Rotorua's Māori culture in tourism impresses Aboriginal visitors

Attendees learning more about Māori culture at Whakarewarewa as part of the rangers conference. Photo / Tamara Poi-Ngawhika

Aboriginal visitors from Tasmania say Rotorua's strong Māori culture in tourism could be the key to awakening their own sleeping culture.

About 180 delegates from worldwide attended the inaugural Council of Oceania Ranger Associations (CORA) Oceania Ranger Forum in Rotorua on October 18-20.

The forum brought together ranger professionals and conservation workers to discuss topics of common interest and concern, in an international networking and professional development event. The theme of the forum was Inclusive Conservation.

Jarrod Edwards, of Pakana descent in Tasmania, said it was amazing to see how well the Māori tourism model operated in Rotorua and Māori "have got it down to a fine art".

"It's really empowering for us as Aboriginal people, to see you speak your language so proudly and to be so strong in family and kin."

Edwards said he wanted to take ideas back to Tasmania to strengthen and preserve their people's cultural ties.

"Our language and lots of our culture is still sleeping. We're going through a process, we're trying to wake it up and revive it."

Edwards said when he listened to kaumatua speak at the forum he could feel the connection Māori had to knowledge, land, and spirituality.

"It's almost identical. We've got this reverence for it and we understand it in our way, that non-indigenous people will never understand.

"You guys are so powerful in your singing and we used to be like that too.

"Our culture is exactly the same, being oral. We used to transfer knowledge from old songs but a lot of those songs have gone."

Edwards said he will remember how respectful Māori are to everyone.

"It's so powerful to see. It doesn't matter who it is, what ethnicity they are, you're so damn respectful and it's powerful."

Edwards said he wanted to bring his wife and children back to Rotorua and hoped he would be welcomed into the homes and hearts of Māori.

"All we want is for our kids to walk through life with pride. We see this here and it's so powerful."

Jamie Langdon said he also noticed the pride in Māori culture.

"Your language is first. We have our language but not many fluent speakers and it's not as widely accepted as what we've experienced in your country."

Langdon said he was surprised by the number of similarities between their Aboriginal culture and te ao Māori.

He said he gifted a necklace his grandmother made from maireener shells to Māori elders during the powhiri at the forum after learning koha was customary practice for Māori.

Langdon said Aboriginals today were still struggling to survive Tasmania's colonial past and their culture had almost been erased from the past.

Oceania Ranger Forum organiser Jolene Nelson, a ranger based in Queensland, said it made sense to host the event in Rotorua, which she believed was the "cultural hub of Aotearoa".

"Rotorua is a bilingual city, there's a huge difference with us back home - Australia is just not quite there."

Jolene Nelson and Rodney Chambers with the rangers conference at Whakarewarewa. Photo / Tamara Poi-Ngawhika

Rangers of Aotearoa NZ vice-president Rodney Chambers said working with iwi was more accessible.

"It really inspires people to see a bigger view of the world. So everyone gets to see that they're part of something bigger. We hope that this is really motivating for people."

Jobs for Nature kaimahi at Ngāti Whakahemo, Taneharatua Ngawhika, said he was pleased to meet the traditional custodians of Tasmania.

"It's always an honour to welcome other First Nations people into your country.

"Once we get together, we all have similar stories to share and it's wonderful to exchange our cultures, to share our breath."