The questions :

 

1. Do Maoris enjoy the same level of education than other new zealanders?

2. Do Maoris have access to the same jobs than other new zealanders?

3. Are there discrimination cases against Maoris in the field of employment?

4. How is the Maori tourism plan organized in the NZ economy? What is the way of life of Maori people in touristic villages?

5. Do Maoris feel assimilated into the modern civilisation?

6. Do people care if a person is Maori or not?

7. Is there a lot of racism towards Maoris in NZ?

8. Do you think Maoris are assimilated into the society ?

9. Do Maori people speak Maori when they are together?

10. Do you personally feel integrated into the modern NZ society?

 

The Answers :

 

1. Yes, and there are some study awards available to help fund Maori people to study at University. ( also available to Pacifica people too). Some places in Medical School are reserved for Maori, as long as their qualifications are adequate. There are Maori in every profession, but need to be more.

 

2. Yes. But that doesn't mean that they necessarily will get the job. On the other hand, if they have a good knowledge of the Maori language, they have a good chance of a Government job. (education, health etc) and especially TV, reporting and film.

 

3. That still happens, but it is much rarer now , and there is the Race Relations Office to deal with any complaints of racism. It is more difficult for foreigners to get a job.

 

4.There are many instances of successful Maori initiatives in tourism, eg the well known Kaikoura Whale watching in the South Island. It has helped the local economy, and also the preservation of whales. There are also many kapa haka ( singing/dancing troupes which are very popular with tourists in places like Rotorua; ( popular since the early 20th Century); model villages where you can learn about culture. The local Maori do not live in these villages. Everyone lives in European style houses - but the Marae and Meeting House ares still essential and dynamic places for hui ( gatherings ) political, economical, weddings , tangi ( funerals ) etcThere are guided visits to ancestral areas: the bush : teaching about native plants and customs, ; horse riding , fishing .

 

5. This depends - there is a wide variety of ways of living and beliefs ; people in the cities live very much in a modern way; those in traditional areas where they still farm have a more traditional way of life ( some foods; methods of gathering traditional plants for medicine; fishing, hunting pigs and deer, ( introduced by Europeans but an important food source for Maori, and indeed Pakeha( Europeans) who live in these country areas). However, even those who live in the towns and cities have a Turangawaewae ( ancestral home) and often return there to the marae for family/ tribal events). So, it depends on to what extent they want to be "integrated". Most still want to keep their culture and identity alive and strong, while being integrated into everyday life and work. Many are successfully bi-cultural, which can't be said about other New Zealanders. Some unfortunately do not know much about their history/language /culture and feel alienated from both cultures. The tribal - iwi - schools of learning and mainstream schools try and provide opportunites for these people.

 

6. Again, it depends. There has always been intermarriage, which helps understanding and acceptance. It is even more accepted these days. All Maori families have some Pakeha members by marriage, but not all pakeha families have Maori members. Some Maori and some Pakeha are not very accepting of each other. From a Maori viewpoint this relates to loss of language/land/culture and ongoing difficulties that haven't been resolved; and decision making that doesn't ask for/ ignores Maori ideas From a Pakeha viewpoint it relates to old prejudices and ignorance - but more so the older generation. Most people are now much more open to learning about and accepting Maori ways of doing things - a lot of Maori protocol has been incorporated into Government, hospitals, Education and local Councils. And now a lot of private businesses ( the large ones) pay attention to this. For instance, in banking the large banks have Maori investment/advisory/business employees. - an acknowledgement that the Maori Economy is dynamic, very entrepreneurial and important to the NZ economy.Of course, in the 18th/ early19th Centuries the whole economy relied mostly on Maori - the settlers would have starved had it not been for food etc supplied by Maori. The Maori very quickly adopted new crops / cattle sheep etc for their large areas of land and were soon exporting their goods to Europe and America in their own European boats which they were able to buy, so strong was their economy before most of their land was lost in the the Land Wars of the 1860;s or otherwise illegally sold/taken for the colonisers to farm.There is much more acceptance of and admiration for Maori beliefs, ethics, abilities in sport and music etc. Although this doesn't translate into many people actually learning the language, history or culture, there is still this acknowledgement of what makes NZ 's identity ; So , overseas, New Zealanders will perform a haka to show their NZ identity, although they may not know a lot about it.

 

7. Any serious racism can be dealt with by the Race Relations office; most of it is opinion expressed privately., and most is quite petty. Not as much as there was when I was growing up. Maori are much more evident in influential positions. If there are any public pronouncements by politicians etc that are perceived as racist , there is huge coverage in the newspapers. But most politicians are careful to visit big Maori celebrations and be seen there, and not make racist statements.There is still little attention paid in some areas to protecting Maori traditional food sources ie rivers, the sea where factories/farms etc pollute these areas. Maori feel a strong obligation to protect the environment, their ancestral lands etc and are often ignored by local councils who do not enforce laws to protect land/waterways.Maori land has often been taken to make way for roads etc, with little compensation.

 

8. This has mostly been answered , I think ! Most feel comfortable, or at least know what to do, in situations that are not entirely Maori.

 

9. Depends on the tribal area: only a few tribal areas now where Maori is the everyday language : especially the Tuhoe tribe in the Bay of Plenty. Many who speak Maori fluently do not speak it to each other, although they want their children etc to learn it.

 

10. Yes