Meeting a New Zealand-born Australian? Call them Kwaussie

So, a portmanteau word for a Kiwi-born Aussie, but what about the reverse? Many Indians would aver that discovering one of the highest offices in the land is occupied by a person with dual nationality can have repercussions on the country’s polity.

However, even the most visionary nationalist would be surprised to add the dictionary to the list of affected institutions. No wonder people not living in Australia and New Zealand are surprised at the Australian National Dictionary Centre’s (ANDC) ‘word of the year’: Kwaussie, a portmanteau word for Kiwi-Australian.

The word does not even sound quasi-official but the Australian deputy PM Barnaby Joyce (who was revealed to have concurrent New Zealand citizenship) lost his job in October because he was one.

Though Joyce is back in Parliament having renounced his Kiwi citizenship and won a by-election this month, the controversy has ‘outed’ several other famous Kwaussies like Russell Crowe and Keith Urban among the over six lakh such people resident in Australia, the word has hardly gained much traction in either country. In fact, its ‘elevation’ by the ANDC will give it a much-needed fillip. But what about the reverse, Australian-born New Zealanders, of which there are about 62,000 today and whose ranks have included even a former Kiwi PM among many politicians? OzZea, perhaps?