Usov Oleg New Zealand 321

of whom 13 % are Maori.

features

Maori culture suffered greatly in the years of colonization and into the 20th century, and many Maori were torn between the pressure to assimilate and the desire to preserve their own culture.

vegetation and animal life, much of which developed during the country’s prolonged isolation.

from the Maori language is an important feature of its national-cultural identity. Words from the Maori language were borrowed in the early stages of colonization, mainly to refer to plants, trees, animals and birds: kiwi, moa, tui, weka, takahe, pukeko, kokako, kotuku, korimako, piwakawaka — Birds, hapuka, moki, terakihi —species of fish, manuka, totara, kauri, pohutakawa, nikau, ponga, rata, matai — tree species, katipo — poisonous spider

New Zealand is predominantly an English-speaking country. Virtually all Maori speak English, and about one-fourth of them also speak Maori.