Interview Questions – Adam and Victoria Day (mum and dad) – 26th March – 7:45pm

1. What are your favourite things about the kiwi culture?

Dad: “I love the Laid-back attitude, how everyone is so focused on outdoor living and
summertime. Also, It’s nowhere near as stressful as the British work lifestyle. Lastly,
being emersed in kiwi sport and everyone having an opinion on the big games.”

Mum: “The non materialistic lifestyle and the beautiful country. We were fed up
with London and fed up with traveling to work everyday, it was about an hour and a
half trip. Finally, we wanted the better weather.

2. What are some of the biggest culture changes between British and kiwi?
Dad: “New Zealand is a lot calmer and laid back than England and London. Apart
from that, I find them quite similar. NZ is a lot more focused on outdoor living and
barbeque/eating which I like.”

Mum: “The laid-back attitude. I like how New Zealand citizens are so much calmer
than English people. I think that people are kinder and more thoughtful here than in
London. I’m not sure if it’s just my age, but people get up and do more things here
than in England.”

3. Why did you immigrate to New Zealand?

Dad: “We liked the lifestyle of the country and we had relatives living in New Zealand
that we wanted to be nearby.”

Mum: “It was an easy consideration for us because we are both half kiwi and already
had New Zealand Passports. We were living in London and for all my other reasons
like traveling to work, it was an easy move. I used to come over here for holidays as a
child and Adam had done a gap year after university here so we already knew the
country. We just didn’t want our kids to grow up in that materialistic city”

4. Do we have a family heirloom? What is the significance of this item?

Dad: “We had lots of jewellery that had been passed down through generations.
Sadly, we were burgled, and it was all stolen.”

Mum: “Well I have a blue stone ring with diamonds that was my granny Beatrice’s
engagement ring. And I used to have another from my maternal grandmother that
was robbed like Adam said.”

5. What are some cultural traditions or festivals that you and our family celebrate
and/or have attended?
Dad: “Christmas parties, easter egg hunts and New Year’s. Something very big in our
family is celebrating Christmas and birthdays.”
 Mum: So, we always do Christmas together, whether its lunch or dinner. The way we
do it is on the night before Christmas we have a few books that are always read. We
would wake up on Christmas and do stockings and presents which is something I
always did when I was young. Every night before bed we do the family prayer, this
thanks God for all our family alive or deceased, this came from Adams Father.

6. What are the biggest differences between your childhood and me and Joshua’s
(brother)?
Dad: “You have it easy! I went to boarding school, so I was away from home since
the age of 10. We didn’t have any screens or devices back then, so we spent lots of
time outside. We didn’t have much money, so we had to make do with a lot of
things. We had to be lots more self-sufficient, especially at boarding school because I
didn’t have parents looking out for me.”

Mum: “You see for me there’s not that much difference compared to yours. We had
a very lucky childhood and I try to give you the same. You guys have devices, the
internet and social media which is very different to how I grew up.”

7. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Dad: “Don’t eat yellow snow! But really, when I was younger my dad told me, ‘don’t
ask a question you don’t want to know the answer too.’ I think this is good advice
because people ask questions for the sake of it these days without thinking about it.”

Mum: “My grandma always used to say, ‘happy people are lucky people’. If you are
happy and have a good outlook on things, it is likely you will get more opportunities.
If you say no to every opportunity, you won’t get nearly as many as if you said yes.
But my all-time favourite quote or advice is ‘have courage and be kind’ from the
movie Cinderella.

8. What is your favourite thing about your culture?

Dad: “I’m very proud of my history as an Englishman, which lives through my culture. “
Mum: “Family! I love being able to be affectionate to my family whereas for other cultures
they don’t or can’t. Getting out and going on walks and hikes. I will be forever thankful that
girls are allowed to get an education in this country. ”

Interview Reflection
Before interviewing my parents, I thought that I knew most things, but I was proved wrong. I
never knew about my great grannies wedding ring that my mum has now. My dad had never
told me how hard he found boarding school as a child. I’m glad I chose to interview my
parents because I was told about many new things.
Interview questions – Carolyn Jones and Wynne Jones (Grandparents) 25th March 2022 –
4:30pm
1. Did you know anyone who fought in WWll? What was their story?
Grandma: “My father. He trained and got his wings in Blenheim because he wanted
to become a pilot in his early 20s. When he was 23 my father decided he wanted to
fly spitfires, but he was deemed to be too old for it. He went over to the UK and he
flew with a British squadron. He ended up flying Lancaster’s. How he slept at night I
don’t know.”

Grandpa: “My father. He was in the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) and finished
the war as a kernel. Over the course of the war, he was helping in field hospitals in
North Africa and Italy.”

2. Why did you move back to New Zealand?

Grandma: Because both my daughters decided to come and live here independently
with their families. So, as all my immediate family was here, I was able to come back
to my roots.

3. What is the biggest difference between NZ when you used to live here and now?
Grandma: It wasn’t as cosmopolitan, and it was less developed back then. The
biggest difference is the growth that New Zealand has had over the years because at
that time it had a much lower population and a quieter way of life.

4. Do we have any family heirlooms?

Grandpa: “We have a family bible, handed down from my grandmother on my
father’s side. It was given to her as a wedding present in the early 1900s. There is
also a China elephant, which passes through the family on special occasions such as
birthdays, marriages, house moves etc. A painting called Little Mothers by
Spencelayh, given to my great-great grandfather by a grateful patient and has been
in the family ever since. Also, a painting of an early relative given to me by my
uncle.”

5. What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Grandpa: “’Keep your eye on the ball’, originally at cricket practise but applies to the
whole of life.

Grandma: “’ If you want something you need to work at it and go for it’. I have been
told this several times at school and from my parents. I think this is good advice
because it makes you believe in yourself and accomplish things.

6. Do we have anyone famous in our family? What did they do?

Grandma: We have somebody who was in the All Blacks in 1905 called Harold
Abbott. He toured the All-Blacks tour of Britain.
 Grandpa: I know that there was a rugby league player but I’m not sure of his name.

7. How is life in NZ different to the UK?

Grandpa: New Zealand is more relaxed and has much better weather”

Grandma: It because of our weather we are able to have a more relaxed outdoor life.
Being a younger country also makes it less formal.

8. What are the biggest traditions in our family?

Grandma: We have Christmas together. At Christmas we always celebrate it as a
family together. We are in very close proximity of each other, and we see a lot of
each other. At birthdays whether we eat at home or at a restaurant we like to
celebrate them together.

Grandpa: We always eat at the dining table when we eat together. We try to
celebrate everybody’s birthdays together with family dinner and presents.

Interview Reflection
After interviewing my grandparents, I have learnt a lot of things. I had never been
told about the fact that I had both an All Black and a rugby league player in our
family. It was also amazing to find out that we had a family heirloom that’s over 100
years old. The most interesting thing that I learnt though, was that both of my
grandfathers fought or helped in WWll. I’m so happy I was able to interview my
grandparents on these topics because I learnt so many things that I never knew
about before.

Interview Reflection
After interviewing my grandparents, I have learnt a lot of things. I had never been
told about the fact that I had both an All Black and a rugby league player in our
family. It was also amazing to find out that we had a family heirloom that’s over 100
years old. The most interesting thing that I learnt though, was that both of my
grandfather’s fought or helped in WWll. I’m so happy I was able to interview my
grandparents on these topics because I learnt so many things that I never knew
about before.

Family Tree Reflection

When I started doing my family tree, I thought that we had a small family; that there
would be just Kiwi, English and Welsh roots. I had no idea that we had people from
Ireland. Creating my family tree was an amazing experience because I have learnt
lots about family I didn’t know ever existed.
Christmas
In our family, Christmas is a big deal. It is always celebrated together with dinner and
present opening. Every year we go back to my mum’s parent’s house in the
afternoon/evening.

Santa comes in the night and fills our stockings. He and his reindeer eat the mince
pies and carrots we put out for them. When we wake up, me and my brother take
our stockings to my parent’s room and open them. As a family, we go to the kitchen
and make a nice big breakfast that usually contains eggs, pancakes, bacon and
hashbrowns. After breakfast we take our dogs down to the beach and get an ice
cream.

Later in the day, our whole family gathers at my grandparent’s house and open
presents. My grandma prepares a nice big Christmas dinner of lamb, veggies,
potatoes and sometimes garlic bread. For dessert, we have a big feast of ice cream,
pavlova and the holy grail… Christmas pudding. For the pudding, my youngest cousin
Isabelle runs around the table while its lit-on fire, before we can eat It.

Everyone in our family loves celebrating Christmas together. It’s a tradition we all
love. Our Traditions came from my grandma’s childhood and my mum and aunties.

What is Christmas? The Origins

Christmas is a Christian tradition celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25 th of
December. This date matches the day when the Romans would celebrate their god
on the sun. Although the festival is Christian tradition, it is celebrated all over the
world and some of the Christmas customs are taken from Pagan festivities such as a
Christmas tree and mistletoe.

Family Heirlooms
In our family we have a painting called Little Mothers by Charles Spencelayh, given to
my great grandfather by a grateful patient because he was a doctor. It’s of an old
man holding a bowl and it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1921.
We also have a family bible, handed down from my great-great-grandmother on my
mother’s side. It was given to her as a wedding present when she got married in the
early 1900s. Also, a painting of an early relative given to my grandfather by his uncle.
No one is quite sure who he was or what his name was, but he was a lawyer, and the
picture shows him dressed for work.
Lastly, there is a China elephant, which passes through the family on special
occasions such as birthdays, marriages, house moves etc. It was originally my great
grandmothers, but when she died nobody really wanted it, so we use it as a gift to
pass around. It’s a bit of family fun and it makes us remember my great
grandmother. It was first gifted to my mother on her wedding day not long after my
 great grandmother’s death, and is currently with my auntie Mel as she bought her
first house in 2021, but we think it is going to be moving its home very soon.

Reflection

What have I learnt about my own culture, heritage and identity?

After doing this project I have learnt so many new things about my family and
culture. I had two Grandfathers in the war, a family bible and many family portraits
and paintings. I was told about how my dad felt about boarding school and why my
parents and grandparents first moved to New Zealand. Over the course of the
interviews and research, I have discovered and been told many things that were
unexpected and unknown. This project has helped me to understand lots of things
that I was unsure or confused about and I’m grateful I was able to do it.

Why is culture and identity important to you and others

Culture is incredibly important to me because its who you are and its where you
came from. In some ways, I think that culture is your future. As in, you will always be
Kiwi if you were born in New Zealand. Through the social studies project I have
learnt lots of things about my culture and the countries involved in my family. With
the family tree, I have discovered that I have Irish roots that I never knew about! My
family is not very diverse but everybody has a different culture and background that
makes them unique.

Bibliography
Jones, Carolyn and Wynne. Interview with Wynne and Carolyn Jones (Grandparents). 25

Mar. 2022.

Hillerbrand, Hans J. “Christmas | Origin, Definition, History, & Facts.” Encyclopædia

Britannica, 8 Feb. 2019, [Link]/topic/Christmas.

“The History of Christmas (Religious & Pagan Origins).” [Link], General

Knowledge, Jan. 2022, [Link]/watch?v=tKEZ58W6QBI.

Day, Victoria and Adam. Interview with Victoria and Adam Day (Parents). 26 Mar. 2022.

Ancestry. “Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records.”

[Link], 2006, [Link]/.