Maori culture in New Zealand

The Maori are New Zealand’s indigenous people, thought to have arrived in canoes from Polynesia around 1250AD. Over the centuries, Maoris spread to virtually every corner of the country, developing as they did so a unique identity that is carried forward through oral folklore and crafts such as their intricately carved canoes (wakas) and facial tattoos called ta moko. Many areas of New Zealand have their own distinct iwi (tribe) although today, the North Island is the best place to learn about Maori culture and traditions.

In the mid 19th century many Maori leaders signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the United Kingdom. This effectively became the founding document of New Zealand and saw Maoris becoming British subjects. Over the coming years a great deal of Maori land was sold or taken, often unfairly, and only in the late 20th century did real redress begin in terms of financial settlements and restoration of sovereignty. The Maori people have long faced social and economic obstacles, and efforts continue to address these and ‘close the gap’, while continuing to celebrate and preserve traditional Maori culture.

One source of tension with European settlers has always been the use and renaming of land. A guiding concept of Maori culture is kaitiaki – that they are not owners of the land, simply its guardians. Maori mythology has it that all things have their own spirit, and many of New Zealand’s geographical features consequently have two names. Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain (and where Sir Edmund Hillary trained before his ascent of Mount Everest) is a good example. Maori legend says the mountain is actually an early explorer known as Aoraki, and since 1998 it has been officially known as Aoraki/Mt Cook.