Is Sydney 50 years ahead of New Zealand?

A mate asked me ‘How was Sydney?’ My answer, the same but different. 

I am going to bring this post back to what we do here at Independent Agent, and thread in this idea that Australia has a ‘land of opportunity’ mentality. 

I mentioned our trip had a family focus, and I got to speak with some other ‘in-laws’, William, a bit younger than me, and his Dad, George. The family had come out from Lebanon in the 1940’s when Australia was trying to get their economy moving again. After suffering the loss of a generation in World War 2, Australia needed workers. To the Lebanese this was an opportunity. The immigrants were granted Visas which got stamped as they got off the ships. Eleven-year-old George arrived on a Saturday, and his father was at work in a factory on Monday. 

George’s parents worked in the Rag Trade, and as this shifted overseas I enjoyed hearing tales about the hard work and graft that was required to keep going and to continue to be employed. By the next generation, a fortune had been built, and from what I can gather, in some murky circumstances, partially eroded as well. 

It feels like the attitude that ‘anything is possible’ has not been lost in Australia. The down-side of course is the hustle culture that I spoke about last week. The upside is a culture that seems to be charged up with the belief that you can forge your own path. ‘Get on with it mate.’

Which brings me back to the real estate game. Instead of a Ray White or Harcourts office on every corner like there is here in New Zealand, there is a proliferation of small brands and local companies often named after a salesperson but not always.

When my wife and I spoke about whether or not Sydney was 50 years ahead of us, I was sure hoping that it wouldn’t take too long for this independent attitude to come over to New Zealand real estate agents. 

I don’t think I would sacrifice our relaxed Kiwi attitude for the ruthless hustle culture, but through the lens of a culture that gets on and does stuff, it helps me to understand why those Aussie brands have done so well here, and why our local big brands, founded and lead by people with a bit of ambition of their own, have managed to swallow up market share, at the cost to our individuality and our pockets. And probably our self-confidence too. 
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If our friends across the ditch can do it, so can we. I know that I am on the right track here, I just hope that it won’t take 50 years to get there as it is likely I won’t be around to see it.