Will this be another South Africa? Maoris are only 13% of the population but the separatist movement is growing. While it is good to preserve culture, some of the efforts to have separate schools were Maori is the first language is not conductive to sharing a country and a culture and will put Maoris at a disadvantage in the work... more

If you're taking a trip to Paihia you definitely have to go and do a tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds... They have guided tours by local maoris which is definitely worth the money.. The tour guide we had was lovely and had a vast amount of knowledge about the signing of the treaty of waitangi as well as his... more

The 'Waitangi Treaty Grounds', which we visited in October 2008, are a good way to get some basic knowledge of New Zealand history and as first time visitors, we found the NZ$12 for the guided tour of the grounds was money well spent. Although our Maori tour guide, Vern, threatened to eat us a few times (!), we felt in... more

The informative films were a good introduction to recent Maori history and the film about the waka, war canoe, was very interesting. Walking around the grounds was very pleasant, and touring the govornors home and the meeting house was interesting. However, be forwarned that the live cultural show is not available everyday, so check the schedule before going. more

We spent a half day at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and did both the guided tour and the cultural show, as well as had lunch in the restaurant. If you are considering either the cultural show or the guided tour, I would recommend doing both, as there is a good discount for booking the two together. Our Maori guide shared... more

Waitangi Treaty Ground is a good place to go learn the history of the Maori and New Zealand . The Maori war canoe and meeting house are spectacular. more