Māori culture

Te ao Māori, the Māori world, is part of everyday life in Aotearoa New Zealand: in the language, the place names and the welcome you receive. The best experiences are hosted by Māori themselves.

Where to go

• Rotorua Cultural performances, hāngī meals and the living village at Whakarewarewa.
• Waitangi Treaty Grounds The story of the Treaty of Waitangi, with museums and a carved meeting house.
• Te Papa The national museum’s Māori and Pacific collections in Wellington.
• Pounamu in Hokitika Greenstone carving and its meaning.
• Waka experiences Paddle a traditional canoe with Māori guides in the Bay of Islands and elsewhere.

Good to know

Learn a few words: kia ora (hello, thank you), tēnā koe (formal hello), ka pai (good). If you visit a marae, follow your hosts’ lead, especially during the pōwhiri (welcome).