Culture and Tradition of New Zealand

New Zealanders are very hospitable and friendly people.  They will not hesitate to help other without being asked. They are also very casual and do not stand on ceremony. They are also very environmentally cautious as they believe that all things have a ‘mauri’ (life-force). They believe that if people try to damage the eco-system, the ‘mauri’ will lose its energy and thus will affect every living thing.

New Zealand has a very varied culture due to the Europeans travelling to the country many years ago, but the Maori culture plays a very big role in the way New Zealanders lead their life. New Zealanders posses this rugged, self-reliant nature and an eye for invention.

The art in New Zealand is also largely influenced by the Maori culture too. There are many displays regarding the traditional Maori art like carvings and weaving.

There are also the contemporary art scenes which have strong Maori and Pacific along with feminine influences.

The Maori has a unique way of welcoming their guests. They will perform the Powhiri which is a formal welcome and it takes place on a Marae which is a scared place to them. The duration of the Powhiri depends on the importance of the guests and may last up to 2-3 hours! They also like to sing and tell legends of their culture to guests and it is only polite that the guests sing songs from their own homeland in reply as a sign of appreciation and respect.

Tongue of New Zealand

New Zealand was once under the colonisation of Britain although a Dutch was the first European to set his sights on the country, therefore English is the official language. Maori, a language of the native Maori people, also became an official language in 1987. But before it became the official language of New Zealand, the Maori language went through a struggle and almost was lost forever.

Kia ora = Gidday!

An attempt by a visitor to use Māori greetings will almost certainly elicit a delighted response from both Māori and Pakeha (European) New Zealanders.

Kia ora – Hello

Kia ora tatou – Hello Everyone

Tena Koe – Greetings to you (said to one person)

Tena koutou – Greetings 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

In 1840, the tribal heads of New Zealand signed a treated called the Treaty of Waitangi with Queen Victoria which promised that the Maori language will be preserved. But about ten years later, the Maori people were lured into the cities which led to people losing interest in the Maori language as they were pressured to speak English which was essential for them to do business.

By 1970’s, the language was close to being lost forever as children were raised without learning their mother tongue. Fortunately, there has been widespread support for the Maori language recently which led to New Zealanders finding back their mother tongue. Nowadays, the Maori language is taught in schools and used in the media. Recently a survey was carried out to find out how many New Zealanders could speak Maori and a relieving 130,000 people said that they could speak the language.

Another unique feature about the official languages of New Zealand is that sign language is also recognised as one of the official languages. It was made official in April 2006 which made New Zealand the first country to make sign language an official language. The New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL for short is the main language for the deaf community in New Zealand.

Indigenous Group - Moari

The Maori is the native New Zealanders who were the first inhabitants of the land. It is believed that they came from Polynesia in canoes around the 9^th century to the 13^th century AD. In the 1600s and 1700s, two explorers, Abel Tasman and James Cook made contact with the Maoris. Abel Tasman was met with hostility by the natives but James Cook was a bit more fortunate and managed to establish some friendly relations with them. But in the 1800s, many Europeans came over to the country and brought with them diseases and war which brought the Maori population down to about 100,000.

A drawing of the meeting between the Maori tribe and James Cook and his team

Legend talks about Maoris coming from the legendary land of ‘Hawaiki’ which many speculate to benear Hawaii. They canoed to New Zealand which they lovingly called Aotearoa which means Land of the long white cloud as New Zealand’s weather was much colder compared to ‘Hawaiki’ and had many volcanoes and big snow capped mountains. Many people think that the Maori people found New Zealand by chance, but in depth studies show that they actually have ancient methods of navigation which uses the help of stars and ocean currents.

Before the Europeans came, Maori literature, such as legends and waiata (songs), were passed down from generations to generations by word of mouth. The most noticeable of these literatures is the Haka dance (war dance) which Maori always perform before going to battle. This fearsome war dance was immortalised by the New Zealand rugby team the All Blacks who perform it before every game. 

Another distinctive culture of the Maoris is their powhiri (traditional welcome) which involves a hongi which is a greeting that involves pressing noses. 

Lastly, their traditional tattoos catch you eye whenever you a Maori. For the men, their whole face would be covered in the tattoos while the tattoos would be restricted to the chin area, the upper lip, and the nostrils for the women.

Traditional tattoo on a men's face

Traditional tattoo on a women's face

Mode of Education

New Zealand’s progressive education is branded internationally for its quality. Many international students travel to New Zealand to further their studies. So let us dig in and find out how their education is like!

In New Zealand, it is compulsory for children aged 6 to enroll into a school. Before that, children usually attend play centre or a kindergarten starting from the age of 3. At age of 9, they will be enrolled into a secondary school where they will be studying in till they reach the age of 13.  They have over 400 secondary schools which students can choose from. The schools are either located in the city area or in the rural area. There is also a wide range of subjects which students can choose from.  The school term is split into four terms and school starts in early February and finished in mid December.

To graduate from secondary school, students have to complete the final year of school which is when they are 13 years old. International student also have to accomplish the final year of secondary school before they can move on to the tertiary level.

After graduation from secondary school, one has five choices. They can choose to go into a University, Polytechnics and Institutes of Technology, Teacher Training, Private Tertiary and Training Establishments or English Language Training.

University

There are eight government funded universities in New Zealand and they offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. Some even offer foundation programmes. Although all universities offer a wide range of subjects, they have courses that each university specialise in.

Polytechnics

It is a popular choice among New Zealanders as it provides academic or vocational programmes and 2 different routes, namely the short course which teaches a certain skill or a longer complete programme which will result in a degree or diploma certificate upon graduation. Currently there are 25 government funded polytechnics in the country.

Teacher Training

Like Singapore’s National Institute of Education (NIE), the teacher training programme trains students to become teachers of different levels. This is a reason why the education in New Zealand is considered a quality one.

 Private Tertiary and Training Establishments

Like the private universities in Singapore, these establishments provide the same programmes as a normal university, just that they are not governmentally funded.

English Language Training

This is like private English school which have English programmes along with and an activity so as to balance work and play.

This is the path international students take when they study in New Zealand

To prove that New Zealand does have a quality education system, it has produced two very brilliant minds. They are Dr Bryan Barrett-Boyes, a prominent heart surgeon, and Sir Ernest Rutherford, the first man who first split an atom.

Leisure Programmes (Festivals and Events)

Hastings Blossom Festival

Happens in the mid of September for about 1 and a half weeks. This festival celebrates the arrival of spring and the produce of Hawke’s Bay.  

The festival starts off with local community celebration including the famous Blossom Parade whereby the people dress up as clowns, princesses, teddy bears and so on and parade around. Following the local celebration will be a celebration cocktail party called ‘Hot Pink’ whereby one can enjoy Hawke Bay’s rose wine.

Toast Martinborough

It is a festival whereby everyone can enjoy good food, premium wine and listen to great music. It is similar to Singapore’s Food and Wine Festival but the food in Toast Martinborough is local New Zealand food and wine.

Auckland Seafood Festival

It is New Zealand’s biggest seafood festival and visitors can get to taste a wide range of seafood from the seas around the country. The food on the menu include oysters, mussels and scallops that are cooked in five different ways and so much more.

Leisure Programmes (Sports)

The sports that New Zealanders play reflect very strongly about their British colonial heritage. These sports which are soccer, rugby, cricket and netball are commonly played in the British Commonwealth countries.  As New Zealand is surrounded by the sea, naturally they are into sea sports as well, especially sailing. 

    

What New Zealand is Known for

Whenever someone mentions New Zealand, two things come to mind. Firstly is the magnificent mountains and plains, beautiful beaches and clear blue waters. Just google New Zealand and you will get pictures like these. 

New Zealand has the world's nicest landscape and it is the pride of New Zealanders.

Secondly are the All Blacks. The New Zealand rugby team is famous as they are considered one of the best rugby teams in the world. Their performance of the haka before every game also makes them stand out amongst other rugby teams.

Where is the 'Disney'?!

Disneyization is a global force that is changing the face of tourism is different parts of the world. Many countries now model their tourism after Disneyland theme parks due to their immense success worldwide. Below are a few ways that New Zealand tries to model their tourism after Disneyland theme parks in hope to boost tourism.

One of the dimensions of Disneyization is the hybrid consumption. This means when consumers consume a product, they are also consuming another product that is being consumed at the same time and these two products cannot be distinguished. 

This is happening in New Zealand whereby dinner is usually accompanied by traditional song and dance. An example is in the Tamaki Maori Village where tourists are served traditional Maori feasts while the tribesmen perform the haka.  

Another of dimension is the merchandising which is the promotion and sale of a product that is in the form or copyright images or logos. One example is the Lord of the Rings tour. Lord of the Rings is a branded name with copyright laws to it and the tour is branded under that name. The New Zealand tourism board largely promotes this tour as it is familiar to tourists due to that branding.

Changes tourism bring to New Zealand

There are changes made to the country for tourism, such as the building of hotels and other tourism facilities and all these may be made at the expense of the native people. The native Maoris will also be attracted by the tourists dollar and forgo their traditional jobs and start to earn the tourist buck by performing for them or making traditional items for them. In the long run, this might make them see their culture as a money-making job instead of their way of life. 

Native homes may be turned into lodging for tourists who want to experience Maori culture. This would be a disruption to the lives of the natives. Just imagine a total stranger from a different country living in your house, how inconvenient would it be! Also, the natives may learn and adopt the cultures that these foreign tourists bring in, diluting their own culture. 

But not all changes bring about negative impacts; tourism brings in revenue for the country. For example, tourist revenue accounts for about 9% of New Zealand’s gross domestic product which translates to about US$18.6billion a year. Also, the facilities built for tourists can be utilised by the locals as well, thus enhancing their lives.

Tourism, a culprit in commodifying cultures?

Tourism has commodified the Maori culture to a certain extent. Firstly, traditional carvings are now sold as souvenirs in shops and malls. Instead of just being a part of the Maori culture, it has now become another tourist’s souvenir.

Secondly, the traditional dances such as the haka dance have been commodified too. It has made to become a product that tourists can purchase. They can pay the Maori people to perform it for them although this dance was meant for war.

But has tourism really commodified the Maori culture or are the Maoris just sharing their culture to the world? Do the Maori do all their dances just because they hope to earn money from the tourists or they do it because they are proud of their culture and share them with the tourists? These are questions to consider before concluding that tourism has commodified the culture. I believe that the commodification of the culture dwells down to the person making the product. An illustration would be a tribe performing a welcoming dance to the visitors. They do it because that is how they greet their guests and not because they hope the tourists will pay them, and if that is the reason why they do their dance, that would not count as their culture being commodified.