I don't think either Brits or Kiwis should be pointing fingers when it comes to obesity, problem drinking, or the nanny state. Neither of us have any moral high ground. I've seen just as many arses overflowing on a bar stool in both countries.
And both countries are going to have to continue to grapple with the issues caused by the pandemic, both medically and economically.
At the moment, NZ is in a far better state in terms of where it's at medically. It was a lot easier for NZ to put into place the factors that got it there, than it would have been for the UK, but the fact remains that they did it in a very timely, clear and coherent fashion.
It's still in the same state when it comes to lifting lockdown (internationally), with reference to concerns about whether it's possible to become immune as a result of having the illness, waiting for a vaccine, and trying to ride out the economic impact both domestically and internationally.
I am a very proud Kiwi, who is now living in the UK. I can see the warts on my country, including terrible domestic violence statistics. I do not appreciate people from another country consistently using such issues to put the boot into my country when they have plenty they need to be worrying about and feeling ashamed about with reference to the same sorts of issues in their country.
With reference to what our economy is built on, tourism is major, but so is primary industry, horticulture and agriculture, and forestry. We also have a growing IT sector, which is increasingly appreciated by other countries, because of relatively low wages, well-educated IT sector, and English speaking. And of course, there's a fair few people all around the world that are partial to a drop of NZ wine.