NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE

NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE

NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE
New Zealand is a small country, similar in size to Great Britain or Japan. With a population of
only four million people its also gloriously uncrowded. Learn about the history of New
Zealand, our weather and climate, and read visitor information to help you plan your visit.
New Zealand's friendly and down-to-earth people will be one of the things you treasure most
about your visit.
With a patchwork history of Mori, European, Pacific Island and Asian cultures, New Zealand
has become a melting-pot population - but one with some uniting features that make it unique
in the world.

Today, of the 4.4 million New Zealanders (informally known as Kiwis), approximately 69% are
of European descent, 14.6% are indigenous Mori, 9.2% Asian and 6.9% non-Mori Pacific
Islanders.
Geographically, over three-quarters of the population live in the North Island, with one-third of
the total population living in Auckland. The other main cities of Wellington, Christchurch and
Hamilton are where the majority of the remaining Kiwis dwell.

A tradition Maori greeting - the hongi Rotorua

Early Voyagers
Over four hundred years before Christopher Columbus and the rest of Europe worried about
falling off the edge of the world; Maori people voyaged thousands of miles across the vast
unknown Pacific Ocean in small ocean-going canoes and became the first inhabitants of
Aotearoa New Zealand. To this day, Maori culture is a core part of New Zealands national
identity.
 The Weta Cave, created by famous NZ filmmaker Peter Jackson Wellington

Rugged Pioneers
New Zealands 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.

Bungy jump, Queenstown

New Zealander AJ Hackett invented the Bungy Jump Queenstown
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!
 Camping, New Zealand
Kiwis love camping in the great outdoors New Zealand

Kiwis love the great outdoors

For the same reason that many visitors come to New Zealand, Kiwis have developed a passion
for the outdoors and delight in activities that make the most of the spectacular landscape.

With so much coastline, its little wonder New Zealanders love the water and its reputed that
over 15% of New Zealand families own their own boat. Respected as superior yacht
designers, Kiwis continue to dominate on the world yachting, kayaking, windsurfing and
rowing scene.

Hiking, camping, fishing, bush and beach walks are other popular outdoor pursuits. The more
intrepid take to the mountains; following in the footsteps of perhaps the most adventurous
Kiwi, Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest, the worlds highest mountain, in
1953.

Rugby, New Zealand

Rugby is New Zealand's national sport New Zealand
Mateship on the sporting field
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, with the legendary All
Blacks recently winning the Rugby World Cup. Though the sport has public school beginnings
in England, in New Zealand, rugby is definitely the grass-roots sport of the average bloke.
 Farming, New Zealand
For many Kiwis, farming is a way of life New Zealand

Urban sophistication or taming the land?

As members of a unique and multicultural society, many Kiwis have wholeheartedly embraced
urban living, caf culture and an appreciation for new culinary tastes, fashion and the arts.
Kiwis are as likely to visit an Asian restaurant or modern art gallery as they are to attend a
local rugby game.

Whilst the lure of urban dwelling has ingrained itself on many, there is 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.

Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty

Get friendly with the locals and join in for some beach volleyball fun
Become one of the locals
It suffices to say that getting to know New Zealands relaxed and friendly people will be one of
the things you love most about your visit. Strike up conversations along your journey - a
casual chat at a bar or restaurant or at a local market - its the best way to get insider
knowledge on the area youre visiting and you may even pick up the local Kiwi lingo and make
new life-long friends!

MORI CULTURE
New Zealand's Mori culture is an integral part of Kiwi life and adds a unique, dynamic
experience for visitors.

Mori are the tangata whenua, the indigenous people, of New Zealand. They came here more
than 1000 years ago from their mythical Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. Today Mori make
up 14% of our population and their history, language and traditions are central to New
Zealands identity.

As a visitor to New Zealand, you can experience Mori culture by visiting a marae with an
organised tour, watching a carving or weaving demonstration or learning about fascinating
myths and legends from passionate Mori guides.

Experience Mori traditions in action

The best place to observe Mori culture is on a marae (tribal meeting grounds). In Northland,
Auckland, Rotorua and Canterbury, organised tours provide a traditional Mori welcome onto
a marae, where you'll hear Mori speeches and singing, see carved meeting houses, meet the
local people (you'll greet them with the traditional pressing of noses) and enjoy a hngi feast
cooked in earth ovens. You need to be part of a tour to visit a Marae.

Maori meeting house

Hotunui, a meeting house in the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Performing arts
Performing arts or kapa haka, which incorporate harmonious singing, rhythmic dancing, and
ferocious Mori war dances or haka, are a must-see for any visitor. Many marae visits and
Mori cultural tours include a kapa haka performance, with the most renowned place for these
shows being Rotorua in the North Island.

Kapa haka
Many traditional performances take place in a wharenui or Maori meeting house

The haka is a type of ancient Mori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as
when groups came together in peace. Haka are a fierce display of a tribe's pride, strength and
unity. Actions include violent foot-stamping, tongue protrusions and rhythmic body slapping to
accompany a loud chant. The words of a haka often poetically describe ancestors and events
in the tribe's history.

Today, haka are still used during Mori ceremonies and celebrations to honour guests and
show the importance of the occasion. This includes family events, like birthdays and
weddings.

Haka are also used to challenge opponents on the sports field. You may have seen a haka
performed by New Zealands All Blacks before a rugby match? Youll probably agree that its a
terrifying sight to behold!

Carving, weaving and tattooing

Other traditional art forms like carving, weaving and tattooing are also alive and well in New
Zealand. Precious jewellery and traditional weapons can be found in museums, galleries and
artists' workshops throughout the country. If you catch a carving or weaving demonstration,
you'll see that many of the techniques remain unchanged since ancient times. And if you find
a greenstone (pounamu) adornment you like, make sure you ask someone else to buy it for
you it's good luck to receive pounamu as a gift.
 A carver in action
At Te Puia in Rotorua, you can watch Maori carvers at work.

T moko the art of Mori tattoo is a unique expression of cultural heritage and identity.

It reflects the individual's whakapapa (ancestry) and personal history. In earlier times it was
an important signifier of social rank, knowledge, skill and eligibility to marry.

Traditionally men received moko on their faces, buttocks and thighs.

Women usually wore moko on their lips and chins.
Mori stories and legends
From ancient times Mori knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation
through storytelling. The creation of New Zealand is described by the legend of Mui, a demi-
god who, using his magic hook, fished up the North Island. There are plenty of places where
you can understand and experience Mori legends you're guaranteed to be captivated.

Fuente:
www.newzealand.com