New Zealand Culture

I was sitting in a lecture about biculturalism in New Zealand and thought it was about time I revisited the subject of New Zealand culture. My first article "A Search for New Zealand" was the beginning of trying to explain the New Zealand psyche, the how and why we tick as we do.

With such an emphasis on globalization and the power of media to universalize everything from the Big Mac to hip-hop, rap and on and on, I was starting to wonder if we really still did have our own individual cultural. But I got an email the other day from a friend commenting on hearing the word Uni on a New Zealand movie, and that it was not a term used in USA, to add to that, my lecturer was talking about Pakeha culture compared to Maori Culture, both of New Zealand but also different. This confirms my thought, that no matter how much we assimilate another's culture our own never gets lost, it just changes as does the other cultures to become something unique to that particular time or place.

I am not sure how it is in other parts of the world, but it often seems that in places that have been colonized in the past, the non-indigenous people have difficulty in defining what their culture is. As with New Zealand we seem for publicity, use the Maori culture, but like when my daughter was asked to be part of an international day, by a group of fellow students, She was asked to do a display for Pakeha New Zealand (European/ White New Zealanders). She said to me, what could she do, there was nothing she felt she could do.

What is culture?
A New Zealand perspective:
'Culture' refers to the customs, practices, languages, values and world views that define social groups such as those based on ethnicity, region, or common interests.
Cultural identity is important for people's sense of self and how they relate to others. A strong cultural identity can contribute to people's overall wellbeing. Cultural identity is not exclusive. People may identify themselves as New Zealanders in some circumstances and as part of a particular culture -Maori, Chinese or Scottish, for example - in other circumstances. They may also identify with more than one culture. (Ministry of Social Development : Social Report 2003.)

As this lecturer talked about what was her culture, I felt as if she had walked in my shoes, lived my childhood, We were of a similar age and our culture consisted of Sunday roasts, dinner / tea at 6 o'clock every night where every one sat down together, with any hanger-on's. On public holidays, eg Easter, Boxing Day, New Years day, were picnic days, where you and others went for a drive to a swimming hole or beach or lake and met other members of the extended family / Whanau for a picnic. It was in that time frame we had ¼ acre sections, Mum at home, belonging to Women's Institute and cooking the best scones, super cream sponges or fab pav's (Pavlolvas). Though this felt so familiar as if a second skin, I do realized it was not the culture of everyone especially those of different ethnicity.

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