be taboo.
Expat Facebook groups are often strewn with “you won’t believe what a Dutch person said to me today” stories.
I’ve had my fair share of blunt comments, such as the time a stranger told me my hair looked awful. But I find this refreshing as I believe it creates authenticity and builds a good rapport.
When I tell people I came from New Zealand, the immediate response is “everyone is so lovely there!” and whilst they are, I have often found it to be a superficial niceness.
By comparison, people in the Netherlands are far more considerate and genuine.
From my experience, the affable nature of the Kiwis is a bit of a social faux pas. Nonetheless, many others believe the Dutch should learn tact from people like the Kiwis.
6. Equality in public toilets
So riddle me this, Dutchies: men get to pee freely by using standing pee stations, but women have to pay? As much as 50 cents? And sometimes €4?!
READ MORE | I had to pay €4 to use a toilet on King’s Day — and I’m pissed
The Netherlands used to perform well in equality rankings, but in recent years, according to the World Economic Forum for gender equality, the Netherlands dropped to number 43.
Maybe the lack of pee stations for women has something to do with this?
This toilet-inequality issue has been heard in court after Geerte Piening, 23, received a €90 fine for popping a squat in an alleyway after a night of drinking.
When she challenged the fine, the judge told her she should have used a public urinal (another Dutch fail! 🙄).
7. Not charging for drinking water
If you ask for water when out for dinner in the Netherlands, the waiters will bring you bottled water by default, which you have to pay for.
But there are even times I have been charged for tap water. Yes, TAP water. Are you kidding me?
So it is important to clarify whether the water costs anything or not before you guzzle three bottles and stare in dismay at the bill at the end of the night.
Paying for water is a rarity in New Zealand, and tap water is provided free of charge at most establishments.
What’s more, you will also see water fountains dotted around most cities, so you can even access water while jogging along the beach or pull over in your car and fill up your water bottle.
Of course, both countries can learn a little from each other, but sometimes you just gotta voice your frustrations!
Do you disagree or agree? We love debate and being challenged! Fire away in the comment section!