Native Māori Culture in New Zealand - Learning about our heritage

The first Māori settlers in New Zealand arrived aboard several Waka (canoes) from the Hawaiki island, in French Polynesia about 1000 years ago.

Aroha: 

The whole meaning of the word does not exist in an equivalent English word. The root word "Aro" has many meanings, but the Williams Māori dictionary (1st edition 1844,  6th edition 1957) gives one as "Mind, the seat of feelings", and "Ha" is defined as "breath", and in Māori, this refers to the breath of life.  Aroha is the creative force that comes from the spirit. Aroha, as an operational principle, presumes the universe to be abundant, with more opportunities than there are people. Social interaction seeks the best in people and draws it out, yet it is firm in not accepting aggression, greed, recycled ignorance, or other damaging behaviours. Aroha, in action, is generous.  Aroha, in group meetings, seeks unity and balance. Aroha, in practice, is intelligent, a unified intelligence of the heart, soul, and mind. Aroha is universal and known by people of all cultures. However, with the distractions of life, people can lose connection with aroha. 

Business and Maori wealth

Iwi trusts are developing into big businesses. They are growing their investment assets 50 per cent faster than community trusts. The Māori asset base in Aotearoa New Zealand is a significant component of the national economy, valued at $126 billion in 2023. It is made up of assets held by Māori businesses, trusts, and individuals and has experienced substantial growth.

While diverse, the largest Māori businesses often include significant players in agriculture, forestry, fishing, professional services and healthcare. However, the Māori economy is also diversifying into film, fashion, food, and other industries, with the asset base growing rapidly. The largest Māori businesses in New Zealand, based on total assets and equity, are Ngāi Tahu, Waikato Tainui, and Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei. Ngāi Tahu currently holds the top position with total assets exceeding $2.2 billion. 

Government
The most recent New Zealand Parliament (the 54th) has 33 Māori MPs, a significant increase from the 8 Māori MPs in 1993. The Māori MPs are distributed across multiple parties, including Labour, Te Pāti Māori, Greens, National, NZ First, and ACT. 

Location
Today, the Māori people are more diverse and dispersed than at any other time in their history. Some continued to live in their traditional tribal areas. A quarter of the Māori population lives in the Auckland region, followed by the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. While more than half of all New Zealanders live in the northern half of the North Island, about 90% of Māori live on the North Island. 

Language
The Māori language is the official language of New Zealand and has undergone a revival in recent years. In 2025, 220000 New Zealanders reported speaking te reo Māori. The government aims to have one million Te Reo Māori speakers by 2040. 

Culture
Māori culture is going through enormous change with the establishment of new institutions and organisations. These include: 

• The rearrangement and strengthening of tribal structures and councils.
• The recapitalisation of tribally owned assets.
• The establishment of over 20 Māori radio stations and a television channel.
• Political representation, with 16 MPs of Māori background in Parliament in 2004.
• The creation of institutions where teaching and learning are substantially conducted in the Māori language. In 2001, there were over 500 kōhanga reo (language nests), teaching over 10,000 preschool children; over 50 Kura kaupapa Māori (teaching schoolchildren in complete Māori-language immersion programmes); and three whare wānanga (tertiary institutes).

Prominent people
In the early 2000s, several Māori individuals were regarded as prominent national figures or had international reputations in their chosen fields. Among them were the opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, filmmaker Taika Waititi, a celebrated filmmaker known for his unique storytelling; Dame Lisa Carrington, a successful Olympic canoeist; child actor Keisha Castle-Hughes; golfer Michael Campbell; artist Ralph Hotere; and writers Patricia Grace and Witi Ihimaera.

People & Culture

• Māori nationality did not exist before the arrival of Europeans; they referred to themselves by tribal affiliations.
• Māori developed a robust social structure based on tribal and family association, and have their mythology and religion.
• Māori have always had a deep attachment to the land, culture, and traditions, which have and still are creating the unique nature of New Zealand.
• Many Māori treasure their language, art, and culture, and there is a cultural revival.
• Cultures have different perspectives on time. The Western corporate perspective has a minimal view of time, focusing on the development of the present and only a short time into the future, usually their lifetime. Māori have a much broader view of time, encompassing past, present, and future in the decision-making process.
• Māori believe there are two worlds: Te Kauwae Raro, the seen world, where we live, and Te Kauwae Runga, the unseen world, where our ancestors and the gods live.
• The warrior spirit gained the Māori a fearsome reputation, which is one reason they have been prominent in almost every sport played in NZ.
• The haka, a traditional challenge performed before the battle, is now often performed before sporting games.
• The Māori culture retains a prominent role in New Zealand, and since 1987, Māori has been an official language, alongside English.
• The traditional meeting house of the Māori, the Marae, still plays a vital role in social, political, and ceremonial activities.
• Tangata Whenua (people of the land) customs and traditions interest visitors. Through Tangata Whenua's support for tourism, customs will be observed but not disrupted.