Opinion: Being Māori remains strong wherever in the world we live

Three Australian-based kapa haka teams have qualified for Te Matatini 2025.
THREE KEY FACTS:
Levi Fox (Ngāti Porou Tūwharetoa) has worked in mental health and social work practice across Australia and Aotearoa. His PhD research focused on understanding the role of indigenous spirituality and ancestral healing frameworks. He is an academic at Gold Coast Griffith University.
Dion Enari is a senior lecturer in sport leadership and management at Auckland University of Technology. He has a PhD in Fa’asamoa and holds the ali’i tulafale title Lefaoali’i from Lepa, Samoa.
OPINION
With migration out of New Zealand at its highest in history, and 1 in 5 Māori now living in Australia. Does it come at a cost? Are those leaving disconnected from what it is to be Māori?
Living in Australia is a unique experience. Māori cultural traditions and practices are continued every day. Matariki is celebrated on the Gold Coast, Waitangi Day is embraced everywhere from Sydney to Townsville, and through to Perth and Darwin.
Tangihanga with whānau and kaumātua are held with much the same respect as being on a marae.
But what makes this a unique experience?
Well, Māori living in Australia have created te ao Māori where there are limitations to accessing resources.
The resurgence of te reo has made its way to Australia, through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa online and face to face classes. Three kapa haka groups have qualified for Te Matatini 2025, and much more.
But do the 170,000 Māori living in Australia feel disconnected from Aotearoa?
Not at all.
If you know who you are and where you come from, that is all that matters. Māori living in Australia may not be physically connected to Aotearoa, but their wairua and heart remains as tangata whenua.
When Kingi Tūheitia proclaimed “Just be Māori, all day, every day” he meant that we must hold fast to who we are, no matter where we are. The king said: “we are here, and we are not going away”. We are connected to Aotearoa just by being Māori.
When whānau decide to move abroad, the last thing we think of is what have we lost; identity, status, mana motuhake, values.
For many, they think about what we can gain.
Like many immigrants to foreign lands, Māori in Australia have sought greener pastures, better opportunities, easing of financial burdens and to be closer to whānau. It is always heartwarming to see the Māori community embrace each other and tautoko everything within the Māori world of Australia. Just take one look at the social platforms, such as Māori in Australia on Facebook, you will see people asking for a haka at weddings, birthdays and funerals, and the Māori community will always show up and show out.
There is no such thing as being a traitor to our people. If that means participating in political matters, supporting Māori in Aotearoa has never been easier because many are still active citizens with voting rights back home. We watch closely at the political landscape and share in the sentiments of many leaders and views which matters most to us. Why does it matter to us who live in Australia? Because we are forever connected to home where our spiritual waters flow. No one can take that away from us. Kia tau.