A traditional Maori greeting

This morning we traveled to the Ministry of Education office in Auckland. When we arrived, a man of Maori descent greeted us using by hongi. The hongi is a traditional greeting which involves pressing one's nose and forehead to another person at an encounter. It is used at traditional meetings among Māori people and on major ceremonies and serves a similar purpose to a handshake in western culture. In the hongi, the ha (or breath of life), is exchanged and intermingled. The breath of life can also be interpreted as the sharing of both party's souls.

We then were led into a room where around ten Ministry officials awaited us. We stood directly across from them and they welcomed us in a way than I can only describe as both powerful and humbling.  First, three Maori people sang us a traditional song followed by a blessing in their language. Then the whole group sang us a song. After one of them spoke further, I was invited to acknowledge the greeting and bring thanks on behalf of the Manitoban delegation. This was followed by an invitation to our group to present a song…which led to an impromptu version of `This Land is Our Land`. Then we greeted everyone using the previously described hangi.

Our group then split in two, with each set of us being accompanied by a Ministry representative. We visited Henderson School on the north of Auckland to sit in on a meeting of regional principals focused on professional learning. One of them mentioned how she had visited Canada previously to present at an education conference in Vancouver.  A couple talked about how they would be taking study leave in the new year. This involves them being released for 32 weeks to work on post-graduate study, either working towards a masters or a doctorate. Most impressive was the fact that the Ministry pays their full salary during this sabbatical leave. It is obvious that New Zealand places tremendous value on the education and training of their school leaders.

During the afternoon, we met with a principal of a small Maori immersion school. Interestingly, the visit did not occur at his school but at a large outdoor community sport field. Over 800 students had gathered from regional schools for a large multicultural festival. While we talked to the principal, we watched groups of kids perform dances and songs indigenous to the variety of cultures found in the country.

While driving to and from our destinations, we had the good fortune to be chaperoned by a Ministry official of Maori descent who talked about his own experiences living in a bicultural country. That designation is noteworthy in considering that Canada is a bilingual country. Biculturalism in New Zealand represents the coexistence of their two distinct cultures, the Maori and the European settlers (mainly from Britain).

It is interesting that my first in-depth experiences with Maori culture occurred today in the large city of Auckland. However, the city does include about one quarter of the country`s total population. Also, 96% of all Maori people live in the north island…and 72% of all Maori people live in Auckland.  Auckland is a hub of indigenous people, both those of New Zealand ancestry as well as from the Pacific islands. In fact, there are more Samoans living in Auckland than there are in Samoa!