"Proudly made in New Zealand"

Stickers with this proclamation were stuck on teddy bears and chocolates in Auckland's domestic airport as I was waiting to fly to the South Island a couple of weeks ago. "The Kiwi Juice bar" stood a bit further along, claiming to sell traditional Kiwi recipes.

Maori culture is asserted and celebrated to a huge degree in New Zealand - totem poles, museums, dancing and singing demonstrations: Kiwis are very proud of 'their cultural past' and trying desperately to preserve it alongside the more modern Britishesque lifestyle.

Our guide book has several pages dedicated to Katherine Mansfield, simply because she is the only cherished author to have come from New Zealand.

McDonalds have tried to tap into this yearning for cultural identity, with their special edition "Kiwi burger" (additional ingredients egg and beetroot). When I bought one, it came in a special edition box that listed all the things that Kiwis love (I've found a picture here:Kiwi burger box).

This box epitomised for me the way in which New Zealand is trying so very hard to assert its distinctiveness, from the UK in particular.

Of course, New Zealand is a very young country, without a long history or controversial politics to give it the effortless culture of most countries around the world. It also has a very tiny population given its landmass.

Its epic landscapes and extreme sports make it a desireable travel location and it really is a beautiful beautiful place. But culture takes hundreds of years to develop, and other cultures have developed slowly, in near-isolation. Is the New Zealand brand going to become more try-hard than true?