Why Kiwis fly south: an assessment of NZ's place in Antarctica

Abstract

Place is a contested term. With many different definitions able to be used to define place in Antarctica, the definition decided on to conduct this research was: place can be noted when it has invested meaning given to it through human use and experience. In identifying place in Antarctica, it was found that, in a global context, Antarctica could be said to have a weaker sense of place than long-inhabited countries, or it could just be said to be different. In assessing New Zealand’s place in Antarctica, the decision to use interviews to collect data was revised to conducting an online survey due to time constraints and in the interest of collecting as many responses as possible. Despite best efforts very few responses were collected, meaning that the results of this research cannot be said to representative and conclusions drawn from it not considered entirely accurate in this context. It was found that the main reasons New Zealanders travel to Antarctica was to effectively assert their claim on Antarctica, and to monitor the environment to ensure its quality and to assess the continents widespread effects.