General Information » Culture & Lifestyle » Race Relations

Whatever your colour or culture you’re unlikely to experience overt racism in New Zealand. For the most part Kiwis are a welcoming bunch, curious rather than confrontational. That said, the country’s recent influx of overseas immigrants – particularly in Auckland, where 37% of the current population were born overseas, has led some to question the country’s sense of identity in the long term.

It would also be wrong to say that there is no tension between Maori and Pakeha. It’s no secret that Maori have for a long time been at an economic disadvantage to their Pakeha neighbours, resulting in everything from lower achievement in tertiary education to higher prison numbers. Disputes over land rights, of course, remain a contentious issue. In recent years, however, open debate at almost every level of society, along with a concerted embrace of biculturalism, has encouraged cooperation.