New Zealand has a unique and dynamic culture.  The culture of its indigenous Maori people affects the language, the arts, and even the accents of all New Zealanders. Their place in the South Pacific, and their love of the outdoors, sport, and the arts make New Zealanders and their culture unique in the world.

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Maori Culture
New Zealand's indigenous Maori people have a unique and fascinating language and culture, which plays a major role in New Zealand life.

The People
Though a diverse and multicultural people, there are many qualities, including friendliness, individuality, invention and self-reliance, that you'll find in most New Zealanders. It's our national character!

The Arts
The influence of Maori, Pacific Island, European and Asian cultures makes the arts in New Zealand colourful, unique and vibrant - definitely something to look out for!

Kiwiana
A range of wacky and weird objects helps define what it is to be a New Zealander, or Kiwi". These wonderful things are known simply as - Kiwiana".

Indigenous Culture
The Maori people are the indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and first arrived here in waka hourua (voyaging canoes) from their ancestral homeland of Hawaiki over 1000 years ago. Today, Maori make up over 14 percent of the population. Their language and culture has a major impact on all facets of New Zealand life.


Rich and Varied
Maori culture is a rich and varied one, and includes traditional and contemporary arts. Traditional arts such as carving, weaving, kapa haka (group performance), whaikorero (oratory) and moko (tattoo) are practised throughout the country. Practitioners following in the footsteps of their tipuna (ancestors) replicate the techniques used hundreds of years ago, yet also develop exciting new techniques and forms. Today Maori culture also includes art, film, television, poetry, theatre, and hip-hop.


Te Reo Maori - the Maori Language
The visitor to New Zealand will become immediately aware of the Maori language as the vast majority of place names are of Maori origin. At first, visitors may be puzzled by the seemingly impossible- to-pronounce names. In fact, Maori has a logical structure, and, unlike English, has very consistent rules of pronunciation.


How Do You Say Onehunga, Whangamomona, Kahikatea, and Nguru?
Maori consists of five vowel sounds: a e i o u ('a' as in 'car', 'e' as in 'egg', 'i' like the 'ee' in 'tee', 'u' like an 'o' in 'to'). There are eight consonants in Maori similar to those in English - 'h', 'k', 'm', 'n', 'p', 'r', 't', and 'w'. There are also two different consonants - 'wh' and 'ng'. Many Maori pronounce the 'wh' sound similar to our 'f'. The 'ng' is similar to our own 'ng' sound in a word like 'sing', except that in Maori, words can start with 'ng'.


Kia ora = Gidday!
An attempt by a visitor to use Maori greetings will almost certainly elicit a delighted response from both Maori and Pakeha (European) New Zealanders.
Kia ora - Hello
Kia ora tatou - Hello everyone
Tena koe - Greetings to you (said to one person)
Tena koutou - Greeting to you all
Haere mai - Welcome
Nau mai - Welcome
Kei te pehea koe? - How's it going?
Kei te pai - Good
Tino pai - Really good
Haere ra - Farewell
Ka kite ano - Until I see you again (Bye)
Hei konei ra - See you later


Maori Protocol
Being a tribal Polynesian people, Maori have a unique protocol. The best place to observe it is on a marae (Maori meeting grounds). Many tourist operators in New Zealand organise visits to marae.


Welcome to the Powhiri
A powhiri (formal welcome) at a marae begins with wero (challenge) A warrior from the tangata whenua (hosts) will challenge the manuhiri (guests). He may carry a spear (taiaha) then lay down a token (often a small branch) that the manuhiri will pick up to show they come in peace. Some kuia (women) from the tangata whenua (hosts) will perform a karanga (call/chant) to the manuhiri. Women from the manuhiri will then respond as they move onto the marae in front of their men.


Whaikorero - Speeches of Welcome
Once inside the wharenui (meeting house) on the marae, mihimihi (greetings) and whaikorero (speeches) are made. To reinforce the good wishes of the speeches, waiata (songs) may be sung. It is usual for the manuhiri then present a koha (gift) to the tangata whenua after greeting the hosts with a hongi - the ceremonial touching of noses. After the powhiri, kai (food) may be shared.


Stories and Legends
Maori is an oral culture rich with stories and legends. The Maori creation story describes the world being formed by the violent separation of Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, by their children. Many Maori carvings and artworks graphically depict this struggle.


Fishing Up An Island
The creation of New Zealand is described by the legend of Maui. This god was a cheeky trickster who managed, among other things, to harness the sun in order to make the days longer. However, his biggest claim to fame was his fishing up of the North Island, which is described as Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui). A look at an aerial map of the North Island will show how closely it resembles a fish. Maori believe the far north to be the tail of the fish and Wellington Harbour the mouth. Maori describe the South Island as Maui's waka (canoe) and Stewart Island (Rakiura) as his punga (anchor).

Today, New Zealanders are largely sophisticated and highly educated urban dwellers. Members of a unique and vibrant multicultural society, New Zealanders are embracing 21st century technology and culture in record numbers. But New Zealanders also have a background of quiet but rugged individualism, self-reliance, and a genius for invention - qualities still evident in the population today.


Unique in the World
New Zealand has a diverse population - but with some uniting features that make it unique in the world. Our relatively isolated South Pacific location and rugged landscapes still makes many New Zealanders quiet and independent, yet resourceful and self-reliant, with a famous 'Kiwi ingenuity'.


Early Voyagers
Over four hundred years before Christopher Columbus and the rest of Europe worried about falling off the edge of the world, the first New Zealanders, the Maori, voyaged thousands of miles across the vast unknown Pacific Ocean in small ocean-going canoes. In order to reach New Zealand, these brave adventurers developed their own navigation system using the stars and the currents.


Rugged Pioneers
New Zealand's European pioneers were also brave, rugged and independent. Before establishing farms and settlements, they had to first clear the land - a painstaking and sometimes dangerous activity. Their isolation and exposure to the elements forced these early New Zealanders to become hardy and multi-skilled. This resourcefulness and ingenuity has greatly contributed to the New Zealand character. The same qualities can be seen today in the new pioneers - a generation of young Kiwi business executives, computer software builders, film-makers, fashion designers, and sportspeople making waves around the world.


Backyard Genius
Since before Sir Ernest Rutherford 'split' the atom early in the twentieth century, Kiwis have been discovering and inventing things. Many of these inventions have literally been created in a backyard. While frozen meat, the Hamilton Jet boat, and the bungy jump are probably our most famous Kiwi inventions, there are many others. New Zealanders are also responsible for the tranquilliser gun, seismic 'base' isolators (rubber and lead blocks which minimise earthquake damage), electric fences, the fastest motorbike in the world, freezer vacuum pumps, stamp vending machines, wide-toothed shearing combs, and the electronic petrol pump - to name a few!


Outdoor People
New Zealand has a low population density and spectacular scenery. As a result, many New Zealanders have a love of their landscape and the outdoors. Hiking, mountaineering, and kayaking are enjoyed by many New Zealanders, while many more will explore their landscape with a trip to the beach or a bush walk. They are following in the footsteps of perhaps the most adventurous Kiwi, Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, in 1953.


Water Passion
With so much coastline, it is little wonder New Zealanders love the water. Since Kupe, the first explorer to reach New Zealand, made landfall in the far north of the country over a thousand years ago, New Zealanders have had a passion for ocean-going craft. New Zealanders were at the forefront of yacht design and racing during much of the 20th century, and continued their dominance into this century by winning and retaining the prestigious America's Cup. New Zealanders have also won many Olympic medals for yachting, windsurfing, kayaking, and rowing.


Fair Go Mate
Tempering the rugged individualism of New Zealanders is a strong egalitarian streak and a sense of fair play and teamwork. This may be partly due to the co-operative 'whanau' (extended family) structure of Maori society, as well as the make-up of early Pakeha (Europeans) society. Many European immigrants came to New Zealand to escape the class system. A small population meant co-operation was vital for survival. The artificial class structures of 'home' became irrelevant in such a rugged and young country. New Zealand was also one of the earliest countries to grant women the right to vote and has a strong trade union tradition.


National Character Building
The two World Wars saw heavy casualties inflicted on the New Zealand male population. But it also saw loyalty to your friends and comrades - 'mateship' - become a prized social value. This quality is still seen on the sporting field today. Rugby football is the most popular spectator sport in New Zealand, and the legendary All Blacks have won the World Cup once and been a finalist twice. Though the sport has public school beginnings in England, in New Zealand, rugby is definitely the sport of the 'average bloke'.


Rural Economy
As the 20th century progressed, the make-up and character of the New Zealand population began to radically change. In the early part of the century, the New Zealand economy was largely dependent on agriculture and the export of primary produce. However, after the Second World War, more and more people moved to the cities, and manufacturing and tertiary industries
became established.


New New Zealanders
In the 1970s, large numbers of Pacific Island immigrants settled in New Zealand, followed in the 80s and 90s by Asians, Europeans, and many others. These new arrivals contributed, along with technological and economic changes, to a totally new national identity. In the last twenty years or so, New Zealanders have embraced the global economy and the latest technology. Per head of population, New Zealanders are some of the highest mobile phone and Internet users in the world. They also read the most newspapers.


Taming the Land
Despite recent changes, New Zealand still has a sizeable rural population and farming is a major export earner. While the traditional exports of wool, meat, and dairy products are still very strong, new products, including Cervena (New Zealand venison), flowers, fruit, biotechnology, and wine are now also contributing greatly to our exports. Like the rest of the population, the farming sector have diversified and embraced technology, making New Zealand one of the most productive and efficient agricultural producers in the world.


Urban and Sophisticated
New Zealand has absorbed the new culinary tastes, fashions, and lifestyles of the Pacific Rim and combined them with more traditional ones to produce a unique New Zealand identity. Today, Kiwis are as likely to visit an Asian restaurant or modern art gallery as they are to attend a rugby game or milk a cow!

New Zealand - An Exciting Blend of Cultural Influences
The arts in New Zealand reflect an exciting blend of cultural influences including Maori and Pacific Island, as well as European and Asian. From haka to hip-hop, fashion to filmmaking, New Zealand artists are making their mark at home and around the world.


Artland New Zealand
Whether you're interested in Maori carving or abstract painting, you'll find lots of art in New Zealand. Traditional Maori arts such as carving and weaving are alive and well. You'll find excellent examples in museums, shops, and on marae (meeting grounds) throughout the country.


Early Painters
New Zealand has a fine tradition of painting. C.F. Goldie (1870-1947) and Gottfried Lindauer (1839-1926) were two early artists who painted portraits of Maori subjects. Frances Hodgkins (1869-1947) is one of New Zealand's most acclaimed and influential painters. She was associated with a number of avant-garde British movements including Neo Romanticism.


Modern Masters
Rita Angus (1908-1970) is a much-loved New Zealand artist who painted beautiful New Zealand landscapes and a large number of self-portraits. Colin McCahon (1919-1987) painted a large number of landscapes and used text, often of a religious nature, in many of his works. 'His Practical Religion 1969', featuring the words 'I AM', has become an iconic New Zealand artwork.


Striking and Provocative
New Zealand has a vibrant contemporary art scene and most New Zealand towns have interesting art galleries and shops. Maori and Pacific, as well as feminist influences, are strong in contemporary New Zealand art. Artists such as Ralph Hotere, John Pule, Michael Parekowhai and Robyn Kahukiwa, not only create striking and dramatic images, but also provoke reactions from their audience.


Early Giant
Katherine Mansfield (1888 - 1923) is the giant of early New Zealand literature. Regarded as being one of the finest short-story writers in English, she is the first in a long line of excellent New Zealand short-story writers. Stories such as 'The Doll's House', 'At the Bay', and 'The Garden Party' are superb examples of Mansfield's depiction of turn-of-the-century colonial New Zealand.


Devastatingly Good
The twentieth century saw the emergence of many fine New Zealand novelists including John Mulgan ('Man Alone'), Robin Hyde ('The Godwits Fly'), Maurice Shadbolt ('Strangers and Journeys'), and Janet Frame ('Owls do Cry'). Born in 1924, Janet Frame is one of New Zealand's most highly regarded novelists. Frame's books include devastating accounts of the treatment of mental patients in New Zealand during the 1950s and 60s. Her best-selling three-part autobiography was made into a top-rating television series and film - 'An Angel at my Table'.


New Generation
New Zealand's best-known Maori writers include Patricia Grace, Alan Duff, and Witi Ihimaera. Duff's bleak 'Once Were Warriors', depicting a violent, dysfunctional Maori family, was made into an international hit movie by Maori filmmaker Lee Tamahori. An exciting younger generation of New Zealand novelists including new-ager Elizabeth Knox ('The Vintner's Luck'), Gen X-er Emily Perkins ('Not Her Real Name'), Bulgarian-born Kapka Kassabova ('Reconnaissance'), and Samoan-born Sia Figiel ('Where we once belonged') show that contemporary New Zealand literature has a wide range of cultural and stylistic influences.


Poetry
It should come as no surprise that much of New Zealand's best poetry is about the country's landscape. However, major New Zealand poets including James K. Baxter, ARD Fairburn, Denis Glover, Allen Curnow, and Sam Hunt also reveal a keen social conscience and wry sense of humour.


Fashioning an Industry
New Zealand fashion has come of age in the last few years. Exciting designers such as Karen Walker, World, and Zambesi have put the country on the fashion map, frequently exhibiting in London and Sydney. New Zealand fashion used to be largely a copy of European styles. Now it is a vibrant and dynamic industry with a range of influences, including those of Maori and the Pacific Islands.


Music and Dance
New Zealand has three professional symphony orchestras, including the highly acclaimed NZSO (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra). There are also a large number of excellent choirs, including the National Youth Choir, which recently won a number of prestigious internationalevents. Recent co-productions between European-style groups, such as the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the NZSO, and Maori music and dance groups, are examples of a bicultural 'fusion' currently occurring.


New Waves
New Zealand has a diverse contemporary and alternative music scene. While rapper OMC (Pauly Fuemana) and Crowded House's Neil Finn are probably our best known musicians, other performers including Bic Runga, Stellar, Shihad and King Kapisi are currently making waves.


On Stage
As well as supporting a thriving local theatre scene, New Zealand performers regularly appear at festivals abroad, including the Edinburgh and Adelaide Festivals. Maori and Pacific Island writers and performers have had a big impact on the New Zealand theatre, giving it a unique and colourful Polynesian-influenced identity.


On Film
A competitive exchange rate, excellent scenery, and a highly skilled workforce make New Zealand the perfect place to shoot a movie. New Zealand has produced many top directors, including Roger Donaldson ('Cocktail', 'Species'), Jane Campion ('The Piano'), Lee Tamahori ('Once Were Warriors', 'The Edge'), and Peter Jackson, who is currently completing his massive 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy in New Zealand. Movies such as 'Smash Palace', 'Once Were Warriors', 'The Piano' and 'Heavenly Creatures' have proved that New Zealand can produce unique and intelligent movies equal to the best in the world.

A range of wacky and weird objects helps define what it is to be a New Zealander, or 'Kiwi'. These wonderful things are known simply as - 'Kiwiana'.


Kiwiana - Celebrating Our National Identity
Gumboots, 'Buzzy Bee' toys, marching girls, a meringue dessert, shell ashtrays, and a cookbook may not seem terribly important objects. But to many Kiwis (New Zealanders), such things assume vital importance as major icons of Kiwiana! What is Kiwiana? It could be described as all the weird and wonderful quirky things from years gone by that contribute to our sense of nationhood - our kiwi identity.


What is a Kiwi?
To understand Kiwiana, it's important to first know what exactly a kiwi is. A kiwi is a flightless nocturnal native bird, and the national bird of New Zealand. It has a long beak with nostrils on the end, and fossicks about at night feeding on small insects. However, over the years, New Zealanders have become known as 'Kiwis' as well. There is a 'kiwi' sense of humour, a kiwi 'do-it-yourself' attitude, and Kiwiana means the things that contribute to our sense of being Kiwi. Just to confuse you, the kiwifruit is often called a 'kiwi' in Europe and America and 'Kiwi' nugget (shoe polish) is known throughout the world, although it is an Australian invention!


Kiwifruit
The Kiwifruit, often simply called a 'kiwi' is of Chinese origin, but grows throughout New Zealand. It was originally called a 'Chinese Gooseberry' by New Zealanders, but when New Zealand started to export the fruit, it was decided to give them a better name. 'Kiwifruit' was the choice, because it would associate the fruit with New Zealand. The choice was timely, and New Zealand enjoyed record exports during the worldwide Kiwifruit boom. While kiwifruit are now grown throughout the world, you can always tell if a kiwifruit is from New Zealand, as it will be branded 'Zespri'.


The Birds and the Buzzy Bees
The 'Buzzy Bee' - not the live one, but the toy - is probably the most famous single piece of Kiwiana. But it's not just the bright red and yellow colours that make Buzzy Bee so attractive to Kiwis, who are far more used to the greens and browns of their native bush. As you pull the toy, the wings of Buzzy Bee rotate, making a wonderful loud clicking sound.


Pavlova
This dessert was invented as a tribute to the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured New Zealand and Australia in 1926. Pavlova is made of meringue and cream and is usually topped with kiwifruit.


Dessert Storm
The pavlova has long been at the centre of a trans-Tasman argument. Both New Zealanders and Australians steadfastly maintain they invented it. The first appearance of the recipe in written form was in a New Zealand cookbook in the early 1930s. Surely it is obvious that a Swiss-style meringue cake covered in 'Chinese gooseberries' and named after a Russian ballerina can only be a New Zealand invention!


Paua Shell
Paua (pronounced par-wah) is a close relative of abalone and comes in a beautiful shell. Maori used the shiny shell for eyes in carvings of various creatures. Whole paua shells are used for ashtrays and other containers, and pieces of paua shell are used for making jewellery, butterflies, coasters, 21st birthday keys and a variety of other objects and souvenirs.


Edmonds Cookbook - Sure to Sell
More copies of this book, published by the makers of Edmonds 'Sure to Rise' Baking Powder, have been sold than any other book in New Zealand. Few New Zealand children would leave home without buying or borrowing their mother's copy of this kiwi culinary bible.


No 8 Wire
Kiwis are famous for their ingenuity and self-sufficiency. It is said that Kiwis can create amazing things - all they need is 'a piece of Number 8 wire'. No 8 wire is a certain gauge of wire that was incredibly popular for use as fencing wire around New Zealand's many farms. Ironically, until 1963, it was imported from other countries. Because No. 8 wire was widely available, it was used for a variety of tasks, and it has become a symbol of kiwi adaptability.


L & P - National Soft Drink
L & P stands for Lemon and Paeroa, New Zealand's most famous soft drink. It was invented in 1904 after its maker tasted some mineral water near the town of Paeroa, and mixed it with lemon to make a particularly refreshing drink. L & P was originally called Paeroa and Lemon, though the name was later reversed, and then shorted to L & P. This drink is still popular throughout New Zealand today.


Crown Lynn Railways Cup
Rail transport was once the major mode of transport in New Zealand and an important part of the culture, as well as the infrastructure. On the overnight express from Wellington to Auckland, passengers would stop for a cup of tea along the way. The steaming brew was also served in an incredibly sturdy railways mug, made by New Zealand's Crown Lynn pottery. While the mugs were cheaply made, over the years they have become valuable collector's items.


Where Do You Find Kiwiana?
Most second-hand and souvenir shops have a good stock of Kiwiana, but if you want the real thing, go to one of the thousands of garage sales that are held throughout New Zealand every weekend.