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New Zealand Culture and Arts

Maori 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 about 800 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.

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.

The People
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.

New Zealand has a diverse population — but with its own unique features that set it apart from anywhere else in the world. Our relatively isolated South Pacific location and rugged landscapes makes New Zealanders passionate about the outdoors, our coastal country makes the ocean part of our spirit and our distance from the rest of the world makes us independent, resourceful and self-reliant - with the famous ‘Kiwi ingenuity’.

The Arts
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.

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.

Articles