Traditional formal dress of the Classic/contact period, including a dog-skin cloak (kahu kuri), and a mere or patu (short edged weapon).


Māori culture (Māori: Māoritanga) is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture and, due to a large diaspora and the incorporation of Māori motifs into popular culture, it is found throughout the world. Within Māoridom, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori culture, the Māori-language suffix -tanga being roughly equivalent to the qualitative noun-ending -ness in English.[ Māoritanga has also been translated as Māori way of life. The term kaupapa, meaning the guiding beliefs and principles which act as a base or foundation for behaviour, is also widely used to refer to Māori cultural values



A wharenui (meeting house) at ÅŒhinemutu village, Rotorua, with a tekoteko on the top.


Early Māori objects similar to Polynesian forms (Wairau Bar, Marlborough), note the volcanic glass from the North Island (top left)



Traditional formal dress of the Classic/contact period. A hei-tiki around her neck, pounamu earring and shark tooth earring, and two huia feathers in her hair.


Traditional Māori Waitangi Day celebrations at Waitangi



A tohunga under tapu could not eat with their hands for an extended period.



Tama-te-kapua, ancestor of Te Arawa, depicted in a carving at Tamatekapua meeting house in Ohinemutu, Rotorua, circa 1880.

Carved wharenui at Waitangi marae


Late 20th-century carving depicting the mythological navigator Kupe fighting two sea creatures


Haka (/ˈhɑːkə/, /ˈhækə/) singular haka, in both Māori and English) are a variety of ceremonial dances in Māori culture. Haka are often performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment. Haka have been traditionally performed by both men and women for a variety of social functions within Māori culture. They are performed to welcome distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements, occasions, or funerals.





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When performed by men, haka feature protruding of the tongue.