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The first people to reach New Zealand (Aoteaora) were the Polynesian ancestors of the Maori, between 1200 and 1300 AD.
New Zealand is a young country in sense of it's human history. New Zealand was also the last large and livable place to be discovered.
The name "Maori" did only just exist after the arrival of the Europeans in 1642.

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The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand (Aotearoa). The Maori arose with settlers from East Polynesia, who came in New Zealand in several canoe voyages between 1320 and 1350. The Maori developed over several centuries in isolation, their own distinctive culture, whose language, mythology, crafts and performing arts evolved independently from the other eastern Polynesian cultures. Some of ancient Maori moved to the Chatham Islands, where their successors became New Zealand's other indigenous Polynesian racial group, the Moriori.
Earliest contact between Maori and Europeans, began in the 18th century, classified from beneficial exchange to deadly violence;Maori orphaned many technologies from the newcomers. With the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, these two cultures co-existed for a generation. Rising tensions over controversial land sales led to conflict in the 1860s, and massive land expropriations, to which Maori responded with vicious resistance, after the Treaty was a declared legal nullity in 1877.

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The first European to set foot in New Zealand was, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman on December 13th 1642. Tasman went on an expedition to discover a Southern continent "Great South land" that was believed to be rich in minerals. While the explorer was searching for this Southern continent, he sighted a "large high-lying land" off the West Coast of the South Island.
Abel Tasman oppointed the land as part of Holland under the name of "Staten Landt" (now known as New Zealand by Dutch mapmakers). Tasman's first contact with the Maori was at the country's West Coast at the top of the South Island, what's now known as "Golden Bay". After two waka(canous) full of Maori sighted Tasman boat with few of his men on board. Four of those men got killed by Maori, the reason were that someone saw it rammmed by one of the waka.
~Kassandra

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At the end, Tasman never set foot in New Zealand again. After sailing up the West Coast, he went visited some Pacific Island and went then back to Batavia(now Jakorta) in the Dutch East Indies(now known as Indonesia). By the end of Tasman's mission to New Zealand, was considered as unsuccessful by his employees"The Dutsch East India Company", because Tasman hasn't any treasures or matters of great profit.
~Kassandra

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One of the longest-standing political institutions that emerged in colonial times in New Zealand, is The Kingitanga(Maori Kingmoved). Founded in 1858 with the intention of uniting Maori and a single sovereign, and continued in the 2000s.
Traditionally were the Maori independent and led by chiefs. Because the Maori had no centralized monarchy.

The first King, Potatao Te Wherowhero, estabileshed with his coronation in 1858 an empire. His son Tawhioowas crowned King in 1860 and led the movement during the Waikato war of 1863/64 and the land confiscations that followed. These were critical times for the novice(unexperienced) movement, which manace to the authority of the British Crown and to European settlement. To be continued Towioo, who was also a prophet, guided his people into expulsion(the forced removal formal homeland) in the area now known as the King country.

He protected Maori land ownership and constitutional autonomy. Which helped to bring otherwise independent tribal communities together to protect their tribal identities and recourses.
~Kassandra

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Earl visitors from Europe to New Zealand generally applied to the indigenous inhabitants as "New Zealanders" or as "natives". But the Maori themselvesused the term Maori to describe themselves in a pan tribal wa. They often use the term "tangata whenua" (that means, "people of the land") to identify in a sence that expresses their relationship with a specific area of land; a tribe may be the "tangata whenua" in one area but not in another. The term can also apply to the Maori people as a whole in interactions to New Zealand (Aotearoa) as a whole.
~Kassandra

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At the beginning of the 19th century it was the predominant language spoken in New Zealand. As more English speakers arrived in New Zealand, the Maori language was increasingly limited to Maori communities. By the mid 20th century there were concerns that the language was dying out.

Maori had no written language, but the symbolic meanings embodied in carving, knots and weaving were widely understood.

Early settlers were dependent on Maori for many things and had to learn to speak the language if they wished to trade with them.

As more settlers arrived, the need for written communication in Maori grew. Missionaries first attempted to write down the Maori language in 1814. Professor Samuel Lee of Cambridge Univerity worked with the chief Hongi Hika and his junior relative Waikato to systematize the written language in 1820.

Up to the 1870s, and in some areas for several decades after that, it was not unusual for government officials, missionaries and other prominent Pakeha (European New Zealanders) to speak Maori. Growing up with Maori youngsters, their children were among the most fluent European speakers and writers of Maori. Particularly in rural areas, interaction between Maori and Pakeha was constant.

Most Pakeha (white New Zealanders) did not understand that the Maori language was an essential expression and envelope of Maori culture, important for Maori in maintaining their pride and identify as people. Speaking Maori was now officially discouraged, and many Maori themselves questioned its relevance in a Pakeha-dominated world where the most important goal seemed to be to get ahead as an individual.

The Maori language was forbidden in schools, either formally or informally, to ensure that Maori youngsters blend in with the wider community. Some older Maori still recall being punished for speaking their language. By the 1920s only a few private schools still taught Maori grammar. Many Maori parents encouraged their children to learn English and even to turn away from other aspects of Maori custom. Increasing numbers of Maori people learned English because they needed it in the workplace or on the sports field. ´Koreo Pakeha´ (Speak English) was seen as essential for Maori people.

Despite the prominence of speaking English, the Maori language survived. Until the Second World War most Maori spoke te reo as their first language.

The English language in New Zealand was also changing and borrowing words from Maori or Polynesian languages, such as taboo (tapu), kit (kete) and Kiwi (a New Zealander).

Maori was made an official language of New Zealand under the Maori language Act 1987 to secure the survival of the Maori language.

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The Maori held an essentially spiritual view of the universe. Anything associated with the supernatural was invested with tapu, a mysterious quality which made those things or persons imbued with it either sacred or unclean according to context.

Objects and persons could also possess mana, psychic power. Furthermore, an object or resource could be made tapu and therefore off-limits. The punishment for violating a tapu restriction was automatic, usually coming as sickness or death. The Maori had a temple of supernatural beings (atua). The supreme god was known as Io. The two primeval parents, Papa and Rangi, had eight divine offsprings:

- Haumia, the god of uncultivated food

- Rongo, the god of peace and agriculture

- Ruaumoko, the god of earthquakes

- Tawhirimatea, the god of weather

- Tane, the father of humans and god of forests

- Tangaroa, the god of the sea

- Tu-matauenga, the war god

- Whiro, the god of darkness and evil

There were also exclusive tribal gods, mainly associated with war. In addition, there were various family gods and familiar spirits.

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Kapa haka is the term for Maori perfoming arts, kapa means to form a line, and haka to dance. Kapa haka involves an emotional and powerful combination of song, dance and chanting. It is perfomed by cultural groups at schools and during special events and festivals.

In waiata-a-ringa (action songs), the lyrics are supported by symbolic hand movements. The perfomers flutter their hands quickly, a movement called wiri, which can symbolize shimmering waters, heat waves or even a breeze moving the leaves of a tree. Waiata-a-ringa are usually accompanied by a guitar and can be slow, fast, serious or fun and flirtatious, depending on the context.

Poi is a form of dance in which each performer skillfully twirls one or more poi (ball on a chord) in perfect unison with the others. Sudden direction changes are achieved by striking the ball on a hand or other part of the body, and the noise creates a percussive rhythm. Poi dancers are usually women and a skilled perfomance will strongly convey a sense of grace, beauty and charm.

The haka is a ceremonial Maori war dance or challange. Haka are usually performed in a group and represent a tribe´s pride, strength and unity.

Actions include the stomping of the foot, the protrustion of the toungue and rhythmic body slapping to accompany a loud chant.

Pukana (facial expressions) are an important facet of Kapa haka. A pukana helps to emphasise a point in a song or haka and demonstrate the performer´s ferocity or passion.

For women, pukana involves opening their eyes wide and jutting out their chin. For men, it means widening their eyes and streching out their tongue or baring their teeth.

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Due to oceanic environment and the importance of seafodd in their diets, Polynesian people have historically been amongst the worlds´s most efficient catchers of fish.

The Polynesians who came to New Zealand brought their fishing practices with them, adapting them to new raw materials and different fish species. Along with their tools and weapons of war, their fishing technology dominates the archaeological record displayed in museums throughout New Zealand.

Maori had a huge range of fishing technology and used tactics that modern recreational fishermen use.

There were few marine species they could not catch.

Sharks and dolphins were harpooned, small fish such as tuna, barracouta, kingfish and kahawai were taken on lures, and other fish were taken on hooks and in nets and traps.

One key characteristic of Maori fishing gear and most aspects of their material culture is the effort that went into not only making a functional fishhook, but also into decorating it with symbolic shapes and markings. Its a true blend of function with belief.