KEY POINTS:
Maori are increasingly recognising the importance of their traditional cultural values, according to latest research.
A survey of 1500 Maori, conducted by the Nielsen company, found a sharp rise in the importance of traditional cultural values among them.
Three-quarters of those surveyed said traditional values were really important to them, compared with under half in 2004.
Maori were also significantly more positive now than they were in 2004 about the role models provided by their culture.
The research found six out of 10 Maori felt their culture provided them with strong role models, up from four in 10 in 2004.
Although fluency in te reo had changed little over the past three years, the importance of the Maori language was far more widely acknowledged among both Maori and Pakeha, the survey found.
Today, 82 per cent of Maori recognise the importance of the development and growth of the Maori language, compared with 59 per cent in 2004.
The 1500 Maori participants are part of a group of 12,000 New Zealanders surveyed every quarter about a range of issues, including culture.
Commentator Anthony Wilson, who mentors young Maori, said the wider survey showed the emergence of a New Zealand identity.
"Instead of being more divided on these issues, there is a meld in the middle."
"It's quite exciting to see that [Pakeha] New Zealanders are viewing Maori culture values as belonging to them."
The research divided the Maori participants into five distinct groups: cultural traditionalists, upbeat achievers, strivers, young battlers, and disaffected youth.
The male-dominated "disaffected youth" group was the only one of the five that felt it lacked strong role models and did not have strong cultural values.
"It's just that [group] that has really turned its back," Mr Wilson said.
The cultural insights provided by the survey would be monitored over time to provide an understanding of New Zealand's changing cultural dynamics.
- NZPA
