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Introduction Discovering Landscape The various landscapes of New Zealand are both our most celebrated and most contentious spaces. They represent something which all New Zealanders have found a way to identify with. Consequently, there is a degree of fixation on these landscapes, especially in relation to the diverse selection of perceived ‘natural’ places which we deem so precious. However, because we hold these spaces in such high regard, we are notoriously cautious and careful with them, protecting and regenerating them through the numerous natural parks and scenic reserves scattered around the country yet, not quite, understanding how we can truly integrate our culture with their complex and ever changing systems.
Culture in Landscape Culture is the lens through which we see and understand our landscape. The careful analysis of these cultural filters, and the way they affect our perception of nature, is important within a country as landscape orientated as Aotearoa New Zealand. Such an analysis can create a more thorough understanding of how to build these cultural cues to work in conjunction with landscapes, not against them will instill respect for nature as a value within our culture, allowing culture and nature to validate one another.
Tension and Dualities Within New Zealand society the term ‘biculturalism’ is commonly used to suggest a cultural duality. Often this is interpreted as advocacy for the creation of a unified whole. However, this thesis proposes it is not a unified whole which makes New Zealand what it is, but rather the constant tension and shift between these dual forces. While there is still a need to foster respect and understanding between the two cultures of Māori and Pākehā to place them on an equal footing within New Zealand culture, there is also a need to allow space for these tensions to evolve, change, and shift. This understanding is analysed through the more universal dualities which reside within the New Zealand context.