10 Things Australia Has Stolen From New Zealand And Claimed As Their Own

Hides from the angry Kiwis.

1. The flag

instagram.com

In 2018, New Zealand's acting PM Winston Peters said that Australia “should actually change their flag and honour the fact that [New Zealand] got there first.” Which tastes like a real salty kiwifruit to me. And here's the thing, NZ adopted its flag in 1902 (while Oz didn't formally adopt theirs until 1954), but a version was flown in Australia as early as 1901. So check mate.

2. Pavlova

instagram.com

This fluffy cloud of egg white goodness is a staple on Christmas tables around Oz, which makes it just about as Aussie as a jar of Vegemite. Now technically speaking, the first known recipe appeared in a New Zealand cookbook in 1929 — but I just get the feeling that it was probably a really dry, overcooked version of the glory we know today. Prove me wrong.

3. Stan Walker

instagram.com

He was born in Australia, he won Australian Idol. Sure, he pronounces sexy as sixy, but that doesn't mean us Aussies can't proudly say he's at least 8% Australian.

4. Russell Crowe

instagram.com

Born a Kiwi, raised an Aussie, Russell Crowe's ~true~ nationality remains the great debate. But I will say, in every role he inevitably comes off sounding a lil' Australian, which is all the proof I need. If New Zealand is going to get angry about it, maybe we can agree to a compromise — us Aussies can have him for the Gladiator glory days, and the Kiwis can have him for the era of the phone-throwing incident.

5. Crowded House

instagram.com

Of its founding members, one was Kiwi (frontman Neil Finn) and two were Aussies (Paul Hester and Nick Seymour), which sounds like a slam dunk Down Under to me. But if you want further proof to our claim, consider this: Finn has said on multiple occasions that Melbourne was the birthplace of Crowded House — which ain't on the North or South Island of NZ!

6. Phar Lap

instagram.com

Just like old mate Russell, this majestic beast was also born in New Zealand, but raised on our greener Australian pastures. He was a symbol of hope and triumph for Aussies during the Great Depression and, following his death, his gigantic heart was returned to Australia...where it belongs.

7. Lamingtons

instagram.com

The popular origin story of these delicious treats suggests that in 1901, a maid of Lord Lamington (the Queensland Governor) accidentally created the lamington after dropping some sponge cake into melted chocolate. However, Kiwi scholars have claimed to have found indisputable proof that New Zealand was the true birthplace.

8. ANZAC biscuits

instagram.com

All I'll say on this one is: The letter A comes before NZ for a reason...

9. Flat whites

instagram.com

Despite Kiwis claiming that they "accidentally" created the flat white while attempting to brew a cappuccino, the first time it was ever included on a menu was in 1985 at a Sydney-based cafe. In 2015, the United States tried wading into the debate by listing the flat white on the Starbucks menu as an "Australian speciality." But I think we can all agree the Americans don't know shit about coffee, so we'll graciously concede to ignore that remark.

10. Lorde

instagram.com

Look, this one's a stretch. But maybe she is Australian? Have you ever actually seen her New Zealand birth certificate?

And now we wait for the flock of angry Kiwi birds to swarm.

FOX