Many may disagree with me here, but I actually think that New Zealand is an incredibly well-integrated country with good relations between the Pakeha (settlers of European descent) and the Māori. I don’t normally like to be political, but I want to share my experiences from meeting Pakeha, Māori, and those of a mixed heritage to give you a better understanding of the situation as I have been told of it from both sides. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent a good bit of time in NZ and have family from there, but as with any colonial history, it’s a life’s work to fully understand it all, but here’s my understanding of it from what I’ve seen and heard. 

Firstly, it is important to note that there are not really any full-blooded Māori in New Zealand left. Many of those I met, although looking Māori to me, would tell me proudly of their mixed Māori and European heritage; many of those I met were half or at least part Scottish, as a large number of Scots emigrated to NZ in the years gone by. Also, as far as I saw, Māori and Pakeha interact constantly and, from what I can tell, have similar values and humour; crucially for me, they acknowledge one another. This may sound odd to those who are less well-travelled, but having spent considerable amounts of time in Canada and Australia, I can tell you that this should not be taken for granted. I believe Australia is a good point of reference, as it was also a British colony in a similar part of the world and was settled at a similar time. In Australia, the native Aboriginal people and those of European descent will often not mingle together and walk past one another without interaction. Some deep-rooted prejudices on both sides create some hostility and although there is rarely outright violence between the two groups, I would say in many areas of Australia, the people are not well integrated. Likewise, Canada (also a former British colony) was settled at an earlier date than Australia and New Zealand, giving them more time to integrate; however, there is still some lack of integration between people, with indigenous Canadians having their own land, police force and with some prejudices being present on both sides, from what I have found. Like with NZ, however, I found that many indigenous Canadians are also of mixed heritage. Don’t get me wrong, there are those who are unhappy in NZ. I have found that some Pakeha believe that the Maori receive an unfair amount of assistance from the government, such as financial aid, as a result of overly generous reparations, especially when many Maori are of mixed heritage. Many Maori are still aggrieved by the wrongs of the past and feel that more should be done to reverse the impact of colonialism. Like I say, though, these are discussed by a few and discussed similarly to that of political disagreements, with no prejudice or hate towards the other side, from what I saw. 

I would say that NZ culture is very similar to that of British and Australian cultures. We are all light-hearted people, although I would say that New Zealanders are the most open and welcoming of us all. I often judge a country by how easy it is to hitchhike there and in New Zealand, I had no problem. I remember having some of the best conversations I have ever had in my life, sitting up front with the locals of NZ, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you. For those of you who are not used to tattoos or from countries where tattoos are viewed negatively, you should know that to the Maori, they are incredibly important. You will regularly see Maori people covered in tattoos, including face tattoos. Furthermore, I can only describe the Maori people I met as gentle giants and a great laugh. Physically, like many of those with similar genetics in Pacific Islands, they are often huge people, both tall and strong; departments in which I am regrettably not well blessed!. Maori and Pakeha are lovely and as beautiful as the country is; it’s the lovely people that make it really special. I also think the Maori language sounds beautiful and I was lucky enough to listen to a performance of a traditional Maori song in a cave with great acoustics when I was there, which made for an incredible moment. The Māori are also great craftspeople, making many good souvenirs such as jewellery and other items, many of which have important meanings.