New Zealand Social Life and Community - Tikanga (customs and protocol) is a vital part of our culture.

New Zealand has a very dynamic society. Our isolated location in the world, our place in the South Pacific, and our love of the outdoors, sports, and art make New Zealanders and our culture unique.

New Zealand's indigenous Māori culture governs today's representation of our NZ. The Māori culture can be seen portrayed in our language, arts, and even the accents of all New Zealanders. 

There are a plethora of physical depictions of the modern-day 'kiwi' culture, collectively known as 'Kiwiana'.

Māori ethics play an integral role in our modern-day culture; below are a few Māori ethics that influence how kiwis operate daily in working and unique environments.

Manaakitanga
Manaakitanga is all about hospitality and kindness. It sums up the acts of welcoming and looking after guests by offering hospitality, generosity and mutual respect. The concept is essential to many New Zealanders. Our government even recognised it as one of the two core values of our tourism strategy.

Kaitiakitanga 
Kaitiakitanga is the strong sense of respect and guardianship Māori have for the natural environment. 

Today's modern nation of New Zealand is still very young, colonized in the 1850s. The political system is based on the Westminster parliamentary system inherited from Great Britain but has evolved in recent years to a more European-styled party representation system. 

• Today Auckland is the world's largest Polynesian city.
• New Zealanders have gained a reputation as informal, laid-back, and friendly people with a proudly egalitarian culture.
• Since 1996 New Zealand's system of government has changed to Mixed Member Proportional representation.
• Immigrants comprise a significant proportion of the New Zealander population (24%). Because this is still a very green, clean, and spacious land, it is very sought after
• The population lives harmoniously, and everyone enjoys the same citizenship rights under the law.
• Although it is around the size of Japan, New Zealand's population is just over five million making it one of the world's least-populated countries.

Māori is the indigenous community and culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Māori first arrived in waka hourua (voyaging canoes) from their ancestral roots of Hawaiki, over 1000 years ago.

Traditional Māori arts such as Whakairo (carving), Raranga (weaving), Kapa Haka (group performance), Whaikorero (oratory), and Ta Moko (tattooing) are still practised throughout the country. Māori are true to their ancestors' ancient techniques in arts and crafts but have also developed many new methods and art forms. Contemporary Māori culture includes art, film, poetry, theatre, and hip-hop.

Māori people make up about 17 per cent of the New Zealand population, and many are actively involved in keeping the culture and language alive. As a result, Te Reo Māori and culture significantly impact all facets of New Zealand life.

Visitors will immediately become aware of the language as most place names are of Māori origin. At first, they seem very hard to pronounce but give it a go, and you'll be surprised how easy it is.

• The population of New Zealand is 5 million people.
• The North Island has 3,7 million people, and the South Island has approximately 1 million people.
• 59% of the population is European (Pakeha), most of British origin/ancestry.
• 17% is of Maori heritage, mostly living in the warmer north.
• Polynesians from Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, and other Pacific Islands make up 7% of the population.
• A significant number of immigrants from Asia, particularly of Chinese descent, arrived in the 1980s and now make up 15% of New Zealand's population. Indian's make up a further 2% of New Zealand's population.
• New Zealanders have gained a reputation as informal, friendly people and have developed a proudly egalitarian culture.
• Immigrants continue to make up a significant proportion of the New Zealander population.
• The population lives harmoniously, and everyone enjoys the same citizenship rights under the law.