The Culture

New Zealand has a unique and dynamic culture. It has a unique blend of Maori and European heritage. Although New Zealanders come from different nationalities and backgrounds, they gained a sense of identity which is called they "Kiwi" persona.

The name Kiwi derived from their national bird. Kiwi is a flightless bird and is native to New Zealand.

"Kiwi" is also a nickname for people from New Zealand.

Even the kiwi fruit name originated from the bird!





RELIGION
A large number of New Zealanders are Christians. Anglicans are the next largest, followed by Catholics and Presbyterians. The variety of immigrants has meant that Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism have increased.

Maori Religion
The Maori religion is closely related to nature and to the ancestors. Nature itself is considered a living being and thus the interaction between man and nature is bound by prescripts and rituals.

Anything associated with supernatural is called "tapu". Objects and humans could also possess "mana", psychic power.

ATTITUDES TO WOMEN
Women are very well respected in New Zealand. This can be seen from the country's top jobs which includes the Prime Minister.
The first female New Zealand Prime Minister was Jenny Shipley and she was succeeded by the next Prime Minister, Helen Clark, in 1999.

Historically, women played a vital role as they had to bring up and educate their children, earn a living and take care of the sick. Therefore, it is not surprising that the influence of women in society is now considerable.

FOOD
With the arrivals of immigrants from different parts of the world, it has influenced the New Zealanders view about food. Many new and creative ways of food preparation and presentation have evolved from a blend of ethnic influences to produce what is now called the Pacific Rim Cuisine.

New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables. New Zealanders are interested in food and wine and there are festivals around the year to promote and enjoy food produced from different regions.
For example, the second Saturday in February is the time for the Wine and Food Festival in Marlborough.

Barbecues
Barbecue is very much enjoyed by New Zealanders. They spend a lot of their time socializing, visiting friends and relatives and sharing food together. Barbercue allows them to enjoy the food and company during summer months.

Table Manners
New Zealanders follow the European custom for table manners. They use a knife on the right hand and a fork on the left throughout the meal. Utensils are rested on the plate during a pause and are placed parallel upon finishing.

Tipping
Service charges and tips are not included in bills. Tipping is not traditionally practiced in New Zealand. However, in major cities such as Auckland, tipping about 10% of the amount reflected on the receipt is common.

Maori Food Traditions
The Maori people cooked their food in earth-ovens called hangi. Hangi is prepared by digging a pit, setting up mountainous pile of food in it and then placing stones on top. The fire is then lit to heat the stones.

Traditional Maori believed that the earth was the giver of all life. From the soil, came food and that same food was cooked beneath the earth.

It was accepted that the people who were born on that land inherited the right to produce from it and to protect it for the benefit of all.