Ancestral Connections to the Land
Maori arrived in New Zealand over 1,000 years ago. The ancient Polynesians spread rapidly across thousands of kilometers of ocean in a relatively short period of time. While central Polynesia was settled quickly New Zealand was one of the last of the outposts of Polynesia to be settled.
The Maori culture evolved in New Zealand over a period of 700 years before the arrival of the first European settlers. During that time they developed a strong warrior culture based on kinship ties and focused on the land. A proverb says: Toitu te whenua, whatungarongaro te tangata – Humans are transitory but land is permanent.
BY the time of the arrival of European explorers Maori had largely settled their tribal territories. We are linked to the Ngati Awa tribe which sits on the western flank of the Bay of Plenty. We are linked to Te Whanau-a-Apanui tribe which flanks the eastern Bay of Plenty. We are also linked to the Ngati Porou tribe which resides on the East Coast of the North Island. Together these tribal territories contain between 80 and100, 000 hectares of Manuka trees.
Up until the 1850s the tribes whom we relate to were often at war with each other. Our history is redolent with the heroes who influenced the outcomes of battle by their inspirational leadership and their bravery. By the start of the 20th century the tribes no longer fought against each other and instead joined together to fight for their country in WWI. Again in World War II many Maori gave their lives or were wounded in defence of our way of life.
Today we are now joined in a common purpose to wage a war of economic survival; to create jobs and to generate wealth for our families and for future generation. The humble Manuka tree and the bee have combined together to generate a product that is contributing towards strengthening our communities.