Customs and traditions

What is Gidday?

Can you greet in Maori way?

What is ANZAC Day?

General Attitudes, New Zealanders are open, friendly, and hospitable. Their lifestyle is relaxed and informal. They discuss leisure activities and family interests. They are practical people. They enjoy working around their homes and gardens. They value home, a good education, and friendship. New Zealanders have a bicultural society in which Pakeha and Maori share many values. Some Maori stand for greater autonomy.

Personal appearance. In NZ western-style clothing is the standard. People wear casual clothing in public. It is unusually neat and clean. Adults wear shorts for recreational activities. Europeans fashions are popular, but NZ also has its own fashion industry. Maori wear traditional costumes for ceremonies and cul­tural events.

Greetings. New Zealanders greet with a handshake and Gidday. Maori may greet with a hug or a traditional hongi- pressing noses together with eyes closed. Hello in Maori is Tena korua.. Upon parting, Maori may say Haere ra - Farewell.

Gestures. In NZ waving at a friend is a sign of recognition. Young people like to raise both eye­brows in die direction of their friend. It is polite to avoid chewing gum in public. Personal space must be observed.

Visiting. New Zealanders like to have friends over for dinner. Garden barbecues are especially popular on weekends. Dinner guests take a gift: good wine, a potted plant, a box of chocolates or а кока /gift money/. Guests are expected to feel at home. They may remove their shoes. Even a repairman would be offered a drink. Dropping unannounced is quite common. Inviting people for afternoon tea /3:00 P.m./ is also popular. Common refreshments include coffee, tea, soft drinks, finger sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and cookies.

Eating. New Zealanders eat a light breakfast by &00 a.m. Lunch is in the early afternoon, and dinner /"tea"/ is around 6p.m. People eat in the continental style - fork in the left and the knife in the right hand. Hands are kept above the table. When finished with a meal, a person places the utensils parallel on the plate. When people eat out, dinner is close to 8 p.m. In a fine restaurant, the staff lets diners take their time. New Zealanders don't tip.

Lifestyle. Family. A traditional Pakeha family has two parents and two children. It is common for both parents to work. Family ties are looser then they once were. Most families own their homes. Among Polynesians in some cases several generations live together in one house.

Dating and Marriage. Most New Zealand parents restrict one-to-one dating until their children are 15 or 16. Group social activities began at 12. The youth enjoy going to movies, dancing and having parties. Older teens may go with a group to the local pub for dancing and drinking. People usually marry in their mid- 20s. Weddings can be lavish wit a home or garden ceremony, sit-down meal and a dance.

Diet. New Zealanders eat much butter and meat. Lamb is a favourite теal. Kumaras /sweet pota­toes/ may accompany lamb. A special treat is toheroa soup made of native green clam. Tea is the favourite drink of the most New Zealanders. Beer and Wine are popular alcoholic beverages. In the NZ diet kaimoana /seafood/ and fresh vegetables play a great role. Beef, pork, roast lam and fish are common. Now people prefer hamburgers, pizza and chips. Vegemite /yeast extract/ is used as a bread spread, but peanut butter, honey and jam are also popular. Fruits include apples, bananas, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, strawberries, and tomatoes. New Zealanders believe their cheeses and ice cream are best in the world. A ceremonial Maori meal is the hungi, a combination of meat, seafood, potatoes, kumara /sweet potatoes/ and carrot cooked in wire racks lined with cabbage leaves. The dish is steamed'for hours in an шли /earth oven/.

Recreation. Many New Zealanders love sports. Rugby and soccer are popular in winter. Cricket is a favourite sport in the summer. Girls and women often play netball, a half-court game similar to a basket- ball. Tennis, law bowling, and athletics are enjoyed too. There are many opportunities for mountaineering, tramping /hiking/, fishing, hunting, swimming, jogging and sailing. The climate makes it possible in any season. Snow-capped mountains attract many skiers. Yachting along the coast is a popular activity. Fishing for marlin, shark or sward fish is popular too. Lake Taupo provides year round traut fishing. Gardening is one of the most popular leisure activities! Many city families small cabins in a resort areas where they go on weekends.

Holidays. Official public holiday include New Year's /1-2 January/, Waitangi Day /6 February, for the 1840 treaty/, Easter, Anzac /25 April, to honour the armed forces and war dead/, Queen Eliza­beth's Birthday /first Monday in June/, Labour Day /fourth Monday in October/, Christmas and Bjudng Day /26 December/. Boxing Day comes from the old British tradition of giving small-boxed gifts to service workers after Christmas. It is now a day to visit and relax. Each region celebrates an Anniversary Day.

Gardens. New Zealand is a gardener's paradise. A visitor's first impression of this country is one of green. 800 New Zealand gardens open to visitors. Kiwis /as New Zealanders call themselves/ like to show off their gardens. In this small country the open gardens add a social aspect to a favourite pastime.

Most of the people live on the North Island where it s warmer and drier with golden beaches, thermal areas, ancient Kauri pines and large cities.

Pukeiti, located on the west coast of North Island, is a grand expression of Kiwi passion for gar­dening. It was established in 1952. Here one can hike miles of grassy walkways on an ancient volcanic hill to explore one of the largest collections of rhododendrons in the world.

South Island is a land of more striking climatic contrasts. Climatic diversity with long isolation from other Continents has resulted in the evolution of a unique native flora, which Kiwis call 'the bush". Christchurch, a city on the east coast proudly lives up to its title of "garden city". Each February the Christchurch Floral Festival is celebrated with a garden show. A number of private gardens are open to visitors for the occasion.

Extravagant floral floats are set a drift in the Avon River to delight local residents and visitors from around the world. A spectacular floral carpet is setup in the gothic Christchurch Cathedral.

Kiwi accept nature as a partner. If an area is wet, they create a garden of bog primulas. In many Kiwi gardens, the foliage is more important than the flowers.

New Zealand gardeners are masters of microclimate. They are able to grow a very wide range of plants in small gardens. For them gardening is a way of life.