How the Profits off of Maori Culture are not Received by the Maori

Written by: Christian Jarrett

The modern story of the Maori people that mainly inhabit New Zealand and parts of Australia is a very unique one that is not seen very often across the globe. To begin, the Maori people of New Zealand somewhat blur the line on what it means to be indigenous in some people’s eyes due to the fact that they themselves had only come to what is today New Zealand in approximately the eleventh century. It is undisputed, however, that the Maori people were established on the island centuries before the arrival of European settlers. Since the arrival of Europeans to New Zealand, the Maori people and culture have seen many of the same troubles as other native groups throughout the world after they encountered Europeans, but at the same time they possess certain cultural victories that are not seen in many other cases throughout the globe. The real issue facing the Maori people today is the exploitation of the culture for financial gain that does not return to their community even in the face of widespread poverty and violence seen in Maori communities.

In the early years of European colonization of New Zealand, relations between the Maori and their European counterparts were rocky at times, but considered pleasant for a majority of the time. Attacks occasionally occurred between the Maori and the settlers, and diseases spread from the Europeans to the Maori such as smallpox and measles which killed a small portion of the Maori population. In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British Monarchy and the Maori people, allowing the annexation of New Zealand and the self-rule and rights of the Maori. Through the end of the 19^th century, the Maori saw a decline in numbers as well as culture as the technology of the West eroded the culture of the Maori. During the mid-20^th century, however, the Maori people saw a resurgence in numbers as well as activism, which led to more recognition of the Maori culture.

The resurgence in the popularity of the Maori culture could be considered both a blessing and a curse by the Maori people. Maori language, which had been decreasing in speakers for decades, was revitalized and was once again being taught to the children of the Maori tribes. New Zealand as a whole began to embrace Maori culture, creating a thriving industry based off of products made with traditional Maori designs, and tourists were wowed by performances depicting Maori culture. Even the national sports teams began to perform the Haka, a traditional Maori war dance, which gained the rugby team in particular world wide acclaim coupled with the dominant play provided by a disproportionate number of Maori players on the national team.

On the other side of this commodification of the Maori culture are the Maori people themselves, many of them still facing the issues seen by other oppressed native groups throughout the world even though their culture has been turned into one of the leading draws of tourism to New Zealand. Similar to the First Nations people of Canada, the Maori people only make up 14% of the total population, but represent over half of the prison population in New Zealand. Maori people are still statistically poorer than their white counterparts, with double the rate of poverty compared to other New Zealand demographic groups.

While many people living in New Zealand, both of Maori and European descent, consider race relations in New Zealand as some of the best in the world, this does not excuse the injustices that are still taking place towards the Maori people. Just because people are happy with one another and willing to leave in peace does not mean that all is well, and this is shown as blatantly obvious when one observes the rates of poverty, crime, and health issues faced by Maori peoples when compared to their white counterparts. Although the history of the relations between the European Settlers and the Maori people is lacking much of the violence seen in other examples, it is not without many of the other affects that colonialism has on Native populations.

While never intentionally being wiped to near extinction by violence or disease, enslavement of their peoples, mass forced-conversions or intentional famines, the Maori people are still recovering from many of the long-lasting effects that colonialism has on Native populations. Even though a recent resurgence has occurred in Maori culture, initial culture loss was massive and still lingers. Even though race relations are considered great by most, Maori peoples are still poorer and targeted more by crime and the justice system. All of these issues listed still face the Maori people even though their culture has been commercialized to a massive scale, creating wealth for the state of New Zealand, but not for the Maori themselves. In order for the Maori to see themselves lifted out of the conditions that they have been left in, they will need to be able to profit off of the system that uses their culture as its main commodity, and without this it is unlikely that much change will occur within the Maori population in New Zealand.

Sources:

Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. “Treaty of Waitangi.” Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga, 1 Apr. 2020, teara.govt.nz/en/treaty-of-waitangi.

“Threats to the Maori.” Arcgis.com www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=d36bf93c3f1a476b85ca075f2a7c9f39.

“UN Report: 'The Situation of Maori People in New Zealand'.” Scoop, 22 Feb. 2011, www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1102/S00206/un-report-the-situation-of-maori-people-in-new-zealand.htm.

Smale, Aaron. “Why Are There so Many Maori in New Zealand's Prisons?” Longform | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 2 June 2016, www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/05/maori-zealand-prisons-160525094450239.html.