New Zealand Landscape as Culture: Maunga (Mountains)

Come and learn about the mountains of New Zealand and their complex geological and cultural histories.

In this course, you will learn about New Zealand’s mountains, or ‘Maunga’, and the cultural identities attached to them. We'll explore the lives of indigenous Māori people who trace their ancestry to their mountain, as well as the European (Pākehā) people who identify with mountain culture.

You will hear about the Māori world view from Dr Maria Bargh (Te Arawa and Ngāti Awa), who teaches Māori culture and politics at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Professor Lydia Wevers will introduce you to Pākehā, or European New Zealand, culture. Through lectures exploring the geology, popular culture, politics, art and literature of mountain and geothermal landscapes, you will learn about landscape as an expression of culture and be able to transfer these ideas to the landscape you live in.