Here's why the UK wants to heal the scars of its colonial past with Māori | Laura Clarke

The British high commissioner in New Zealand, Laura Clarke, explains why building stronger ties can start to atone for previous wrongs

The connections between the UK and New Zealand are such that we feel instantly at home in each other’s countries, sipping a flat white or an English Breakfast tea. We have a similar sense of humour, a similar sense of adventure, similar tastes. There is so much that feels familiar. But perhaps the greatest joy of my first two years as British high commissioner to New Zealand has been getting to know that which is less familiar: learning about and building connections with te ao Māori whānui – the wider Māori community.

In my time here in Aotearoa New Zealand, I have been welcomed onto marae meeting houses from Bluff to Waitangi, and attended the annual coronation of the Māori king. I have learnt to speak (some!) Māori. I have – with my team – learnt tikanga Māori (customary practices), as well as our shared and sometimes painful history. I have built friendships. And I have delighted in seeing my children absorb Māori culture: doing their introductory pepehā, throwing themselves into kapahaka dance, and fully at ease at a haka pōwhiri (welcome ceremony), greeting by hongi after hongi after hongi.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2ZKhB3j