Maori Culture

The earliest name for Wellington, from Maori legend, is Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui. In Maori it means ‘the head of Maui's fish’. Caught and pulled to the surface by Polynesian navigator Maui, the fish became the North Island.

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the longest place name in the world. It is the name given by the local Maori people, Ngati Kere to a hill to celebrate the eponymous ancestor Tamatea Pokai Whenua.

New Zealand chefs are increasingly using traditional Māori ingredients in their menus to create contemporary Kiwi cuisine.

‘In search of the treasures of the Whanganui River and the world of Tane’...

Ulva Island, situated in Whaka o Te Wera (Paterson Inlet) on Rakiura (Stewart Island), is a sanctuary for visitors to learn about native flora and fauna from a Maori perspective.

Renowned for our place in international rugby, New Zealand is leading the way in providing the only professional, cross-cultural and fully integrated rugby development and career training experience of its kind in the world ...

'Te Aurere' is a traditional waka hourua (double-hulled voyaging canoe) built in 1992 to answer the call for reconnection with the rest of Polynesia.

At the heart of Manawatu region, Te Manawa is the only institution of its kind in New Zealand to unite a museum, art gallery and interactive science centre, to create a unique fusion of life, art and mind experiences ...

According to Maori legend, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) was formed, not by rivers of ice, but by Tu-te-raki-whanoa, an atua (godly figure), who was given the task of shaping the Fiordland coast. Singing a powerful karakia (chant), he began attacking the towering rock walls with his toki (adze) called Te Hamo ...

The Himatangi sand dunes were once an important gathering place for Maori who regularly visited the area to fish and collect shellfish. The middens (piles of shells) they left behind provide a fascinating record of what the area used to look like.