NZ has that reputation still, but it's old history. They were mostly ditched in 1984. These day, compared to Australia we have a much more open economy.
For example with cars, NZ allows open importing of all used cars from Japan (we share being right hand drive), so by not trying to protect a local car industry (which was crap anyway) we are one of the cheapest places in the world to buy 5 year old Jap cars (which are bombproof reliable)
I don't look at stuff like click through, as most of our business is repeat customers and the site is just an easy way for them to place orders.
I know some people seem to prefer light websites, but if about 90% of websites are white background, then that preference is over catered for.
Personally I like dark and black backgrounds, and always go with my own preferences over other peoples.