Art & Culture

Rugby is an integral part of being a Kiwi and Rugby World Cup 2011 is destined to turn New Zealand into a non-stop party zone called the REAL New Zealand Festival.

New Zealand’s great outdoors presents some spectacular backdrops for summer music events and festivals in locations all over the country.

Live music bars, local pubs and outdoor summer festivals throughout New Zealand offer some of the best settings for visitors to experience the Kiwi music scene.

New Zealand musicians have put their own spin on genres like soul, jazz, reggae and rock to create a distinctive sound inspired by home, land and sea.

Kiwis love the arts, and local and international artists living in or visiting New Zealand are often inspired by the country’s diverse natural landscapes, friendly people and unique Maori culture.

When Chinese visitors step into the New Zealand pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, they’ll be immersed in a culture that has close links with their own.

Long prized by Māori for its beauty and strength, New Zealand pounamu or greenstone is a protected natural resource that will now also benefit from a unique tracking system.

Modern-day guardians of their art, Māori master carvers Clive Fugill and James Rickard have spent the past 40 years honing their skills at New Zealand's Te Puia – Māori Arts and Crafts Institute.

Every piece of Māori art that comes from New Zealand carries a story with it.

From ancient times, Māori culture has been passed down from generation to generation through music, carvings, art, story-telling and reciting of whakapapa genealogies.