Am generalising quite a bit here but most of the 'pubs' in NZ and OZ are simply booze barns aimed squarely at the 'younger' generation, then there are the 'clubs' such as the returned services, sports, surfing and bowling clubs where you can get a meal and play the one armed bandits (pokies). There are a few 'locals' but these are usually country pubs mainly supported by the local farming community and are probably as close to a traditional British pub as you'll find anywhere, this type of 'local' is doing it tough at the moment as the smoking ban hits and many have either closed or become backpackers accommodation. On top of all that is a slow realisation that drinking and driving is no longer big, clever or socially acceptable and it's little wonder that more and more people are doing the majority of their socialising at home or at the homes of friends.
On a personal level I can probably count the number of pubs visited down under in the last 30 years without taking my socks off, the last time I went to the cinema was about 15 years ago and the last time Mrs Kiwi and I went out for meal was the 'works Xmas do' last year, however we regularly meet with family and friends for a glass or three and a feed and it's almost always in the home, usually on a reciprocal basis and it's common courtesy (
a pre-requisite to be honest) to BYO and 'bring a plate'
