Culture hungry tourists flock to Māori attractions

Māori culture is peaking the interests of tourists, as they visit New Zealand to learn about it.

New Zealand's tour company Overseas Adventure Travels (O.A.T.) aims to introduce its tourists to Māori culture through topics such as Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

O.A.T. visits multiple marae throughout their series of tours and have noticed most tourists tend to travel the world aiming to better understand other countries' cultures.

Programme manager at O.A.T., Rachel Armstrong, reviews the feedback and recognises that their guests love Māori history and interactions.

“Our tours try to get off the beaten path. At Bastion Point, Orakei Marae, they mention that they love getting history about Māori.

“They appreciate not just getting the English version, they get the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Harry Ahlas and his wife, who were in the country visiting their daughter, took part in a tour in February.

“The tour package interested us because of the opportunity to learn and experience it from the Māori living in New Zealand.

“The real interest was in having dinner with the Māori family and the cultural ceremony.”

Alongside tour packages, popular Auckland Māori tourism attractions include the Maritime Museum, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the Auckland Art Gallery.

Auckland Art Gallery's Head of Kaupapa Māori, Joe Pihema, says the strength of the relationship with the local tangata whenua, Orakei, is the most important factor for them.

“There is potential here to give greater expression and cultural uplift to those elements of te ao Māori, which helps to elevate the broader offerings and services of the Auckland art gallery.”

“At the moment, we’re still trying to develop a presence, a really strong Māori presence, which in itself attracts an audience,”

Pihema says that funding for the gallery has been a major issue, which is concerning for other te ao Māori work.

Tourism statistics from Stats NZ show there has been a spike in monthly overseas visitors since December of last year, however these results are still less than before Covid-19.