The Herald put a list of New Zealand consumer brands to 22 Britons.
All but two had heard of Anchor, our flagship brand in Britain. "Won't settle for anything else," said one.
Ten had heard of V, although none had tried it.
New Zealand lamb had a good reception: "To die
for," said one respondent. But some, particularly those from Wales, said they would feel guilty about eating New Zealand meat.
Four had tried, and liked, Montana wines. Eight had tasted Lindauer methode champenoise. "Gorgeous," said one. "Sampled it at a work do last week. The do was organised by a Kiwi."
None had heard of Zespri, the kiwifruit brand. Four knew of Canterbury clothing, and four had heard of Aunt Betty's old-fashioned steam puddings. Two had heard of Macpac, and two had vaguely heard of Hubbard's cereals.
We included two prominent impostors - Kia Ora juice concentrate (made in Ireland) and Kiwi shoe polish (originally Australian, now owned by Sara Lee) - to see if the consumers would spot the odd ones out. None did, although almost all had used the products.
One man said he wasn't impressed with Kia Ora: "Why does it have a Spanish name?
