Submitted by Danielle Lecce on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
During our second week abroad in New Zealand, we visited the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and learned about Maori heritage through a traditional hangi-cooked dinner. At the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, we got to see species native to New Zealand, in particular, the kiwi and the kea. The kiwi, or the national bird of New Zealand is endangered. Willowbank has conservation efforts in place to protect the remaining kiwis. They are able to track when new kiwis are born, bring them into their hospital, nurse them to health and allow them to grow strong before placing them back into the wild. If not, they are too small and weak to be able to fight off predators. Willowbank also has rescue efforts to protect the native kea, which has recently become endangered.
After our tour of the reserve, to have a greater understanding of Maori culture, we enjoyed a Ko Tane Maori Cultural Performance and Hangi dinner. In Maori culture, for someone new to be welcomed by the tribe and into the village, there would be an official welcoming ceremony. The traditional welcoming ceremony was performed where the visitor must accept the token presented by the chief and do the hongi, or the pressing of noses between the chief and the visitor. From there, we learned about their village, which included the tools and skills of the Maori hunter, their cooking techniques, and the games and instruments they played. Maori cooked their dinner in the ground with heated stones and fire, otherwise known as the hangi. We were also able to enjoy a kapahaka performance, which included the haka and poi dances. The haka is a ceremonial or war dance performed by men and the poi is a dance performed by women. After this night at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and participating in the Maori heritage night, we learned a lot about the way of life of the native people of New Zealand and about the native birds and animals of New Zealand.
