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English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

New Zealand - Land of the Kiwi

1 Introduction

Surrounded by the huge Pacific Ocean, New Zealand lies far away from other countries. The

nearest country is Australia and that is 1600 km away. The country which is as larg as

Germany has a population of only 3 ¼ million. It seems unbelievable that early Polynesian

explorers, many centuries before the first Europeans came here, found this land at all. These

early explorers were the early ancestors of the Maori.

2 A settlers´ land

Like Maui, who was in Maori legends a mythical hero who was intelligent, clever, quick and

brave, the ancestors of the Maori were skilled navigators. They discovered and settled on

many of the Pacific Islands. With their ships like canoes, they could carry a lot of people and

plenty of food. They used the stars to find their way across the ocean. They watched the

clouds because they knew that clouds close to land look different from the clouds over the sea,

and they watched the birds at night as they knew that the birds fly back to land then. Today

many people think that a man called Kupe discovered New Zealand by following migrating

birds.

2.1 The first settlers

The first Polynesian who arrived at New Zealand about 1000 years ago were hunters. They

moved from place to place and lived on fish, birds and fruit. Later they settled in villages and

grew sweet potatoes and other plants in gardens. As the population became larger and fertile

land became important, tribes began to fight over the land. To defend themselves, they built

villages on hills, which they protected by fences and called ‘pa’.

Of course they did not fight all the time. Some tribes were related or were friends and traded

with one another. When a group of strangers visited a pa, its owners tried to find out if the

strangers were friendly or not. If they were, then they would be welcomed in a ceremony and

given food. The same speeches and songs are still used today when people visit a tribe´s

meeting house. If they weren´t friendly, then they would be killed.

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

Although there were names for the individual tribes, before the Eurpoeans came there was no

name for the first New Zealanders. The word ‘maori’, which means ordinary or normal, was

only used after the Europeans arrived.

Most Maori welcomed the first Europeans and traded with them. They were happy to have

tools made of metal. Some Europeans were missionaries who wanted the Maori to be

Christians. When the missionaries turned Maori, which had been an oral language so far,

into a written language, many Maori in fact became Christians simply because they wanted to

learn to read and write. Unfortunately, the Europeans also brought illnesses, alcohol and

guns. Because of these things, the Maori population became smaller. When the tribes fought

each other with guns, many more of them were killed.

2.2 The invasion of the Europeans

The first European who found New Zealand was Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer. That was in

1642. Because of Maori fighters, who attacked Tasman´s ship and killed some of the Dutch

sailors, Tasman did not even land. Over 100 years later an English explorer, James Cook,

arrived in New Zealand. Cook made several voyages from England to New Zealand and was

able to draw the first maps of the country.

Not all of the first Europeans came to stay. Some came to hunt for seals and whales, others to

find gold or take back flax and wood.

Most people who came to settle on farms did not know what they had to expect. Some were

told that once they had cleared the land of trees, they would be given land for farms. But they

had no idea what New Zealand bush was like. It was very hard to clear the land without

machines to help them. People often had accidents or got lost in the bush and were never

found. At first the settlers built wooden huts with dirt floors and windows without glass. Even

the children had to work. When the land was cleared of trees, it could finally be used for

farms. The farmers grew their own food and often kept sheep for wool, which was sold to

England. Later a way was found to freeze meat, butter and cheese so that these could be sold

in England, too.

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

2.3 The Treaty of Waitangi

In 1840, a treaty was signed between the Maori and the Queen of Great Britain, called the

Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty is an important part of New Zealand history as it made New

Zealand a British colony. There is still a lot of discussion about it and people disagree about

its meaning. One reason for this is that the Maori translation which the chiefs signed is

different from the English. The chiefs did not realize that they were giving their full powers to

the Queen, but thought they would have the same rights as British people, and that their land

would be protected. Some chiefs did not sign at all because they were suspicious of the treaty.

Those chiefs that actually signed were given two blankets each and some tobacco. Although

the treaty said that the Maori would remain owners of their land, once it was signed the

British tried to get as much land as possible.

2.4 The Maori struggled for their land

Many immigrants came to New Zealand because they expected to be able to buy cheap land.

Some settlers simply took land which was not being used by the Maori for farming. Others

bought land for small amounts of money and some paid only one member of the tribe for land

that was owned by the whole tribe. When the Maori realized that the promises that were made

to them were not kept, they started to defend their land. Wars between colonists and Maori

were the result - and these wars gave the British government an excuse to take even more

land. The government also made laws which made it easier for them to take, buy or control

Maori land. Many Maori thought that what was happening was the opposite of what the

treaty said. Over the 150 years since it was signed, the Maori have struggled to keep their

land.

An example of the situation at this time was that during the Second World War, the

government took some land for an airport. The tribe who owned the land was told that this

would be temporary. However when the war was over, the land was given to a golf club!

2.5 Maori today

Today the Maori still have many problems. They are often poorer than the Pakeha. Pakeha is

the name of the white inhabitants of New Zealand. Many of then Maori had to leave their land

and go to the cities to find jobs. There they found it hard to keep their language and culture

alive. Although the Maori have solved some of these problems themselves, they are now a

minority and still don’t have the political power to control their own future.

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

2.6 God´s own country

The money that New Zealand earned from farming was used to help other New Zealanders in

the 1930s. Old people were given pensions. Visits to doctors and hospitals were free for

everyone and cheap houses were made available. Life was made easier for many people.

Later, when there were plenty of jobs, it became popular to describe New Zealand as ‘God´s

own country’. ‘God´s own’ sounded like ‘Godzone’ and this name is still used as a joke by

New Zealanders, although New Zealand is no longer such a rich country.

2.7 A Pacific nation

Since the Second World War, there have been about 200 nuclear explosions in the Pacific

region. Although Britain and the USA have stopped testing their nuclear weapons here,

France continues to test in the Pacific. Since 1975, these tests have been underground. Many

New Zealanders are worried about the effect of these nuclear tests on the environment.

Since 1985 nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered ships have not been allowed into New

Zealand harbours. When a visit by the United States warship was refused, the relationship

between the two countries, which before had always been friendly, was affected.

Most countries in the South Pacific have signed a Nuclear Free Zone Treaty to prevent the

use of nuclear weapons and the dumping of nuclear waste. The New Zealand people have

often protested about the way larger nations use the Pacific. In the 1970s, the New Zealand

government actually sent a protest ship to the French colony where nuclear tests were

performed. However, this did not stop the tests. In 1985, the Greenpeace ship ‘Rainbow

Warrior’ was going to protest where the New Zealand ship once protested. But before the

protest, the ‘Rainbow Warrior’ was bombed and sunk in Auckland harbour. One person was

killed. It was the first terrorist attack in New Zealand. Many people were very upset,

especially when it was realized that the terrorists were French secret agents.

3 Some call it paradise

Almost everywhere the scenery is beautiful. The weather is sunny, but not too hot - even in

winter it only snows in the mountains. No matter where you live in this country, you are

always close to the sea. There are many empty beaches along the rocky coastline and a lot of

small islands in the sea that are home to birds and seals only. Some islands are nature

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

reserves and people must have permission to visit them. No wonder that New Zealand seems

like paradise to many people.

3.1 Different landscapes

In part of the North Island is one of the world´s most active volcanic zones. There are geysers

which can blow water up to 30m high. There are many extinct volcanoes in New Zealand, too.

The city of Auckland is built on old volcanoes. New Zealand´s largest lake, Lake Taupo, is the

crater of a volcano. The South Island is divided by a mountain group called the Southern

Alps. Here is Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand, which is over 3700m high.

A number of glaciers can be found in the Southern Mountains. Among the explorers in New

Zealand was Julius von Haast, a German scientist. He was one of the first people who walked

on the glaciers. He gave one of the glaciers the name Franz Josef, the name of our Emperor

a long time ago. There is a own called Haast and also a road through the mountains called

the Haast Pass. The Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are easy to get to and it’s possible to walk

on them.

3.2 Outdoor activities

The long coast and the many lakes, rivers and harbours are perfect for water sports. Kiwis

enjoy sailing, diving, water-skiing, windsurfing and fishing. Many of the rivers are fast-

flowing and white-water rafting is an exciting experience. Black-water rafting is the name

given to rafting on rivers inside caves. There are many limestone caves in New Zealand and

the glow worms which live in them are a tourist attraction. One of the most popular activities

of all is tramping. In the many forests and National Parks are thousands of tracks.

3.3 Some New Zealand animals

New Zealand is known for its unusual birds. Many of them cannot fly! Before the Europeans

came to the country, New Zealand used to have many more unusual birds that did not live

anywhere else. The European settlers, however, did a lot of damage to the bird population.

They cut down much of the forests in which the birds lived and they brought cats, rats and

other animals which killed many birds. Some species did not survive. Even today, when

people try to save birds species, 30 percent of the birds are in danger of dying out.

New Zealanders are often called Kiwis, yet very few have ever seen a kiwi outdoors. This is

because these flightless birds live in the bush and only come out at night.

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

Several kinds of parrots live here. The kakapo, another flightless bird, is the heaviest parrot

in the world. Only 60 of these birds are now alive. The kea is a parrot which lives in the

mountains. Most tourists think that the keas are funny, but they need to keep an eye on these

birds. Keas steal things from open tents and destroy things like windscreen wipers.

But it is not only birds that are typical of New Zealand. There are seals, sea-lions, dolphins,

whales and many kinds of fish that live in the sea surrounding the islands; the so-called

Hector´s dolphins are only found here.

New Zealanders are thankful that there are no snakes living here. The only poisonous animal

is the katipo spider and very few people have ever been bitten.

Probably the most unusual animal of all is the tuatara. Often called a living fossil, it has not

changed since the dinosaurs were alive. It is not a lizard, although it looks like one. Tuataras

sometimes live to be 100 years old and their eggs take about 15 months to hatch.

3.4 Paradise in danger

Because New Zealand has such a small population, pollution has often been ignored. Raw

sewage in many places still goes into the sea and only recently has attention been drawn to

the dumping of harmful chemicals.

New Zealand´s economy depends on farming and other activities like logging and mining.

There are often conflicts between those people who wish to keep the forests and birds and

those who earn a living from the land. The government made laws to protect many plants,

animals and areas of land.

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

4 Glossary

English Deutsch

Polynesian Polynesier/in,

polynesisch

ancestor Vorfahr,

Ahn

plenty

eine Menge, Fülle

migrate auswandern
fertile fruchtbar
stranger Fremde
Christians Christ/in,

christlich

Dutch holländisch
voyages

längere Luft- oder Seereise

suspicious mißtrauisch
blanket Wolldecke
refuse abschlagen,

verweigern

affect beeinflussen,

betreffen

upset verwirren,

beunruhigen

permission Erlaubnis
geysers geogr.

Geysir

glacier Gletscher
glow worm

Glühwurm

parrot Papagei
windscreen wipers

Scheibenwischer

hatch ausbrüten
raw sewage

unbearbeitet Abwässer

logging Hollfällen
mining Bergbau

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

5 Handout

Topic: New Zealand - the land of the kiwi

Contents:

New Zealand, with a population of only 3 ¼ million, lies far away from other countries. The
nearest country is Australia, 1600 km away.
It’s amazing that Polynesian explorers, many centuries before the first Europeans came here,
found this land at all. These early explorers were the early ancestors of the Maori.

The first settlers
The first Polynesians who arrived at New Zealand about 1000 years ago were hunters. To
defend themselves, they built villages on hills, which they protected by fences and called ‘pa’.

Although there were names for the individual tribes, before the Eurpoeans came there was no
name for the first New Zealanders. The word ‘maori’, which means ordinary or normal, was
only used after the Europeans arrived.

The invasion of the Europeans
The first European who found New Zealand was Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer. That was in
1642. Tasman did not even land because his ship was attacked. Later an English explorer,
James Cook, arrived in New Zealand. He was able to draw the first maps of the country.

New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote, which was in
1863.

The Treaty of Waitangi
In 1840, a treaty was signed between the Maori and the Queen of Great Britain, called the
Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty is an important part of New Zealand history as it made New
Zealand a British colony.

Some call it paradise
Almost everywhere the scenery is beautiful. The weather is sunny, but not too hot, even in
winter it only snows in the mountains. No matter where you live in this country, you are
always close to the sea.
A number of glaciers can be found in the southern mountains. Among the explorers in New
Zealand was Julius von Haast, a German scientist. He was one of the first people who walked
on the glaciers. He gave one of the glaciers the name ‘Franz Josef’, the name of our Emperor
a long time ago.

Some New Zealand animals
New Zealand is known for its unusual birds. Many of them cannot fly! Before the Europeans
came to the country, New Zealand had many more unusual birds that did not live anywhere
else. The European settlers, however, did a lot of damage to the bird population.

Paradise in danger

English-Speech: New Zealand Alexander Stadlmann 5.HBa 1996/97

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction ........................................................................................1

2 A settlers´ land ...................................................................................1

2.1 The first settlers .............................................................................................. 1

2.2 The invasion of the Europeans ...................................................................... 2

2.3 The Treaty of Waitangi.................................................................................... 4

2.4 The Maori struggled for their land ................................................................. 4

2.5 The Maori today............................................................................................... 4

2.6 God´s own country.......................................................................................... 5

2.7 A Pacific nation ............................................................................................... 5

3 Some call it paradise..........................................................................5

3.1 Different landscapes ....................................................................................... 6

3.2 Outdoor activities............................................................................................ 6

3.3 Some New Zealand animals ........................................................................... 6

3.4 Paradise in danger .......................................................................................... 7

4 Glossary..............................................................................................8

5 Handout...............................................................................................9