Gratis Englisch Prüfung

Maori Culture Course

Erlebe die Kultur der Maoris und lerne Englisch an der Wellington Business School.

During your two week course you will be able to experience many accepts of the Maori Culture, including spending a night on a Marae. As the course is activities based you will not have a strict timetable at school, but will have the opportunity to explore the greater Wellington area when not on course run activities. The course – not including the time on the Marae – takes about 30 hours.

Following the Maori culture course you may take part in one of our volunteer projects (social or conservation) for 2 to 50 weeks. Accommodation while on a volunteer project is free, but volunteers may need to pay for their own food.

Course contents 

• Welcome with powhiri
• Lesson in Te Reo Maori – to learn your mihimihi
• Trip to the beach to collect paua shells
• Lesson in traditional carving
• History talk – explanation of the marae and carvings
• Waiata and learn the haka
• Make pois and learn to use them
• Learn flax weaving and make something to take home
• Hear some of the Maori traditional tales
• Trip to Te Papa – the national museum to learn about Te Tirti o Waitangi
• Help prepare hangi for evening meal
• Lesson in Maori protocol
• Stone Painting – paint a stone with traditional Maori designs to give as a gift or keep for yourself.
• Finish with certificate ceremony and shared meal with tutors and host families and performance by students

Meanings

• Te Reo – The Maori Language
• Mihimihi – A persons roots. This is a list of places and ancestors which place a Maori in context. Students will be taught to say their Mihimihi in, English, their native tongue and in Te Reo.
• Waka’s – traditional Maori Canoes. Maori first arrived in NZ on large versions of these. Students will (weather permitting) get to go out in a modern waka and learn the sailing techniques used.
• Te Papa – NZ’s national museum
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi – The treaty of Waitangi. NZ’s founding document. The very controversial treaty signed by representatives of Queen Victoria and Maori Chiefs
• Waiata – songs – an important part of the Maori culture
• Haka – “war dance” made famous by the All Black rugby team. In fact there are many types of haka not just war challenges.
• Marae – Maori meeting house. A place within the Pa (village) which was the communal area. Highly decorated with carvings of ancestors. Used for meetings or gathering points today.
• Powhiri – A traditional Maori welcome
• Pois – balls of flax on the end of ropes used in dance and song
• Hangi – An underground oven or food cooked in an underground oven. Traditional way of cooking food. Very healthy!