The Maori are descended from an ancient line of Polynesian people who made epic journeys in waka hourua (voyaging canoes) from an ancestral homeland known as Hawaiki to reach these shores over 1,000 years ago. Gradually settling throughout the country, the Maori established deep relationships with the land, personifying its natural features to create a history in which people and the land are interwoven.

From the earliest years of European settlement, trading relationships were established between Maori and the new arrivals. In 1840, in the Northland settlement of Waitangi, the relationship was formalised in a historic treaty between Maori and the British Crown – The Treaty of Waitangi – that was signed by chiefs from many Maori tribal groups. Today the Treaty remains a cornerstone of New Zealand’s foundation and is fundamental to contemporary settlements negotiated between Maori and the Crown in compensation for losses of land and rights in the colonial era. Explore this aspect of New Zealand history with a visit to the Waitangi National Trust Estate in the Bay of Islands, where you can see the Treaty House, as well as a fully carved Maori Meeting House and one of the world’s largest Maori War Canoes.

Today Maori people make up over fourteen percent of the New Zealand population and their rich cultural heritage makes a unique and important contribution to the character of the country. Visitors to New Zealand will find many opportunities to experience both traditional and contemporary forms of Maori culture first-hand.

Over the centuries before European colonisation, Maori developed a unique and complex social structure. Tradition and history play an important role – as the Maori people had no written language, they preserved their past through spoken stories. This spellbinding art is preserved and performed at various sites around the country. You can also explore the culture by visiting marae (meeting grounds), tasting a hangi prepared in an underground oven or taking a guided tour with a Maori host.