I went to NZ in January, and I was a bit sad how much traction the LotR films had gained as &#x27;proxy for kiwiness&#x27;. From the airline to the airport to posters and promotional material everywhere; on city streets, in supermarkets... it almost felt like LotR had become part of the national psyche, that LotR <i>was</i> NZ, rather than something cool that NZ had done.<p>I imagine it&#x27;s waned a bit by now, though.