Traditional Maori Culture of New Zealand Case Study

Introduction

The Maori culture began after Polynesian settlers traveled to New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages. These voyages happened around 1250 and resulted in several centuries of isolation. During this time, the Maori cultural identity formed, with unique customs, distinct language, developed mythology, as well as arts and crafts. The traditional Maori culture can be described as a warrior culture. However, the Maori people were always interested in trade and developed various business concepts that are distinct from traditional western ideas of business. After the arrival of Europeans to New Zealand in the 1800s, many aspects of western culture were adopted by the Maori people. The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 led the country to become a British colony. Although the Maori people were less persecuted than the indigenous people of Australia, many have died during the next 200 years, which became a growing threat to the Maori culture. However, since the 1960s the culture saw a restoration, with many reprisal programs being put in place through the efforts of interest groups and protesters. This paper will cover the cultural differences between Maori and Western cultures, as well as the intercultural issues that exist in the region.

Indigenous Approach and the Traditional Approach to Business

Modern Maori businesses have a variety of unique traits due to the indigenous approach to business they have carried over from their culture. Not all businesses incorporate all the concepts at once, but it is not uncommon for a Maori business to use at least one in their business practice. All the fundamentals of Maori business are combined in “te kaupapa pakihi,” meaning “the foundations of business.” These foundations consist of fine major concepts that apply to business. The first concept is called “uptake,” which means the origin or reason for being. On the surface, this concept is not different from the western reasons for opening a business. Many businesses in both Maori and western communities seek to make a profit by providing goods and services to the community. However, in Maori culture, a lot of businesses and ventures deal with collectively-owned resources or tribal groupings. This situation is reflective of the history of Maori, especially after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. During the signing of the treaty, many chiefs were concerned with the possibility that they will lose their land and status. Unfortunately, the colonists did not hold up their end of the bargain and many of the lands promised to Maori were taken over. This development made the importance of collectively-owned resources much greater, making uptake a core concept of business in Maori culture.

Maori companies dealing with collectively-owned resources such as land, lakes, rivers, farms, forestry, and other assets often experience legal, business, and cultural difficulties that are unique to this type of business. Mission statements of modern Maori companies often focus on “multiple bottom lines” that incorporates not only economic goals, but also cultural, spiritual, environmental, and social goals for the company. Some businesses choose their uptake to be focused on maintaining the Maori culture through creating avenues of cultural expression and maintaining arts, language, design, and other traditional aspects of the culture (“Māori culture and values in business,” 2017). For example, Te Uru Taumatua is a company representing the Tuhoe nation and its collectively owned resources. It is one of the largest Maori businesses and has greatly contributed to advancing the social and economic development of Tuhoe people. Unlike a traditional western investment company, Te Uru Taumatua seeks to advance the Tuhoe culture while preserving its cultural heritage, alongside providing investments and land development (“Our organization Te Uru Taumatua,” 2017).

The second indigenous concept is called “Turanga, ” and it refers to the positioning or the anchor of the business. Turanga is responsible for the choice of the business structure of the company. Some Maori businesses choose the traditional western options of structure for their organizations, like limited liability companies, sole traders, and others. However, those that deal with the collectively-owned resources would not be able to trade land, making the western approach less appropriate for the company structure. One such company is Parininihi ki Waitotara. It is a large agricultural company that utilizes the 20,000 hectares of collectively-owned farmland to improve their community by providing job opportunities, land development, and investment (“Parininihi ki Waitotara,” 2017).

The third concept is called “Tikanga”, and it concerns the ways of doing business according to Maori values. This is a uniquely Maori concept and does not have a common analog in the western business world. The list includes ten values common to Maori businesses:

1. Nga matatini Maori – the value of Maori diversity. It concerns the ways Maori can be represented in the context of business;
2. Kotahitanga – the value of Maori unity. This concept refers to the united nature of all tribes who identify themselves as Maori, and their desire to benefit the Maori culture;
3. Tino rangatiratanga – the value of control, ownership, and self-determination. This value helps to motivate the Maori businesses;
4. Whanaungatanga – the value of kinship. This concept involves working together with other Maori people to achieve a common good and accentuates the importance of Maori business networks;
5. Kaitiakitanga – the principle of natural resource protection. Environmental resources are highly valued by the Maori businesses, and this concept expresses the need to take care of these assets to provide them to future generations;
6. Wairuatanga – the value of spirituality. As it was mentioned earlier, spirituality often plays a part in Maori business. This value applies to the projects the company is willing to take, as well as their everyday operation;
7. Manaakitanga – the value of hospitality and generosity. Maori organizations often provide care for the people of the community, and specifically allocate resources for these purposes;
8. Tohono – the principle of cross-sectoral alignment. This concept concerns the “multiple bottom line” approach discussed earlier. A company should be seeking both profit and development within the community;
9. Puawaitanga – the principle of return on integrated goals. A Maori company should seek return not only on financial goals but also on societal ones.
10. Puro – the principle of multi-level accountability. The final principle governs the responsibility that businesses hold to provide the best care to the Maori people and their future generations. This concept also includes the restrictions put on companies dealing with collectively-owned land.

As the description of previously mentioned companies suggests, these values are being held in high regard among the Maori businesses. Unlike the general purpose of western businesses, Maori find it important to facilitate the growth of their culture through their businesses. However, they are not exclusionist in their business practices. Many Maori companies operate on a global level and are interested in intercultural interaction (“Māori culture and values in business,” 2017).

The fourth fundamental concept of Maori business is called “kaitiakitanga”. It represents the principle of protecting the environmental resources, animals, plants, and people of the community. It focuses on the sustainability of the environment so that it could be passed on to future generations. Unlike the profit-oriented western companies, the culture of Maori prevents the use of environmentally unsafe practices, as they would ruin the Maori heritage (“Māori culture and values in business,” 2017).

The final business concept is “rangatiratanga”. It represents the concept of leadership, authority, and guardianship. This concept encompasses the majority of leadership aspects and processes, such as problem-solving, strategic development, risk analysis, and peace-making (“Māori culture and values in business,” 2017).

The cultural focus and the success of Maori businesses is an encouraging example of an indigenous community coexisting with the dominant western community while preserving its cultural identity.

Intercultural Issues

During my visit to Marae, I have not experienced and evident intercultural issues. The people were friendly, and I did not feel that they were struggling to communicate or interact with me. Everybody I spoke to knew English, so communication was not an issue. However, I am only slightly familiar with the Maori language and was unable to fully appreciate the traditional cultural ceremonies performed at the marae, or participate in dialogue with the people speaking Maori. I could see that a small language barrier exists, but I would not call it an issue, as people I encountered, had no problem communicating with me. To a person unfamiliar with the Maori culture, traditional ceremonies might be off-putting as they involve a lot of aggressive chanting by people in traditional Maori garb. However, I have not encountered anyone showing signs of discomfort. I believe the nature of a Marae implies that it is a place of tradition, so a person coming there during the day of ceremonies should know what to expect.

To truly understand the intercultural issues that the Maori people experience in the modern world, I had to do additional research. The 2013 census shows that almost 600,000 people are identifying as Maori in New Zealand. They make up about 15% of the population, which is almost double the 8% Maori population in 1981. However, the Maori language is only spoken by a fifth of the community. This could explain why I was not able to detect any sign of a language barrier during my visit. While it is unfortunate that the Maori language is on the decline, its words are still widely used by the citizens of New Zealand (“2013 Census,” 2013).

I can see the history of racism and discrimination is a possible barrier to intercultural interaction. With the revival of the Maori culture starting only in the 1960s, many of the aspects caused by the presence of the dominant western culture are yet to be addressed. Cultural influence on the perception of westerners has led many non-Maori companies to discriminate during the employment process. For a long time, Maori children were unable to learn alongside the non-Maori children due to a language barrier, which created a false perception of lack of education within the community (Came, 2014). However, the contact between cultures persists, and with the expansion of Maori culture in recent years, it could become a much more prominent part of the cultural landscape of New Zealand.

Conflict of Cultural Approaches

Before visiting the Marae, I made sure to research the culture to avoid being disrespectful to the Maori culture. Before the recent years, the culture was in a tight conflict with the dominant western European culture. The lack of acceptance and political voice of the Maori people has caused disproportionate poverty in the community, which led to increased crime, and racial tension. The lack of respect towards the culture has led to physical altercations between the European members of the community and the Maori (Kelsey, 2015).

It is possible to extrapolate that some parts of the traditional Maori culture would be seen as slightly inappropriate in the western setting. While the traditional Maori garb serves mostly a ceremonial purpose, the traditional tattoos still hold a great deal of importance to the Maori people. The position of the tattoo is dependent on the tribe, and some of them require facial tattoos. However, facial tattoos are considered a slight taboo in western culture. The clash of the cultures, in this case, creates tension that could lead to discrimination. During my visit, I could hear a pair of elderly tourists be slightly shocked at the elaborate design of the facial tattoo on one of the performers, which seems common to the European perception of facial tattoos. It is important to note that the extravagant and complex designs have become popular in the western world among tattoo enthusiasts. While this might be seen as cultural appropriation, the presence of these designs on people outside the Maori is not seen as a direct insult. A tourist with similar tattoos was interested in their meaning, and the guide was happy to explain some of the details of his tattoos. Each part holds a specific meaning and purpose and creates a larger design(McCarthy, 2013).

I believe the main barrier to intercultural communication, in this case, is the lack of awareness of the modern Maori culture within the Western European population. I must admit that my ideas about the Maori culture were not completely accurate. Looking at statistics and the history of the people, I had a very narrow and vague idea of proud but impoverished people living strictly by tradition. I did not have a negative view, but the extent of my knowledge was limited and colored by the cultural patterns of the western society. By doing additional research, and especially the research into the business philosophy of the Maori people, I have gained a completely new perspective on their culture. There is no real technological gap beside the one caused by poverty, there is virtually no language gap, and except facial tattoos, there is nothing incompatible between the cultures. Both the dominant and indigenous cultures value their environment, family, and heritage. The values of unity, genericity, and care are also shared by both cultures, and the social interaction between the cultures has no differences that would be able to prevent their coexistence (Reid, Varona, Fisher, & Smith, 2016). Visiting the Marae was a very fulfilling experience in that respect, as I was able to see how normal it all was, and with the word “Maori” having a close meaning to “normal” I find this very appropriate.

Conclusion

The history of the Maori people is a unique one. Their recent renaissance shows their desire to express their culture, and the ability to fight for their rights as indigenous people of the country. With a strong focus on developing their communities through business and arts, the Maori people were able to achieve amazing results. Hopefully, the future will be bright for them.

References

2013 Census – Major ethnic groups in New Zealand. (2013). Web.

Came, H. (2014). Sites of institutional racism in public health policymaking in New Zealand. Social Science & Medicine, 106(4), 214-220.

Kelsey, J. (2015). The New Zealand experiment: A world model for structural adjustment?. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books.

Māori culture and values in business. (2017). Web.

McCarthy, C. (2013). The rules of (Maori) art: Bourdieu’s cultural sociology and Maori visitors in New Zealand museums. Journal of Sociology, 49(2-3), 173-193.

Our organisation Te Uru Taumatua. (2017). Web.

Parininihi ki Waitotara. (2017). Web.

Reid, J., Varona, G., Fisher, M., & Smith, C. (2016). Understanding Maori ‘lived’ culture to determine cultural connectedness and wellbeing. Journal of Population Research, 33(1), 31-49.