I've heard it said that NY, London, Paris, Hong Kong, etc. are all cities in the same country.
Well apparently this isn't the case in the minds of mainstream NZ. London is clearly head and shoulder above all the others. Other European metropolises like Paris are next, while New York is sort of treated like anotehr Sydney. Not surprising considering that much of NZ's economy is business with the UK and Europe (which buys about 4 times NZ's exports and twice the imports as America). Add adding to historical ties (most New Zealanders living outside NZ live in London, after Australia) you get the reason why.
The people here read British punditries, they study British history and politics, they play British sports, they eat British food, and they even watch British TV shows.