Jurassic Park star and Two Paddocks vintner Sam Neill says he fears New Zealand has turned into a nation of complainers.
The actor was speaking on Radio New Zealand with Kim Hill about the launch of his new memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? when he launched a stinging attack on Kiwi attitudes.
Revealing he'd been in Sydney on a LGBQT march on the Harbour Bridge and had posted his support of it on his social media, Neill lamented how he'd been overcome with negativity following the post.
"Some of the stuff I got from that [makes] you think 'Oh my God, there's some vile people out there venting' - but that's times a hundred for poor Jacinda. I can't speak for her, but if I was in her position, I'd be incredibly disturbed by the stuff that came back," said Neill.
"When I was away during that first year of COVID-19 and I was struck by everyone who I'd come across who'd say 'Oh you're so lucky, what a great country, what a great Prime Minister, you're managing everything so well there, and I would do anything to live in New Zealand, I'm green with envy.'
"I got back, I went into quarantine, I was so excited to get out, and as soon as I got out, I was struck by how much complaining people do in New Zealand. I'd forgotten - is it a new thing? I can't remember people complaining about everything, and the Government wasn't doing enough, and the Government was doing too much.
"Everybody's got a grievance in New Zealand."
Several people agreed with Neill's comments online.
"Having lived overseas and travelled a lot, New Zealanders are hugely pessimistic and complaining is almost second nature. It's exhausting being around negativity constantly, especially on social media and MSM [mainstream media]," one said.
"I used to blame it on NZ's isolation. It's like a cancer, something so vile and pervasive, metastasising with hatred and vilification! It's terrible," another said.
Neill has been doing a round of interviews to promote his memoir and has revealed he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March last year, since undergoing extensive treatment.
Over the weekend, in an Instagram post he said he is "alive and well and I have been in remission for eight months, which feels really good.
"And I'm alive and kicking and I'm going to work. I'm very happy to be going back to work."
The Kiwi actor is about to start filming a new movie called An Apple Never Falls with Annette Bening.
His memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? is released on Tuesday.
