Living in New Zealand - Understanding the Maori Culture

Tena koe kaipanui, kei te pewhea koe? Haere mai. (Greetings reader, how are you? Welcome.)

And that wonderful greeting and welcome to my reader in Te Reo Maori is the culmination of a year of study to attain a Level 2 competency in the language. Of course I learnt a lot more than just the basic greetings above, and I don't mean just the language. The insight into the wonderful world of the Maori has been a special and very personal experience for me and I am overwhelmed by the aroha (love) I received from my whanau (family) at Te Wananga O Aotearoa (The University of New Zealand). This included the inspiring kaiako (teachers) and my fellow tauira (students). 

I received the certificate in the mail recently and it was a humbling moment. Because this is not a mere piece of paper that says I achieved a certificate, it is much more than that. It is a significant milestone in making Aotearoa (New Zealand) my new kainga (home) and whenua (country). And getting into a country that celebrates its biculturalism (and now multiculturalism with the recent migration) means that it places a responsibility on each new migrant to understand the history and culture of the country. While the pakeha (European) aspects of New Zealand are something that most migrants usually come to understand eventually, I must confess I have not seen a lot of effort from the migrant community to understand the world of the Maori and the tikanga (customs and traditions) that is such an integral part of this world. I was the only Indian on the campus to the best of my knowledge and it was amazing how quickly and wholeheartedly I was accepted as one of the whanau. I have had the privilege of being part of a powhiri (welcome ceremony), of starting and ending my weekly class with a a karakia (prayer), learning the waiata (songs) and kanikani (dance) in my classroom, of partaking in community kai (food), of sleeping as one large whanau inside a marae as part of my noho (stay) and many other equally awesome components of the course. The bonding with the whanau during the noho and during later parties has been immense. One of my mates from the class who I fondly call teina (younger brother) has even committed to have my tamahine (daughter) married in his marae if we so desire. How much more acceptance does a person want?

I can go on forever with all these positive experiences but the point I am trying to make is that every migrant to New Zealand must and should make the effort to understand the world of Maori. It is a community of fantastic people who have amazing customs and traditions. The country itself is founded on the Treaty of Waitangi between the Maori and Europeans and if one does not make an attempt to understand the history and culture of Aotearoa then it is the loss of the individual. And it is not very difficult to do this. What is needed is some initiative and commitment especially when there are free courses offered in places like Te Wananga O Aotearoa. So make an effort whanau and go immerse yourself in really experiencing New Zealand in its entirety. I plan to create a plan of immersion for my clients and help them with this aspect of their settlement into the New Zealand environment.

Ka kite ano (see you later) and he ra nui (have a great day).

Nga Mihi (regards)

Arun 

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