Maori Culture

1. Introduction In recent decades, Maori people have come a long way toward reclaiming the status and land that used to be theirs when they first settled New Zealand, several centuries before the influx of Europeans. Today, the Maori people comprise about 15 per cent of the population of Aotearoa, and the nation is in many respects bi-cultural. In the traditional Maori social structure, clearly defined roles for males and females exist and male-dominated structure is emphasized. Status was always awarded to a man and characteristics of manhood were rewarded. The division of work was also gendered. Men did the fishing and hunting while women were responsible for the food processing and cooking (Salmond, 2004). However, today’s Maori women begin to assume active roles in Aotearoa. Mana Wahine, translated as power of women, is about the power of Maori women to resist challenge change or transform spaces within system of domination (Class notes, 2004). The status of women, Mana Wahine, is pivotal to spiritual, physical, emotional and cultural well-being for whanau, hapu, iwi and for Maori society in any context. Nowadays Mana Wahine plays a significant role in development of New Zealand’s women. In this essay, I will discuss

page 113We can see from the table above that in 2003 66. And this project also provides a great opportunity for Maori women to exhibit their talent and experience, because Maori women have always been powerful within their own traditional spheres, but it has been harder to have their skills and expertise recognized in the non-Maori community. Not only was it not taught in schools but it was not permitted to speak it there either. The effects of Maori women"tms involvement in temporary work should be considered and the kinds of support required to make such employment a viable option are also needed. And these different approaches shaped the manner in which Maori women are incorporated into the development process. Maori girls are currently over-represented in non-participation in schooling compared to non-Maori girls. As a consequence of this action Maori women are seeking an increase in Maori media coverage and asking for more bilingual schools. There are some key issues that should be considered. The earliest book about Te Reo Maori is written by Thomas Kendall in 1815, called He Korao o Niu Tireni (Barlow, 1991). It is much higher than that of non-Maori women"tms, 5. Maori women in education played the most important role in development, and it determined whether Maori women could improve their capabilities and contribute more to the development of society by using it. They changed Maori women"tms role in economy, politics, and society and stimulated Maori women to devote themselves to development by improving their capabilities.