Meet the Māori: The First People of New Zealand

Travel + Leisure

09-07-2025

In this week's podcast episode of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, we explore the rich history of New Zealand's Māori people. Host Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure's associate editorial director, is joined by several members of the community who are helping carry their story and culture into the future.
Most of the world is familiar with New Zealand for its awe-inspiring beauty: sweeping landscapes that appear to be an unimaginable green, oceans that sparkle as killer whales and dolphins breach the surface, and skies so blue you think you're dreaming. But there's something else that makes the island nation pure magic: its living cultural legacy. The Māori people, indigenous to Aotearoa, carry the country's history, which stretches back thousands of years, by way of storytelling and a deeply held reverence for the natural world.
'My whole upbringing pretty much revolved around those stories of my ancestors who sailed here to Aotearoa hundreds and hundreds of years ago and where they settled,' Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, a master navigator and expert in traditional waka (canoe) voyaging, shared with Travel + Leisure in the episode. 'There's a very strong traditional and historical connection between what my name is and the past and what we do now in terms of trying to reconnect with those traditions and keep [them] alive.'
As Barclay-Kerr explained, the early Polynesian voyages to New Zealand weren't spontaneous adventures; they were meticulous missions driven by his ancestor's observations, planning, and expertise. 'You actually have to think it all out. And the preparation and the community involvement in helping you set up to go on a voyage like this takes a long time.'
It's the same for Rawiri Edward Manawatu, a cultural guide and business leader in Kaikōura, a coastal community on the South Island, who can count eight generations of great-grandparents who have called this place home. And because of this strong lineage, Manawatu can accurately describe what life was like all those years ago.
'A typical morning would look like the men and women getting up early in the morning with the sun and going out fishing, hunting, and doing the gardening,' Manawatu said. 'The kids would be taught how to do these types of things … and we had what we call tohunga as well—they were experts in all of these different types of things and would teach others how to do it.'
But like many Indigenous communities around the world, the Māori faced cultural disruption following colonization. In the 1800s, their land was seized, stolen, and sold. Even their spiritual practices and language were criminalized through the Tohunga Suppression Act. 'If you spoke Māori at school, you were hit by the teacher,' Barclay-Kerr shared. And, as Manawatu explained, 'We started to become second-class citizens at that time.' He added that many Māori are still working to reclaim their language and cultural identity today. 'When you haven't got your identity, and you don't know who you are, you don't know where you've been, you don't know where you're from—it disables you in the world today,' he said.
But thankfully, their legacy, stories, and culture have not just endured, but are thriving thanks to a new generation heeding the call.
'We have now all these young people, like all my grandchildren—they can all speak our language, which is a huge change," Barclay-Kerr shared. "That long-term living legacy of our language, as an example, is one that becomes a gift to the whole country.'
As a traveler, it's a culture you can learn more about and appreciate, too. Those seeking a deeper connection can take part in Manawatu's Māori Tours in Kaikōura to visit ancestral lands, battle sites, and remnants of traditional villages. 'I, myself, am a descendant of the ancestors that we're talking about,' he shared on the tour. Just make sure to approach the new customs you learn about with care.
'When the process or the protocol takes place of a traditional welcome, it's really important they stick to whatever their guides tell them,' Barclay-Kerr added. 'Ask permission. It makes a big difference.'
Hear more about the enduring legacies of the Māori people, including the art of navigation and the strength of cultural revival, in the newest episode of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Player FM, or wherever you get your podcasts.