The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand (Aotearoa), descended from Eastern Polynesian voyagers who settled the islands roughly seven centuries ago, and organized traditionally into iwi (tribes) and hapu (sub-tribes) each holding distinct customary land, fishing and resource rights (whenua and mana whenua). The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between Māori chiefs and the British Crown, and its subsequent breaches and later redress through the Waitangi Tribunal established in 1975, remains a central and actively documented feature of New Zealand constitutional and legal life. Māori language revitalization, including Te Reo Māori's status as an official language of New Zealand and widespread kohanga reo (language-nest) early-childhood immersion programs, is a well-documented and largely successful late-twentieth-century cultural movement.
Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own accountIndigenous ethnic group 1 Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountOceania (New Zealand/Aotearoa) 1 Population EstimateSourced to the subject's own accountapproximately 875,000 to 900,000, including those of part-Māori descent 1 Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own account Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own accountHistorically horticulture (notably kumara cultivation), fishing and hunting, organized through iwi (tribal) and hapu (sub-tribal) land and resource rights. 1 Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.