Maori culture: One of our great assets

Kristen Hamling Photo/File

I recently had a conversation with a South African family who relocated to New Zealand about 15 years ago from Johannesburg.

They were talking about the vast differences between this country and where they had come from. Their recollections of Johannesburg included regular violence, looting, a lack of community care and ambivalence towards the land. The couple shared their love of New Zealand and how grateful they are to live here.

This made me think about the state of the world, particularly the relentless violence in certain countries.

If you take the time to think about what those in the Middle East must endure on a daily basis, it also makes me feel grateful to be living here in New Zealand.

I have been talking and thinking for a while now as to what makes this country so special, including a recent article on my love of Wanganui. One of the many positive attributes of New Zealand, in my humble opinion, is the way in which Maori and Pakeha cultures are mutually embraced.

For instance, when arriving in Wanganui I was struck at how rich and present Maori culture is, permeating all aspects of community, health, politics and whanau. I have learned about the Treaty of Waitangi, "te whare tapa wha" (the four cornerstones of Maori health), and some wonderful new ways of expressing feelings about love and family.

I recently raised an idea with friends that our primary-school age children should be learning more than Maori language in schools. I had just learned that my nephew is learning French in his primary school. I had initially thought that as Maori can only really be spoken in New Zealand, why focus all resources on learning only this language? Why not French or Spanish, which are spoken throughout the world?

I have since changed my mind after thinking more about this in the context of the Middle East conflict. Learning Maori language and perhaps the merging of Maori and Pakeha culture into the society has maybe enabled New Zealand to focus attention on the strengths of each culture - building a stronger sense of community and a unique Kiwi culture.

What better example of New Zealand's rich culture than the recent Edinburgh festival when Edinburgh Castle was lit up in a ta moko (Maori tattoo) and the opening ceremony included a various kapa haka groups. What a brilliant showcase of Maori culture.

More than 200 Kiwis are reportedly taking part in the Edinburgh festival this month, and they are certainly the talk of the town. Apparently the New Zealand performance in the opening act was the only one to get a standing ovation. How cool.

So I will continue to learn the Maori culture and language alongside my son. I think that there is benefit for us all to do so, for when we build relationships based on respect, a willingness to learn from each other and a celebration of each other's strengths, we build a happy place to live.

In my humble opinion, the strength of the Maori culture, influencing the Pakeha way, is one of New Zealand's greatest assets.

A registered psychologist with a masters in applied psychology, Wanganui mother-of-two Kristen Hamling is studying for a PhD in positive psychology at AUT