I work in construction management. Upon encountering a problem, I'll get a single answer from the architect, the engineer, and the plumber. When asking them for further ideas (usually because the one they offer is less than ideal), I get blank stares, as if this answer is the only available one in the universe. And yet, the architect, the engineer, and the plumber all gave different answers (meaning there are at least three options). Worse, after 25 years of experience and five years in architecture I can think of at least three more solutions off the top of my head.

I've had this experience so many times, with so many different professions, that it started to become a definable trend. And it's not just me. My expat friends all complain about the same thing. I'm not sure if it's the "she'll be right" or the "couldn't be bothered" mentality, but this resistance to more than one solution is really limiting.

I think Kiwis would do well to study or work abroad for a few years (excluding Australia). Not because things are done better overseas (though some things are) but because it broadens the mind to alternatives. Having completed construction projects in 15 countries, I am very aware of this.

As for the shops: US workers don't work any longer than Kiwi workers. Paid working hours are 30 minutes to an hour after the shop closes. This gives the staff time to clean up, re-stock, and close out the till. That's why shoppers are allowed an extra fifteen minutes or so after closing time to buy their final items.

In big box stores that re-stock overnight, shopping hours are extended, sometimes 24 hours (like Kmart in NZ) because the overhead is low to add one cashier while the store is effectively still operating.

New Zealand is no different except instead of posting a 4:30 closing time and then cleaning, stocking, and closing the till, they post a 5:00 closing time and then out the doors they go.

It's more a question of perception than hours. Both models have the same hours. The US version is just kinder to customers.