Related Sponsors

Culture

Home » New Zealand » New Zealand - The People and the Culture » Culture

When you visit New Zealand, you will see that the country has a very unique and somewhat dynamic culture. The background of the people today is a mixture of European and Maori heritage.

During the 11th century, the Maori tribes are Polynesians and New Zealand has been their home since this time and even though the population has been greatly reduced, they can still be seen throughout the area and the two greatly different cultures have blended together to become one. The origin behind this culture is unknown and upon their arrival, named the islands as Aotearoa (The Land of the Long White Cloud)

• The Maori people can still be found within the New Zealand area and you can see the likeness because each ethnic group has a love of the arts, spending time outdoors and most definitely sport. The language is something that you will definitely notice because the Maori language is something that is becoming part of a school’s curriculum throughout the country. Arriving over 1,000 years ago the Maori tribes reached the shores of New Zealand from Hawaiki and today you will find that 14% of the total population makes up the country. A huge part of their culture includes art (such as carving and weaving), poetry, film and musical influences such as hip hop.
• For the Maori and New Zealander population, it is a major factor for the area that a large majority of the population takes part in some form of water sport. Due to the endless amounts of coastline or smaller lakes and rivers, sports like kayaking, white-water rafting and surfing are the most popular sports amongst locals. For New Zealand, the love for water sports has arisen from the Maori tribes and from early centuries to modern day life, it is a trait that has been passed down throughout the generations.
• Music – The music that is played by the Maori’s today is mainly vocal. Occasionally instruments such as the guitar are being used but when the first tribes arrived due to the large Christian population in the area this trait was neglected. Despite the availability instruments are still rarely used but they are slowly becoming used more often.

Next Page: Languages

Related New Zealand - The People and the Culture Articles