In a nutshell Ben..if one is negative and can't ever see the rainbow at the end of the storm..then they won't be happier in New Zealand or anywhere else..

"Happiness"..in my opinion comes from within and if one looks after the "within" then they can be happy anywhere...

They certainly treated us beautifully. Always smiling. It certainly wasn't that way when we arrived in back in OZ.

Perhaps the Kiwis are happier as the disgruntled ones come to Australia.

Seems the overpopulated third world countries are less happy ... they need something in their water to stop them from breeding and then they will be happier.

Expect to see Australia slip further down the ratings given our freedoms are being eroded every day!

Who comes up with these idiotic stats?....

I have only got to go look around my village , and up one end of the  street my immediate neighbours are as happy as the day is long, further down they are are miserable as sin, 

What defines happiness? Inner self satisfaction, food and security..and most of that depends on lifestyle and luck..

I'd like to meet these people who apparently must go from door to door with a pen and notepad asking 'Are you happy?' ..tick,...one...only 4 million to go ..

Nobody has asked me...but then no one ever has in any referendum.,yet I seem to have been counted.

Always subjective these lists. I personally couldn't be happy in a country that is in darkness 6 months of the year although Norway is beautiful.  As to NZ  (leaving out Auckland )  it definitely is very livable and i love that there is not much traffic or people ...so much more peaceful and green as opposed to the dusty brown I'm used to in OZ