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