by Kyra Maquiso*
JAFAS (2000)[1] is not, unfortunately, a documentary on the much-loved orange candy. Indeed, the South Islanders of this documentary did not find anything sweet or delightful about their subject; nor did they sugar-coat any of their opinions about them. As an Aucklander watching this documentary twenty years on, I could not help but feel unreasonably targeted by the series of barbs and sneers that seemed to be passionately thrown at me. Joe Bennett indeed successfully hunts the coffee-sucking, fashion-obsessive JAFA after all, but a JAFA is certainly not the typical Aucklander — at least, not anymore.
Screenshot of the NZ On Screen documentary, “Jafas”, accessed 12 December, 2020: https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/jafas-2000
In any event, JAFAS demonstrates three key features of Auckland’s history during the early 21st century. One, Auckland’s considerable growth during this time was undeniable that it gained substantial attention from the rest of the country, albeit disparaging at times. Auckland has become a major influential player, even if the rest of the country tried to resist this reality. Two, there is a widening regional rift between Auckland and the rest of the country (mostly the rural South Island), likely as a result of Auckland’s exponential growth and urbanisation. Finally, while the JAFA does exist, the label is only truly applicable amongst Aucklanders of rich, white and entrepreneurial backgrounds. The JAFA originally signified the quintessential Aucklander before the SuperCity merge in 2010, when “Auckland City” primarily referred to central Auckland. This label was never intended to apply to the entire Auckland region; but unfortunately, this urban myth haunts even the furthest of suburbs, arguably to this day.
“Up to the sky in a sky tower.
From here, I look down on the city that looks down on the south.”
In 2000, Auckland’s population reached 1.2 million, “a third of the country’s body mass”.[2] Beginning in the 1950s, this industrial settlement transformed into a bustling metropolis,[3] charged with the noises of cars in traffic, ringing Blackberrys, and JAFAs muttering to their cell phones while power-walking to their skyscraper offices. South Islanders, on the other hand, were free from this chaos. Ross McMillain, a proud South Islander, never needed a cell phone in his life and basked in the freedom of being able to shout across the hills to whoever he wanted to holler out to.[4] The JAFAs, being restless city-folk, are always on a rush or jabbering on their phones ,that they do not even bother to have cheery chitchat with their local mailman or petrol stop attendant. I can understand South Islanders’ gripe with city life, as I am sure many Aucklanders do love to complain about the traffic.[5] But if the South Islanders’ contempt for Aucklanders came from a mere disdain for city life, then why were cities like Wellington and Christchurch, which were also experiencing urban growth (albeit at a less dramatic pace),[6] off the hook?
It might be because of the JAFAs’ attitude problem. Bennett cleverly illustrated this using the SkyTower: as the JAFAS ascended higher in their buildings and economic growth, they began looking down on the South.[7] South Islanders felt neglected by the JAFAs, who showed no remorse as they “sucked the country dry” of their labour and resources.[8] During a SkyTower dinner interview featuring some high-class JAFAS, no insults were flung towards the South Island — yet I could not help but notice an indefinable air of arrogance and pretentiousness, and slightly patronising tone in the delivery of certain comments. This came especially from one gentleman who “felt proud” of the rest of New Zealand but was “starting to hate their insecurity”.[9] Moments later, quick shots of the dinner guests laughing boisterously, while the same gentleman humble-bragged about playing golf later, displayed a level of pompousness that made the scene too embarrassing for me to watch.
Aerial view of Auckland City, photo courtesy of the University of Auckland
But maybe this ‘neglect’ of the South, while coming off arrogant and insensitive, was simply Aucklanders getting on with their lives; as Aucklander and art consultant Hamish Keith notes, they often had no choice and no room or energy for disliking the rest of New Zealand amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.[10] Following the region’s population boom came considerable pressures for urban development: the city built more houses and accommodation, more utilities, more roads, and more businesses.[11] By the turn of the new century, Auckland became New Zealand’s largest concrete jungle. It grew in influence and economic growth that it was casually recognised as New Zealand’s commercial capital.[12] Maybe South Islanders harboured bitterness against the idle-rich JAFAs who, they believed, were cruelly sucking the rest of the country dry for their own sake. For some Aucklanders, such as our golf-loving gentleman from the SkyTower, perhaps the South just suffered from tall poppy syndrome.
“Aucklanders? Well they’re not really part of New Zealand, are they?
They’ve got their little culture, their own little country up there.”
The growing rift between South Islanders and the JAFAs was certainly becoming more and more difficult to ignore. Bill Ralston, an editor from Auckland, likened this rift to two nations growing apart.[13] The South Islanders agree, but this seems to be the only thing they have in common with Aucklanders.
The JAFA culture is apparently obsessed with outward beauty, caring for nothing else but to flaunt their newest heels and jackets as they romp along Queen Street. The JAFAs Bennett interviewed were all fluent in fashion: Sharon, an Auckland entrepreneur, wore an expensive Italian coat; two JAFA men who were interviewed in a cafe seemed well-acquainted with the latest styles and sunglasses.[14] Striving to “look like an Aucklander”, Bennett felt the need to buy a sleek new outfit from a luxurious shop, chosen for him by retailers fluent with whatever was “in”.[15] This was definitely not the South Island way, which only paid attention to the sheep they were tending, not the wool coats that were trending.
Screenshot from the NZ On Screen Documentary “Jafas”, accessed 12 December, 2020: https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/jafas-2000
The JAFAs were apparently so obsessed with image and vanity that there was a specific social category for attractive-looking Aucklanders — “Beautiful Person/People” (or “the BPs”). This label was repeated at least twice in the documentary, and sure enough, it existed.[16] Perhaps the South Islanders were right about the JAFA’s preoccupation with appearance, but I was personally surprised. In comparison to other city centres around the globe that offered a lot more malls and modelesque passers-by,[17] Aucklanders seemed far from the hyper-consumers that South Islanders perceive them as — at least in my eyes.
But who really is the JAFA? Early in the documentary Joe slips a passing comment: “A JAFA is an Aucklander; but not every Aucklander is a JAFA”.[18] This seems to me a critical distinction, but unfortunately this detail is not explained any further. Instead, the documentary rolls on, notwithstanding that the very wording of this endearment (“just another f*****g Aucklander”) implies a sweeping generalisation about all, if not most, Aucklanders. When South Islanders were interviewed about the JAFAs, all — but one — acknowledged that they referred to the few “froth on the top”.[19] Yet for most, a JAFA was, as implied by the phrase, just another Aucklander. Bennett’s expensive coat made him feel [and look] like an Aucklander; an Invercargillian imagined a typical Aucklander as someone with a “phone stuck in their ear”;[20] and another talked about Auckland as the land of the BPs. The fallacy of equating any common Aucklander with the white, elite, trendsetting JAFA seemed relatively common.[21]
And do not get me wrong: the JAFAs — wrapped up in their yachts, luxurious living, and the “coffee-addict crap of Auckland”[22] — did, and do, exist. But Auckland was also home to less-privileged communities in its suburbs. I recalled my childhood as a primary schooler in Avondale in the early 2000s. Life was simple: we walked to the dairy for lollies or jogged around the park next door, not rushing to our next meeting. We had hot tea (or banana Primo on the weekends) on the porch, not in expensive cafes. My central-West Auckland neighbourhood in Canal Road was definitely not filled with white, obnoxious entrepreneurs. Yet the documentary fails to narrow down the definition of ‘JAFA’, perpetuating this false generalisation about all Aucklanders.
Why, then, were Aucklanders tagged as the white, elite class of the CBD? One answer lies in the geography of the Auckland region at the time of this documentary. JAFAS was filmed ten years before the Auckland SuperCity: the merging of 8 separate city councils creating one larger and unified Auckland.[23] Before the merge, suburbs from the far outskirts of the city centre (such as Henderson, Otara, Albany and Papakura) belonged in their separate cities and districts. Thus, when participants of the documentary talked about the “Aucklander”, they referred to those who lived in what was then known as “Auckland City” — the central region of Auckland, which we now know as the CBD. Since 2010, after regions of different demographics and backgrounds came together, it has become difficult — perhaps even impossible — to imagine an archetypal “Aucklander”.[24] Yet, unfortunately, this stereotype survives.
Does JAFAS offer convincing insight on Auckland’s social history and culture? There are definitely elements of truth, but we should be wary of the tendency to generalise all Aucklanders with the infamous label. The JAFA perception might just be another fun and adorable stereotype. Nevertheless, this documentary is telling of Auckland’s undeniable growth and influence, and the growing regional rift that accompanies and results from it.
*Kyra is a BA (Hons) / LLB student at the University of Auckland, with intellectual pursuits in legal and societal issues of public interest. She has previously published pieces that have explored the role of history and law in contributing to a more equitable society, particularly for historically underserved people groups. Her BA (Hons) research project examined the Historical Accounts found in Treaty of Waitangi Deeds of Settlement, particularly their role in obtaining justice.
[1] NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’: https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/jafas-2000, accessed 24 April 2020.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Leon Hoffman, He hītori mō te hanga ā-tāone o Tāmaki Makaurau: A brief history of Auckland’s urban form, 2019.
[4] Ibid.
[5] See for example Jordan Watson, ‘How-to Dad: How will I know when I am a true Jafa?’, Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/111936425/2324–jordan-watson-am-i-a-jafa-js-filed-susjordan14-, accessed 27 April 2020.
[6] Wellington City Council, ‘History of Wellington: 1972-2000’: https://wellington.govt.nz/about-wellington/history/history-of-wellington/1972-2000, accessed 9 May 2020; Chris Maclean, ‘Wellington region – Economic fall and rise: 1976 to 21st century’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/wellington-region/page-11, accessed 9 May 2020; John Wilson, ‘Canterbury region – Christchurch’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/canterbury-region/page-13, accessed 9 May 2020. (As an aside, one of my initial guesses was that “JAFW” or “JAFC” were not quite as punchy as JAFA.)
[7] NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Hoffman, p. 61.
[12] NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’; and see also Margaret McClure, ‘Auckland region – Driving the economy: 1980 onwards’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/auckland-region/page-11, accessed 8 May 2020 for an account of Auckland’s economic and urban growth.
[13] NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] See comment by “Anne (9 August 2013)” in ‘Open Mike 09/08/13’, The Standard: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09082013/, accessed 10 May 2020; and ‘Goodbyes’, Gail Dickinson .. my blog from Down Under: https://www.gaildickson.com/goodbyes/, accessed 10 May 2020.
[17] For example, wealthy areas of major cities in the Philippines (e.g. Rockwell Centre in Makati, Metro Manila: see https://www.hoppler.com.ph/neighborhood-guide/makati-city/rockwell-center). In cities like those, one spent a lot of time in front of the mirror, making sure she or he looked like a chic urbanite.
[18] NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Ibid.
[21] For example, see ‘Your Views: Is the term Jafa fair or offensive?’, New Zealand Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10431491, accessed 6 May 2020. Note the broad jabs and generalised insults against ‘Aucklanders’ as a whole group.
[22] NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’.
[23] Hoffman, p. 65.
[24] Joanna Davies, ‘To Be or Not To Be a Jafa’, The Aucklander: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11002877, accessed 8 May 2020.
Bibliography:
Davies, Joanna, ‘To Be or Not To Be a Jafa,’ The Aucklander: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/aucklander/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503378&objectid=11002877, accessed 8 May 2020.
‘Goodbyes,’ Gail Dickinson…my blog from Down Under: https://www.gaildickson.com/goodbyes/, accessed 10 May 2020.
Hoffman, Leon, He hītori mō te hanga ā-tāone o Tāmaki Makaurau: A brief history of Auckland’s urban form, 2019, 65.
Maclean, Chris, ‘Wellington region – Economic fall and rise: 1976 to 21st century,’ Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/wellington-region/page-11, accessed 9 May 2020
McClure, Margaret, ‘Auckland region – Driving the economy: 1980 onwards’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/auckland-region/page-11, accessed 8 May 2020.
‘Your Views: Is the term Jafa fair or offensive?’, New Zealand Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10431491, accessed 6 May 2020.
NZ on Screen, ‘JAFAS’: https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/jafas-2000, accessed on April 24 2020.
‘Open Mike 09/08/13’, The Standard: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09082013/, accessed 10 May 2020
Watson, Jordan, ‘How-to Dad: How will I know when I am a true Jafa?’, Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/111936425/2324–jordan-watson-am-i-a-jafa-js-filed-susjordan14-, accessed April 27 2020.
Wellington City Council, ‘History of Wellington: 1972-2000’: https://wellington.govt.nz/about-wellington/history/history-of-wellington/1972-2000, accessed 9 May 2020
Wilson, John, ‘Canterbury region – Christchurch’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/canterbury-region/page-13, accessed 9 May 2020.
‘Your Views: Is the term Jafa fair or offensive?’, New Zealand Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10431491, accessed 6 May 2020.