Cultural Spectrum

While New Zealand is a relatively young country, it has a rich and fascinating history, reflecting both Maori and European heritage. Amazing Maori historic sites and taonga (treasures), some dating back almost a thousand years - contrast with beautiful colonial buildings. A walk around any New Zealand city today shows what a culturally diverse and fascinating country we have become.

The first New Zealanders, the Maori, migrated here from their ancestral Polynesian homeland of Hawaiki. This was followed about 800 years later by extensive European migration. The influence of Pacific Island and Asian immigrants during the 20th century has helped shape New Zealand into an even more vibrant and diverse multicultural society.