The Appropriation of Māori identities in the nation branding and public diplomacy of Aotearoa New Zealand: an attempt to understand how cultural identities are self-constructed, planned and projected for specific communication purposes

Abstract

This interdisciplinary research investigated the construction of cultural identities in the Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy in Aotearoa New Zealand. On the example of New Zealand’s indigenous population, the Māori, this study examined convergences and divergences of the self-image which describes the construction of cultural identity from Māori perspectives with the planned and projected Māori identities in selected Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy channels.

Ethnographic methods like participant observation and informal interviews with members of the Ngāti Awa tribe were conducted based on Kaupapa Māori theory which is a theoretical framework developed by Māori. This data was contrasted with expert interviews with representatives from governmental institutions, diplomatic representations, cultural tourism operators and cultural or art institutions.

Results of this research show that the construction of planned and projected Māori identities in selected Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy channels and the self-image of members of Ngāti Awa coincide to some extent. In Nation Branding, information about Māori is often simplified and Māori are presented as one single entity. On the contrary, the information about Māori offered by Public Diplomacy is more profound and approaches by Māori shaping their representation could frequently be observed. Increased efforts to shape the representation of Māori in Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy by Māori could be detected.

This thesis demonstrates various examples, such as touristic and cultural experiences offered by the Māori community or the self-promotion of Māori tribes to foreign publics in diplomatic functions.

This ’bottom-up’ construction of cultural identities enables Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy to create a unique differentiation to other nations directly constructed from the community. It provides a stronger identification for the members of a nation with Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy and produces a more authentic and credible image of the nation to foreign audiences.