American Reacts To: Policing in Northland | New Zealand Police

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[excss]

I'm an Aussie and I'm always in awe of the Kiwi's and their proud heritage & culture. Aussies have a long way to go with ours and respecting the Aboriginal heritage and culture. Well done NZ and great reaction mate.

[bendavis]

I think the idea of the Hongi (pressing the noses together) is to share the breath of life together.

[nomanshigh]

Bro you heard Karakia for seconds and knew it was a prayer. You are now my Canadian brother. I'm a Ngapuhi Maori from Northland and the idea of being brothers with Canada is cool as.
You're on the money with the escimo kiss. We call it hongi, nose to nose greeting embrace. The way you described it was perfect. Come on over bro there's one waiting for you.

[Arty_Az]

As a mother I wanted to give you a big hug, I hate seeing people crying or upset because of things that shouldn't and don't need to happen.
One thing really stands out to me living here in NZ is that if you walked up to a cop and put your hand out they will shake it, from what I have seen from other countries that is very rare. I hope that NZ doesn't lose that as time goes by.

[bernadettec]

Kia ora (Hi). Most people in New Zealand know some Te Reo (the Māori language) and a lot of people just chuck it in casually. We also assume that the people (tāngata) know what we mean. Whānau - family (but it has a deeper meaning compared to the English meaning, it's more about extended family rather than just the basic family unit). Mahi - Work. Whakapapa - family history. Tūpuna - ancestors. Whenua - land. Kainga - home (usually used to mean where you grew up). I'm a Pakeha (white New Zealander) so my explanations are quite basic and Māori has quite deep and complex concepts for most of these words.

[parkiwi]

A police constable saying to a young person, "You are better than you are right now". Proud to be Kiwi. Plus, the support and making that lovely young women want to be in the police. Doing the right thing can change lives.

[markpiwari]

My reaction to your "policing in the far North of NZ" reaction video was also unexpected. I was inspired by your courage, empathy, compassion and aroha (love). You have what we as Maori refer to as wairua (spirt) and mana (deep respect/standing) and I have no doubt that you will feel every-bit at home here in Aotearoa New Zealand. The hongi is a greeting between 2 people where their forehead and nose touch at the same time; it symbolises giving breath of life.

I am sadden that your early years were filled with many dark moments but in spite of it all, you've become a pillar of a man.

Kia kaha
.

[markcrisp]

Another kiwi here.
Nothing wrong with emotion shows your human and care.
I'm 66 yo 6th generation non Maori.
The best of being a kiwi is love and respect a combination of Maori culture and parents with good values. Knowing you will make mistakes accept the consequences and move on with support from family and the community.
Stay safe my brother.

[HaurakiVet]

I'm a fifth generation New Zealander and seeing this brought back memories from when I worked in law enforcement. In training an emphasis was on de-escalating situations, not learning how to be Rambo in a blue uniform (by the way "constable" is the official legal designation of our police, not "officer").
Years ago when I was in the job we used to spend a few days every couple of years as guests on a Marae (traditional Maori cultural centre, for want of a better description) and just talk through issues important to them and broaden our own understanding of cultural differences.
This film is a recruiting tool for encouraging Maori to join the police and return to their traditional area where, as was shown, they are most effective in working with their own.
In New Zealand you would be hard pressed to find anyone who spoke Spanish as that is not part of our cultural history, but most non Maori would be familiar with a lot of the terms used in the clip, Kai for food, whanau for extended family and other terms have become part of our national vocabulary and are used frequently.
NZ has three official languages, Maori, English and NZ sign language.

[alexandradosado]

I'm sorry that you went through discrimination, no one should ever have to put up with that rubbish but you can always move here to Australia, we would be happy to welcome you and i'm sure that our brothers and sisters in NZ would welcome you also.

[MissDutch]

I'm an Aussie and I see NZ as being such a nicer place and i feel like their people have more respect for each other than say over here imo.

[kaines]

I am New Zealander and I have links back to the Northland Region. I have just come back from the region after spending New years up there with family. First off don't be sorry about expressing your emotions.

Here are some general notes:
- We do call it a cul de sac as well. Cul de sac in French literally means he bottom of a bag. Which is the shape that you get with the turning - - - Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand). We are not the owners but are the Kaitiaki (Caretakers/Stewards) of the country.
- Māori have an agreed upon language called "Te Reo".
- Pressing of noses is called a hongi. This is a traditional greeting where you share a breath with the other person.
- The super short hair cut on females is not necessary.
- It is becoming more common now for people to have a conversation with a mix of English and Māori.
- Kina is also know as Sea Urchin.
- Police don't routinely carry guns on them in New Zealand. The guns are kept in lock boxes in the cars and need to be signed off Sergeant before they are used in the field. Instead you'll see most Kiwi Cops carrying a Taser.

[peterkotara]

Never apologise for being human. Massive hugs to you.

[davidioane]

You are an amazing man brother, thank you for sharing our culture in your youtube channel. (from New Zealand)

[Saylesshomie]

Samoan Kiwi here awaiting to go to Royal Police College few months exciting

[stickboy]

I love your reaction, I am a Kiwi but dual national with US citizenship, my fathers side of the family are from Georgia, I've always thought of moving an living in the USA to be with the family there, which is where most of my family are, but here in NZ everybody is family (whanau), in general terms the Police in the USA feel like the enemy and are to be feared, in many ways but not all, here in NZ they feel more like family who want to help you to a better life.

[macladymclean]

Miss Ahipara you rock girl 🥰 you obviously made that constable very proud. I'm a kiwi and that made me cry too. We need so many more like that constable to reach out and touch those kids mines to be better than they are but, please share them around cos me need more doctors to come home and look after the people. Well done NZ Police. You are all so much appreciated 💗
Hang in there buddy. The past is never easy and nor will the future be but that's why we call it the past, cos its gone. The only way it can hurt you, is when you continuously allow it too. You have another life now and a happier one so breath it, embrace it and evolve 💯🧡

[anyake]

The prayer at the beginning
You are right, this is a prayer.

In Māori; a prayer is called a karakia. Some karakia are religious in the western sense, with thanks given to a christian notion of god. Many give thanks to the land, sky and water that sustains us, to our ancestors, to people who may be visiting us (manuhiri) to the people we are visiting (mana whenua), or in some cases to our atua (gods) that we had pre-colonisation.

Māori have ways of doing things; and this is called tikanga or kawa. These are certain protocol that we follow as Māori. Often this involves a karakia to open and close hui (meetings), karakia before eating kai (food) and special karakia for events like funerals (tangi) and when we welcome visitors in a powhiri or whakatau (welcoming ceremonies).

The carving at 3:26

As for the peen. Our carvings typically are anatomically correct, with the inclusion of genitalia having ties through wider themes of birth, death and renewal. Shame about our bodies really only became a thing after European settlers arrived, and at this point some of these carved statues were actually damaged - having genitalia removed by missionaries.

The carving itself is called a koruru; and it sits atop a building called a wharenui. For Māori this is a really important building, and forms the central point of a Marae. Marae are communal spaces for Māori that have spiritual and social significance. Pre colonialism we would live on marae, but now it is mostly a place for us to come together to have important meetings, mark special occasions, practice elements of Māori culture, and importantly undertake tangi/funerals. During these occasions the Wharenui will be where you physically come together, and it will also be where you sleep - side by side with your whanau (family).

The wharenui is generally a representation of an ancestor, with the koruru being the head of the ancestor, and other parts representing the arms, legs, ribs and heart. So as you walk inside a wharenui, you are walking into the past and connecting with those that have gone before you, enveloped in their protection and love.

The houses in 3:46
In some places in New Zealand all the farming buildings may be together, or all the houses of the farm workers and that is what I think you are seeing there. But, Māori also have a way of living communally called papakainga where a bunch of houses belonging to one family with multiple family members living in each one is built on Maori land.

The man at 5:27
He might be called xavier (zave-e-er) or xavier (haav-e-er) both exist here; and you really dont know until you say one of them! The last name is hen-are-a (with the a being pronounced like the letter a). That is the Māori version of henry. We have some other examples of that here, my fav being Anaru prounounced -un-a-roo. This means andrew.

The 'eskimo kiss' at 7.29
This is called a Hongi, and its a typical way of greeting each other as Māori. To hongi you press your nose and forehead together with the nose and forehead of the person you are greeting. Many people of Maori decent prefer to hongi, instead of shaking hands. It translates to the sharing of breath, and it is about creating a moment where you come together as one. The god Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, moulded the shape of the first woman, Hine-ahu-one, from earth and breathed life into her by pressing his nose against hers. It is thought that this greeting harks back to that time. Different iwi (tribes) have different approaches. For some it was only a touching of noses but others included the touching of foreheads, a metaphorical exchange of breath and knowledge. My iwi is all about the head pressing!

The accent at 9:27
That is the bro-cent! Something lots of Māori share. You can see the same tonal qualities coming through in formal speeches. I have found that generally if someone speaks with the brocent they give a fabulous speeches full of the earthy low tone that always goes down a treat. Pre colonisation Māori was a verbal not written language, so oratory is very important! Search for Whaikorero for examples of this.

The hug at 11:18
You my boy should defo come to Aotearoa - New Zealand, Māori are a people that LOVE hugging. Try getting out of a Māori house without a kiss on the cheek, a hug, and a plate of food. It is frankly not possible.

16:15 beautiful places in NZ
Up North is crazy beautiful. Oh my stars! You are right we are very geographically blessed, but places like Northland, and Fiordland are something else entirely. Such beauty, both in the whenua and in the people.

19:13 what the people local to the land are called
Māori locals are called Mana Whenua which translates to those who have power (mana) over the land (whenua). Fun fact, the word for land whenua - is also the word that Maori use for placenta. Because they both sustain and nurture us. Another word for Māori who are from the area you are in is Tangata Whenua or people of the land.

Mana Whenua are the people of the iwi that calls that place home. Loosely Iwi = tribe, and hapu = sub tribe. All iwi have a traditional place that they call home - that is called a Rohe. These were less fixed pre colonisation, but the treaty of waitangi kind of froze everything in 1840.

Up north where this video is based the iwi are generally Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto, Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa and Ngāpuhi. As you get further down towards Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland - our biggest city) you will also reach land where the Mana Whenua are Ngati Whatua.

An iwi ( like Ngapuhi) may have small tribes within them, these are called hapu. So within Ngapuhi you have 110 hapū - which i believe is the most hapū in an iwi. They are a tribe, covering a big but very rural part of NZ.

Generally, Māori self identify as their iwi or hapū rather than simply calling themselves Māori. So if I introduce myself, I will say I am Kaii Tahu, or Tuhoe rather than saying I am Māori. Knowing where you from, and who you are related to is a big part of Māori culture. We call it your whakapapa - or your geneaology. In the video you will notice that each person being interviewed as a little line of text under their name and their job title, this explains their iwi affiliations. If someone is Ngati Pakeha - that means they are not Māori but New Zealand European.

Knowing where you come from is so big, that when Māori greet each other for the first time in a formal setting it is usually done using something called a pepeha. This is basically an introduction where you recite your ancestry, including the canoe that bought your ancestors to New Zealand, your iwi, and hapū.

Many people have mixed heritage here, but the general rule is that if you whakapapa Māori - you are Māori.

19:58 our language
Our language is called Te Reo Māori. Te Reo means the language, and Māori means... well Māori.
Like many indigenous people our language had been under threat for a long time, but is going through a period of revitalisation now. Not every Māori person will speak Māori, but some are fluent, some have a little and some know the basics. There are some words that 90% of all New Zealanders will know in te reo Māori - this includes things like whenua (land), Kia ora (hello/greetings) and Tapu (sacred). Some people who live here arent down with people speaking in te reo Māori; I call them kūare which means ignorant. But you can call them what other folks would likely call them world wide - racist.

[glenakiwibackyardgardner]

Nothing wrong with showing your emotions Newzealand is a special place and the Maori culture is ingrained in all kiwis no matter what the race that what makes us who we are

[janettrethewey]

Your kids have a wonderful role model, Phezz. You have a beautiful heart.