Maori Culture
New Zealand has an incredibly rich and dynamic history and culture. It is thought that only the birds lived here before around 1400 AD so all of our human history is fairly recent. Our Maori heritage in particular is as much about the here and now as it is about the past. Yes, you can learn a lot about this amazing culture by visiting many of our museums and art galleries but you can also do so simply by pulling up a chair and sharing a quiet moment with someone who will quite likely be able to trace their lineage (whakapapa) back to the very first canoes to ever land here.
From the stirring emotion of the Haka to the thriving and often whacky, kitsch and eccentric art known as Kiwiana – Zealand’s culture, arts, music and history are not simply locked away in museums – they’re everywhere you look.
Maori are the tangata whenua, the indigenous people, of New Zealand. They came here over 1000 years ago from their mythical Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. Today Maori make up 14% of the population and their culture and language sit at the heart of New Zealand life and society.
You’ll notice that most of the place names are Maori and you’re bound to hear te reo – the Maori language. There would be few New Zealanders who do not recognize – and use – common Maori terms and phrases. You’ll probably pick a few up yourself. Start with ‘kia ora’ – hello, and you won’t go wrong. And you’re bound to have seen the haka probably performed by the All Blacks before a match. Like most things in Maori culture there is a mana and significance to the haka that is much deeper than outside appearances.
Visitors to New Zealand are presented with many opportunities to experience Maori culture first-hand. Best known of these is the geo-thermal region of Rotorua in the North Island, where tourists can enjoy Maori kai (food) cooked on hot stones underground as part of a traditional hangi. They can also enjoy a Maori powhiri (welcome), visit local marae (meeting houses), listen to kapa haka (traditional performances of song and dance) and relax in the popular thermal pools.
Maori culture forms the basis of New Zealand culture and is the essence of its society.
A couple of places not to be missed
The Waitangi Treaty Grounds, overlooking the Bay of Islands is New Zealand’s pre-eminent historic site. It is a place of belonging and enjoyment that is central to the life of the nation and special to all New Zealanders. It was here on February 6th, 1840, that the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between Maori and the British Crown. www.waitangi.net.nz
Te Puia is the premier Maori cultural centre in New Zealand – a place of gushing waters, steaming vents, boiling mud pools and spectacular geysers. Maori tradition lives on at Te Whakarewarewa, with our guided tours and attractions, Maori culture, cand our National Carving and Weaving Schools of New Zealand. http://www.tepuia.com/
