New Zealand

That the site login in rules suck.New Zealand is a country filled with immigrants, even the Maori's aren't native to New Zealand. In fact the Maori's are one of the four main waves, the others being Europeans, Polynesians and the Chinese. Each one of these unique cultures have left their marks on the national character of New Zealand.

The first to come were the Maori's. They arrived in the 13th Century, they came to New Zealand from East Polynesia they found New Zealand by exploration on their boats. The Maori's culture pays a huge part in the culture of New Zealand today. They brought with them kumara and yams, these supported the bigger settlements. They also brought along with them the Polynesian dog and rats both these things still exist in our culture. Their detailed histories and legends were passed along orally, we still study these today. Tattoos and Mokos came from the Maori, it was a rich part of their culture which we have adapted and expressed through modern society. We use their designs of red, black and white as a representative of our society. They also created the Haka, this is a Maori traditional dance. We still use this before Rugby matches in New Zealand, and Rugby is massive part of New Zealand's culture and the Haka is now a legendary tradition our teams preform before a match. Greenstone is a very sacred stone to the Maori, we have refashioned the use of their greenstone into making jewelry. This jewelry has traditional Maori carvings and is very popular amongst New Zealanders. The Maoris culture pays a bigger part in the national character of New Zealand, more than most people realize. The Maori's tradition is very much alive in New Zealand, and we are all proud to have its richness and history representing a major part of how the world sees us.

The next to visit New Zealand's shores were the Europeans. They came at the 17th Century seeking our natural resources like whaling and fishing. They contributed a major factor to our character, english. They also brought modern farming, which has helped us become industrious with sheep farming. They provided the religion of Christianity, which is according to the 2006 New Zealand Census had just over half the population being Christian. Next they provided us without the three most popular sports, rugby, soccer and cricket. New Zealand is a very Rugby Nation, almost everyone supports the sport. We are also very supporting of both cricket and soccer, these are all major in the way the rest of the world views New Zealand. They also brought money (currency) and education. Education is important, it reflects the fact that according to The Programme for International Student Assessment New Zealand was placed 7th. They also provided the Western Style of Government we use today. The Europeans contributed more major things to do with advancement and rituals, whereas the Maori's provided us with more subtle and