New Zealand History & Society

The Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was the first European to discover New Zealand in 1642, but it wasn’t till 1769 that Captain James Cook claimed it for Britain and produced a map of New Zealand.

The Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is seen as New Zealand’s founding document, establishing the country as a nation. It was signed in 1840 between leading Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, which is now one of the country's most historic sites. The signing of the treaty began on 6 February – a date which has now become New Zealand’s national holiday, known as 'Waitangi Day'.

 

Society and Culture

New Zealand is an independent nation and a member of the British Commonwealth. There is no official religion in New Zealand. Its population of 4 million is a multi-cultural one, with the majority being of British descent.  Indigenous Maori make up about 14 percent of the figure.  The place names, art, architecture and stories reflect who the kiwis are, where they came from and how they’ve shaped their society.

Heritage sites significant to both Maori and European are dotted throughout the country – in Waitangi you can learn about the treaty that changed the course of New Zealand history forever.  Relics can still be seen of the gold rush days in Central Otago, where thousands flocked to find their fortune.  And in Napier you can discover the funky Art Deco architecture, which came about when the city was almost entirely destroyed by a huge earthquake in 1931.

The Maori Culture

The Maori culture is a rich and varied one with its own art forms – weaving, carving, performance and moko (tattooing) as well as its own stories and legends.  You’ll notice many of the place names are Maori words such as Ruapehu, Rotorua and Taupo.  These might be confusing at first but you’ll soon get the hang of how to say them and you can always ask a local to help get your pronunciation right.  Being of Polynesian descent, Maori people have their own ceremonies, customs and protocols, best observed in a marae (meeting house). 

Kiwis and kiwis

The kiwi bird was given its name by the Maori because of the sound of its chirp - kiwi, kiwi, kiwi!  This endangered native bird is flightless, and is about the size of a hen with a long beak and soft feathers.  New Zealanders have adopted the kiwi as their national emblem and it’s thought that giving New Zealanders the nickname of “kiwi” dates back to the First World War, when it was given to the New Zealand soldiers who fought.

Random fact: Kiwifruit actually hails from China and was brought over to New Zealand by missionaries at the turn of the century.