where most people live in paradise and don't know it

As another well-traveled guy told a couple of us recently, talking about NZ.

The Social Progressive Imperative publishes an annual Social Progress Index; the top 10 countries are:

1. New Zealand
2. Switzerland
3. Iceland
4. Netherlands
5. Norway
6. Sweden
7. Canada
8. Finland
9. Denmark
10. Australia

On some of the sub-indices, NZ's rankings include:

Water and Sanitation - 1st
Access to Basic Knowledge - 2nd
Access to Information and Communications - 7th
Personal Rights - 1st
Personal Freedom and Choice - 1st
Tolerance and Inclusion - 4th
Access to Advanced Education - 4th
Opportunity - 1st
Undernourishment - 1st
Deaths from infectious diseases - 3rd
Access to piped water - 1st
Homicide rate - 1st
Indoor air pollution (lack of deaths) - 1st
Gender parity in education - 1st
Press freedom - 1st
Greenhouse gas emissions - 2nd (best)
Private property rights - 1st
Freedom of religion - 1st
Corruption (lack of) - 1st
Religious tolerance - 1st
Community safety net - 2nd
Tolerance for immigrants - 2nd

This doesn't mean there aren't scumbags and there are occasions where those with power and money get their way, but the likelihood of them being exposed and dealt with is high.