Grandchildren the secret to happiness

Don Farmer | 29th July 2009

Masterton fish processor Russell Kawana is a most happy fella despite falling short on four of seven major points that make for a contented Kiwi, according to a just-published happiness survey.

Ideally Russell should be a Maori aged over 75 living in Nelson/Marlborough with his wife, having no dependent children, retired from work but with an income of between $15,000 and $25,000, or over $70,000.

That is the perfect mix for a man, according to an extensive phone happiness survey carried out for the year ending June 30 by UMR Research.

All in all, Russell doesn't fare too badly.

He is a proud Maori living in his own home with Marlene to whom he has been married for 35 years and has seen five children through to adulthood and away from the family nest.

From there on things get a bit messy. Russell doesn't fit the ideal age bracket - he's far too young at just 57.

He wouldn't swap life in wonderful Wairarapa for any amount of Nelson sunshine and he won't be retiring from the job he loves for a long while yet.

Income-wise - well, we won't go there. Suffice to say, Russell sits somewhere in the middle - happily so, what's more - but like the rest of us a few extra dollars wouldn't go astray.

The survey throws up some interesting statistics that show overall women are happier than men with 30.8 percent claiming they are satisfied with the way their lives are going compared with just 27.5 percent of men.

As far as race is concerned, Maori are the happiest single ethnic group, taking that title away from British immigrants who had that honour in the survey carried out a year earlier, but who slipped back markedly this time.

New Zealand-born Europeans were still further behind, than Pacific Islanders.

The least happy were Asians, although they climbed three percentage points on their last placing in the earlier survey.

As far as age is concerned, it seems crystal-clear that the happiest times of our lives are our teenage years and the twilight years.

It's that bit in the middle when we might be earning more but are supposedly enjoying life a lot less than perhaps we should.

Those aged 18 to 19 or over 75 were happiest. The saddest among us are those aged 45 to 49.

And as for Russell's own philosophy on happiness?

Well it has little to do with ethnic background, age or income.

It's simply down to family happiness, and in particular grandchildren.

"The grandkids are the key to happiness and I should know as we have 17 of them."