Liceul Teoretic ,,George Calinescu’’ Constanta

New
Zealand

Advisor: Veleanu Cristina Student: Stoica Elena-Isabela

Class: XII B

May 2018

Contents
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1. Introduction……………………………………………………page 3
2. Geography……………………………………………………..page 4
3. The native Maori population…………………………………..page 4
4. The British colonisation……………………………………….page 5
5. Roots…………………………………………………………..page 6
6. Other ethnic cultures…………………………………………..page 6
7. Language………………………………………………………page 7
8. Arts…………………………………………………………….page 7

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1. Introduction

New Zealand has one of the most spectacular cultures in the entire world.
From the geographical position to the cultural input of the indigenous Maori
and finally to the various waves of the multi-ethnic migration which
followed the British colonisation.

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2. Geography

New Zealand is an island country located in the south-western Pacific

Ocean, near the centre of the water hemisphere. It is long and narrow
country. The two largest islands are the North Island (or Te Ika-a-Māui) and
the South Island (or Te Waipounamu), separated by the Cook Strait; a third,
less substantial island, Stewart Island, is located 30 kilometres off the tip of
the South Island across Foveaux Strait. Other smaller islands include
Waiheke Island , Catham Island, Great Barrier Island and more, although
many are uninhabited.
The country is situated about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) southeast of
Australia across the Tasman Sea, its closest neighbours to the north
being Tonga and Fiji. The relative proximity of New Zealand north
of Antartica has made South Island a gateway for scientific expeditions to
the continent. It is the southernmost nation in Oceania.

3. The native Maori population

The Māori are the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand. They originated

with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several
waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300 CE. Māori
settled the islands and developed a distinct culture over several hundred
years.

The distinct values, history, and worldview of Maori are expressed through
traditional arts and skills such as haka, tā moko, waiata, carving, weaving,
and poi. The concept of tapu (meaning taboo or sacred) is also a strong force
in Māori culture, applied to objects, people, or even mountains.

Europeans migrated to New Zealand in increasing numbers from 1855. The

most serious conflict between Māori and European settlers was between
1863 and 1864 which resulted in land being confiscated from the defeated
tribes. However Māori sold most of their land after 1870 and continued to
do so until the 1980s. From 1820 Maori entered a long period of cultural
and numerical decline. However their population began to increase again
from the late 19th century, and a cultural revival  began in the 1960s,
sometimes known as the Māori Renaissance.

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4. The British colonisation

The first Europeans known to reach New Zealand were the crew of Dutch
explorer Abel Tasman who arrived in his ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen.
Tasman anchored at the northern end of the South Island in Golden Bay (he
named it Murderers' Bay) in December 1642 and sailed northward to Tonga
following an attack by local Māori.

Tasman called them Staten Landt, after the States General of the

Nettherlands, and that name appeared on his first maps of the country. In
1645 Dutch cartographers changed the name to Nova Zeelandia in Latin,
from New Zeeland, after the Ducth provence of Zeeland.

It was subsequently anglicised as New Zealand by British naval captain

James Cook of HM Bark Endevour who visited the islands more than 100
years after Tasman during 1769–1770. Cook returned to New Zealand on
both of his subsequent voyages.

From the 1790s, the waters around New Zealand were visited by British,
French and American whaling, sealing and trading ships. Their crews traded
European goods, including guns and metal tools, for Māori food, water and
wood. Although there were some conflicts, such as the killing of French
explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne in 1772 and the destruction of the
Boyd in 1809, most contact between Māori and European was peaceful.

European (Pākehā) settlement increased through the early decades of the

19th century, with numerous trading stations established, especially in the
North Island. Christianity was introduced to New Zealand in 1814 by
Samuel Marsden, who travelled to the Bay of Islands where he founded a
mission station on behalf of the Church of England's Church Missionary
Society. By 1840 over 20 stations had been established. From missionaries,
the Māori learnt not just about Christianity but also about European farming
practices and trades, and how to read and write.

Beginning in 1820, linguist Samuel Lee worked with Māori chief Hongi

Hika to transcribe the Māori language into written form.

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5. Roots

Polynesian explorers reached the islands between 1250 and 1300 CE. Over
the ensuing centuries of Polynesian expansion and settlement, Māori
culture developed from its Polynesian roots. Māori established separate
tribes, built fortified villages (Pā), hunted and fished, traded commodities,
developed agriculture, arts and weaponry, and kept a detailed oral history.
Regular European contact began from 1800, and British immigration
proceeded rapidly, especially from 1855. 
Colonists had a dramatic effect on the Māori, bringing Christianity,
advanced technology, the English language, numeracy and literacy. In 1840
Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, intended to enable the tribes to
live peacefully with the colonists. 
European New Zealanders  despite their location far from Europe, retained
strong cultural ties to "Mother England". These ties were weakened by the
demise of the British Empire and loss of special access to British meat and
dairy markets.
More recently, New Zealand culture has been broadened by globalisation
and immigration from the Pacific Islands, East Asia and South Asia Non-
Māori Polynesian cultures are apparent, with Pasifika, the world's largest
Polynesian festival, now an annual event in Auckland.

6. Other ethnic cultures

Ethnic communities within New Zealand retain features of their own

cultures, and these have, in some areas, spread to become popular with the
general population. Settler groups from many cultures added to the make-up
of the country, with many groups concentrated around specific geographic
areas. These incluse Dalmatian settlers in Northland, Danish in inland
Hawke’s Bay, and Southern Chinese and Levantine settlers in Otago.

From the mid twentieth century on, waves of immigrants have entered the
country from different ethnic backgrounds, notable Dutch and central
Europeans during the 1950s, Pacific Islanders since the 1960s, and northern
Chinese, Indians, and southeast Asians since the 1980s. Various aspects of
each culture have added to New Zealand culture; Chinese New Year is
celebrated for example, especially in Auckland and Dunedin,] and South
Auckland has strong Samoan cultural links.

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7. Language
New Zealand has three official languages: New Zealand English, Te Reo
Māori (the Māori language), and New Zealand Sign Language. In practice
only English is widely used although major efforts have been made in recent
years to nurture Te Reo. Numerous other languages are spoken in New
Zealand due to its high racial diversity as a country.

New  Zealand English is close to Australian English in pronunciation, but

has several differences often overlooked by people from outside these
countries. New Zealand English has more affinity with the English of
southern England than Australian English does. Several of the differences
also show the influence of Māori speech. The New Zealand accent also has
some Scottish and Irish influences from the large number of settlers from
those places during the 19th century.