Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The implication of the Treaty is one of partnership between Maori and the British
Crown, together forging a bicultural nation. After decades of attempted cultural assimila-
tion it's now accepted in most quarters that the indigenous culture has a special and separ-
ate status within the country's ethnic mix. For example, Maori is an official language and
there is a separate electoral roll granting Maori guaranteed parliamentary seats.
NZ is defined as a state in the Australian constitution. At the time of Australia's federation into one coun-
try it was hoped that NZ would join. On this side of the Tasman that idea proved as unpopular then as it
does now.
Yet room has had to be found for the many New Zealanders of neither British nor
Maori heritage. In each new wave of immigration there has been a tendency to demonise
before gradually accepting and celebrating what the new cultures have to offer. This
happened with the Chinese in the mid-19th century, Pacific Islanders in the 1970s, the
Chinese again in the 1990s and, most recently, Croatians at the beginning of the 20th.
That said, NZ society is more integrated and accepting than most. People of all races are
represented in all levels of society and race isn't an obstacle to achievement.
For the younger generation, for whom the reformist 1980s are prehistory, political
apathy is the norm today. In the 2011 general election only 75% of the population turned
out to vote; for the under 30s this figure dropped to less than 64%. Perhaps it's because a
decade of progressive government has given them little to kick against - unlike those
politicised by the anti-Iraq War movements elsewhere. Ironically, as NZ has finally
achieved its own interesting, independent cultural sensibility, the country's youth seem
more obsessed with US culture than ever. This is particularly true within the hip-hop
scene, where a farcical identification with American gangsta culture has developed into a
worrying youth gang problem.
