Lifestyle Article
Discover New Zealand
Maru Ririnui is our guide as we travel to New Zealand and catch a brief glimpse of the culture and way of life of the Maori people.
New Zealand lies around 2250 kilometres (1400 miles) east of Australia and is similar in size to the UK or Japan but has only 3.8 million people. The country is divided between two main islands and a smaller third. The terrain was largely determined by volcanic activity and the progress of giant glaciers which left a ridge of Alps between the coasts of the South Island. The climate is mild, generally warmer in the north with some extremes in inland areas.
New Zealand's greatest asset is often considered to be the country itself. From Milford Sound in the South to the Bay of Islands in the north, the country's natural beauty attracts 1.5 million visitors a year. There are also a multitude of activities available such as skiing, golf, fishing, snorkelling, white and black water rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and of course bungee jumping. A contributing factor to New Zealand's popularity is the ability to experience several of its pursuits and places in a single day. The cuisine is underrated with a wide array of fresh seafood specialities, lamb, venison and a modest but award winning range of wines.
Sometimes overlooked in the brochures is the country's pre-European heritage. While there are no ancient ruins, medieval structures or scriptures there is a diverse cultural history that maintains its place in modern New Zealand society.
The country's first inhabitants were hunter-gatherers about which not much is known. Evidence of the 'Mori-Oris' as they are referred to dates from the 1300's but they were nearly extinct by the time the Maori arrived from further north in the Pacific during the 17th Century.
There is uncertainty about their exact origin also but legend has it that they travelled in large sea-faring canoes from a place called Hawaiki believed to be in the vicinity of the Cook Islands. There is some evidence to support this ? similarities in vocabulary to other Pacific languages and the existence of plant life that appears to have been introduced.
The Maori have maintained their strong oral tradition. More than a means of communication, the language identifies the culture and represents the wealth of learning and belief of the generations that had gone before. Apart from basic skills (hunting, fishing, crop-growing and shelter building) this included a knowledge of weaponry, fighting techniques, battle tactics and most importantly a detailed genealogy or Whakapapa. Apart from one's ancestry, this typically included deeds of the tribe and regional landmarks, thus it was recited as a means of identity; it specified who an individual was and where they came from. This form of introduction remains an integral part of Maori protocol.
Pre-European society was divided into regions where an extended tribe or Iwi would live. From there it was the Hapu or sub-tribe that was the basic economic unit. Families ? whanau ? from the same Hapu would live in a village-type environment ? marae ? where areas of surrounding land would be assigned for food, shelter and clothing.
The diet would often depend upon the terrain they occupied. Coastal Iwi had fish and shell-fish (Pipi, Tuatua, Toheroa, Paua ) as their staple while those further inland would typically retrieve food from rivers and surrounding forests where several species of native birds and fresh water fish were plentiful.
The use of plants and animals was sparing and always with respect to their continued availability. Food stocks were given time to replenish and de-forested areas time to recover.
This reflects a basic Maori environmental ethic and underlying spirituality. All parts of the natural environment possess a life force, and all forms of life are related. Mauri represents the essence that binds the physical and spiritual elements of all things together, generating and upholding all life. It is a critical element of the spiritual relationship of Maori with the environment. Mauri also carried a notion of balance. Maori viewed many of their problems or ailments as a kind of imbalance where restoration to some sort of harmony was dependent upon addressing the imbalancing factor.
In Maori mythology the earth is the Mother, Papatuanuku. Gods ruled over all elements of the environment including the skies. Their favour was sought for such things as success in battle for retribution was severe: defeat and enslavement, failed harvests, disease and famine.
Conduct was guided by Tikanga (certain protocols with regard to resources and other important items) and motive was often a matter of Mana and Utu. These latter concepts do not have modern Western equivalents but might parallel the ancient Greek notions of kudos and revenge respectively. There is Mana in a tribe's historical and spiritual relationship to areas of land, the deeds of their ancestors and courage in battle.
As well as a motive for action, Mana is an all-encompassing reason for, and spiritual state of well-being. Utu was a matter of Mana. If a person or their family were wronged, retribution (often brutal) was a matter of duty. It is not surprising that a great deal of the Maori way of life was alien to the early settlers. Their failure to recognise and respect Tikanga was a constant cause of unease between the races.
Order between tribes was not always maintained either and disputes often led to armed conflict and all-out wars. Bitter rivalries simmered for decades and were one of the reasons that a combined resistance to the forces of the British Crown was not evident during the land wars of the 1860's.
The first recorded European visitor was the Dutchman Abel Tasman who anchored off the East coast of the North Island in 1642. He did not come ashore however. That honour was left to Captain James Cook whose first of three visits was in 1769.
Maori superstitions were first witnessed at this time when some crew members from a landing party were killed. Apparently this was the most appropriate test of whether the weird-looking white strangers were gods or not! n
Additional Information
International flights beyond Australia arrive at the Auckland airport, 20 kms south east of the country's largest city (population 1. million). Check with travel agents for details.
Internal travel is relatively inexpensive and there are a variety of accommodation options. Apart from the usual hotel and motels, there are farm stays, wine lodges, (YHA) backpacker hostels, B&B's and camping grounds.
