Culture

   

PLACES

Te Wharenui (communal house of the Māori people)

  The most important of the buildings within the marae is the wharenui or carved meeting house. A wharenui resembles the human body in structure, and usually represents a particular ancestor of the tribe.

  The tekoteko (carved figure) on the roof top in front of the house represents the head, and the maihi (front barge boards) are the arms held out in welcome to visitors. The amo are short boards at the front of the wharenui representing legs, while the tahuhu (ridge pole), a large beam running down the length of the roof, represents the spine. The heke (rafters), reaching from the tahuhu to the poupou (carved figures) around the walls, represent the ribs.

  Many wharenui contain intricate carvings and panels that refer to the whakapapa (genealogy) of the tribe, and to Māori stories and legends. It is also common to see photos of loved ones who have passed away placed inside.

  If you are lucky enough to step inside a wharenui, remember to remove your shoes before entering, do not consume food or drink inside, and always seek permission before taking photos.

DANCE

  The haka is a type of ancient Māori 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 Māori 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 Zealand’s All Blacks before a rugby match? You’ll probably agree that it’s a terrifying sight to behold!

  As well as protecting against the rain and cold, traditional Māori garments were used to protect modesty and to show the wearer’s status.

Materials

  When the ancestors of the Māori came to New Zealand they had to adjust to a new climate, and to use new plants and animals to make their clothing. They used plants such as harakeke (New Zealand flax), cabbage trees and grasses to make fabrics. They also used birds’ feathers and skins, and the skins of seals and kurī (Polynesian dogs).

Prestige cloaks

  The most special cloaks were worn only by chiefs. These included cloaks made of kurī skin and hair, full-feathered cloaks and kaitaka, which are made of finely woven flax fibre.

Practical garments

  Rain capes were shorter than cloaks, and kept the wearer dry. They were usually made from flax or cabbage-tree leaves. In the 2000s rain capes were sometimes worn by waka (canoe) paddlers.

  Māori generally walked barefoot, but sometimes made sandals from flax, cabbage-tree leaves or mountain grass for crossing rocky ground.

EXAMPLES OF DRESSES

                            'piupiu'   skirt with free-hanging strands                            

‘kākāpō feathers’ adorn this remarkable cloak and would have been worn by a
                                                                 person of high status                                                                    

‘Pākē’ (rain capes) - practical, everyday garments made by attaching hundreds of leaf           strips, called hukahuka, to a woven foundation. The hukahuka channelled off the rain.                                            

ART

  New Zealand has two 'high cultural' traditions: Māori and Western. However most cultural material consumed in New Zealand is imported from overseas, particularly from Britain and the United States. Because of this and New Zealand's small population, most New Zealand artists, performers and writers struggle to make a living from their art   

Visual Arts

  Pre-Colonial Māori visual art had two main forms: carving and weaving. Both recorded stories and legends and also had religious roles.

  When Settlers arrived, they brought with them Western artistic traditions. Early Pākehā art focussed mainly on landscape painting.  Some Māori adopted Western styles and a number of nineteenth century meeting houses feature walls painted with portraits and plant designs.

Performing Arts

Drama

  New Zealand drama, both on stage and screen, has been plagued during much of its history by cost and lack of popular interest in New Zealand culture. Despite this Roger Hall and, more recently, Jaco Rajan are two playwrights to achieve considerable popular success. In recent decades New Zealnd film has grown dramatically.

Music

  Popular New Zealand music has been influenced by blue, jazz, country, rock and roll and hip hop with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.Hip-hop is popular and there are small but thriving live music, dance party and indie music scenes.

Comedy

  In recent decades New Zealand comics have risen in popularity and recognition. In the 1970s and 1980s Billy T JAmes satirized race relations, and Mc Phail and Gadsby lampooned political figures, especially Robert Muldoon. John Clarke aka Fredd Degg joked about rural life. From the 1990s onwards the Naked Samoans expressed a Polynesian sense of humour to the nation, and Rayboon Kan is a prominent Asian comic and columnist. 

LANGUAGE

FOOD

Māori cuisine

  Māori cuisine was historically derived from that of tropical Polynesia, adapted for New Zealand's colder climate. Key ingredients included kūmara (sweet potato), fern root, taro, birds and fish. Food was cooked in hāngi (earth ovens) and roasted, and in geothermal areas was boiled or steamed using natural hot springs and pools.

Pākehā cuisine

  The majority of Pākehā are of British descent, and so it is not surprising that Pākehā cuisine is very similar to British cuisine. Nineteenth-century British settlers in New Zealand tried as much as possible to reproduce the foods of their homeland. A major difference between British and Pākehā food was that meat was much more readily available to all social classes in New Zealand.

Other cuisines

  New Zealanders increasingly come from many ethnic backgrounds, and most immigrants to New Zealand have tried to reproduce their native cuisines or national dishes in New Zealand. Ethnic restaurants have served as community meeting places and have also given other New Zealanders a chance to try different cuisines.

  The evolution of café culture has been a major part of growth within New Zealand. Cafés and the perfection of espresso coffee making throughout most of New Zealand have led to a unique  part of the life of the Country



Reference
www.newzealand.com
www.teara.govt.nz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_New_Zealand