ROSEMARY ABBOTT | National
MENTAL FORTRESS
Shaun Purvis is a proud Aucklander, born and raised in the City of Sails.
But the 29 year-old, who had recently moved to Nelson, had his patience tested regularly by those remarking about the fact he was originally from New Zealand’s largest city, seemingly judging him on that fact alone.
“I mean, yep I get it. Auckland seems pretty advanced compared to some of these smaller towns in the country. Back in the day we had Burger King long before anyone else did and we actually look like a proper city with an iconic landmark. Just like other big cities around the world,” he explained confidently.
“It’s hard to know what pleasure these people get from calling me a Jafa or associating the city I’m from with an opinion I may have.
“Yep I’m from Auckland, yep it’s a populated city with more than a million people and it always gets massive events and sporting fixtures. It’d be strange to not be happy to be from there,” said Purvis, who seemed very content with the fact that he is from Auckland.
Purvis then explained other things he’d been heckled about.
“Whenever we experience a free flow of traffic here in Nelson, all of a sudden it’s ‘Oh bet you’re not used to just driving without stop-starting every five seconds’. And when we’d drive past a rundown house, it was ‘Gee you’d pay a million dollars for that in Auckland wouldn’t ya?’
“The reality is a populated city is always going to create traffic. It’s the price you pay to live and work in a popular city. Perfectly normal and nothing to do with me.”
More to come.
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