Today, Mission Bay is one of the most popular beaches in Auckland. On any given day you can take the short bus ride over and find New Zealanders eating at small cafés, reading in the shade, or playing a game of rugby.
One hundred fifty years ago though, Mission Bay was where European missionaries set up establishments to transport, educate, and refine Melanesian savages who were strongly resisting Christianity and European rule. Today, only a dining room of one of these original religious academies remains as a modern pub. The transformation of Mission Bay from religious boot camp to relaxation haven reflects New Zealand's Christian outlook altogether but fails to portray the widespread acknowledgement of Maori culture and spirituality by the entirety of New Zealand.
European Kiwis are not religious people and are also rather informal. You can literally talk to anyone here about anything and its usually considered friendly instead of nosy and offensive. I asked Scott and Ninya, two of my new native mates, what role religion plays in their lives and the lives of their friends. Scott, a person who usually is smiling, immediately wiped away all emotion and spoke in a very matter of fact tone about his views. He told me he's been to church, but he doesn't plan on going again anytime soon. They both agree that almost all religions in New Zealand serve as a social network. People who go to church together hang out together. In fact, Ninya told me that if I was interested in going to Mass, I should check out the 6:00 p.m. Saturday service at the church up the street because all of the young Christians sleep in on Sunday after a long night of post-church partying.
Their tones changed, however, when we started to talk about Maori religious culture. They conveyed to me that Maoris, and more particularly Maori young adults, hold their spiritual practices close to their everyday life. Many Maori students often wear a koro around their necks, symbolizing peace and growth, and there are a handful of student clubs that are focused on the preservation of ancient Maori traditions and practices. Their tone seemed to indicate that they were far removed from that culture and that it was really only meant for the Maori. They even joked about how taboo it would be for any of us as non-Maori to get a Maori tattoo. They made it clear to me how separate their culture was from Maori culture, which to me seemed to be out of respect to the cultural difference.
For me, the most interesting aspect of religion in New Zealand has been discovering how a secular Christian majority combines with the vastly different spiritual minority to make a singular national identity. While that seems like a difficult topic to tackle in just over a month, the subject is widely addressed in a fairly common way. For example, at the welcoming reception the president of the university didn't come close to referring to anything religious, but when he was done speaking a group of students performed a welcoming haka, an animated Maori dance. Similarly, I don't know if the University of Auckland has a chapel or church, but one of the first places I found was the university marae, which is an open area the Maori use as meeting grounds for religious and cultural practices. Starting when I got here, I was immersed in Maori culture to some degree by a university founded and run by European descendants. The fact that most students studying abroad know some of these Maori terms after only a few weeks of living here is a testament to New Zealand's effort to support and spread Maori spirituality as singular community.
Again, I've only been here for a few weeks, but I'm impressed by how easy it is to learn about Maori culture. Also, while there is a clear divide between Maori and pakeha, the name for European decedents, the Maori make an open effort to educate pakeha. Anyone here can enroll in the Maori studies class, which is not only accepted, but also encouraged. Obviously I could be doing more to get into the Maori culture, but that is why it is impressive; I am not actively trying to study the Maoris, yet I encounter some aspect of their culture in my everyday life. Whether I'm walking down one of the many Maori named roads or watching the national rugby team intimidate its opponents with a fierce haka before the game, Maori traditions live and breathe in a mainly secular society, and furthermore, are encouraged to flourish in a nation that turns missions into pubs and Masses into long nights on the town.
European Kiwis are not religious people and are also rather informal. You can literally talk to anyone here about anything and its usually considered friendly instead of nosy and offensive. I asked Scott and Ninya, two of my new native mates, what role religion plays in their lives and the lives of their friends. Scott, a person who usually is smiling, immediately wiped away all emotion and spoke in a very matter of fact tone about his views. He told me he's been to church, but he doesn't plan on going again anytime soon. They both agree that almost all religions in New Zealand serve as a social network. People who go to church together hang out together. In fact, Ninya told me that if I was interested in going to Mass, I should check out the 6:00 p.m. Saturday service at the church up the street because all of the young Christians sleep in on Sunday after a long night of post-church partying.
Their tones changed, however, when we started to talk about Maori religious culture. They conveyed to me that Maoris, and more particularly Maori young adults, hold their spiritual practices close to their everyday life. Many Maori students often wear a koro around their necks, symbolizing peace and growth, and there are a handful of student clubs that are focused on the preservation of ancient Maori traditions and practices. Their tone seemed to indicate that they were far removed from that culture and that it was really only meant for the Maori. They even joked about how taboo it would be for any of us as non-Maori to get a Maori tattoo. They made it clear to me how separate their culture was from Maori culture, which to me seemed to be out of respect to the cultural difference.
For me, the most interesting aspect of religion in New Zealand has been discovering how a secular Christian majority combines with the vastly different spiritual minority to make a singular national identity. While that seems like a difficult topic to tackle in just over a month, the subject is widely addressed in a fairly common way. For example, at the welcoming reception the president of the university didn't come close to referring to anything religious, but when he was done speaking a group of students performed a welcoming haka, an animated Maori dance. Similarly, I don't know if the University of Auckland has a chapel or church, but one of the first places I found was the university marae, which is an open area the Maori use as meeting grounds for religious and cultural practices. Starting when I got here, I was immersed in Maori culture to some degree by a university founded and run by European descendants. The fact that most students studying abroad know some of these Maori terms after only a few weeks of living here is a testament to New Zealand's effort to support and spread Maori spirituality as singular community.
Again, I've only been here for a few weeks, but I'm impressed by how easy it is to learn about Maori culture. Also, while there is a clear divide between Maori and pakeha, the name for European decedents, the Maori make an open effort to educate pakeha. Anyone here can enroll in the Maori studies class, which is not only accepted, but also encouraged. Obviously I could be doing more to get into the Maori culture, but that is why it is impressive; I am not actively trying to study the Maoris, yet I encounter some aspect of their culture in my everyday life. Whether I'm walking down one of the many Maori named roads or watching the national rugby team intimidate its opponents with a fierce haka before the game, Maori traditions live and breathe in a mainly secular society, and furthermore, are encouraged to flourish in a nation that turns missions into pubs and Masses into long nights on the town.
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