Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/08/22
By: Fang Cheng-hsiang and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) A group of Māoris from Karetu, a region in New Zealand’s North Island, arrived in Taiwan Wednesday on a cultural roots-searching tour.

The 18 Karetu people, including 10 teenagers, received a warm welcome from Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka at the Executive Yuan, which they visited soon after their arrival on the island based on Māori tradition.

Kolas, who is a member of Taiwan’s indigenous Amis tribe, told the press that the visiting Māori tribe believes their forefathers were from the island, therefore initiated a plan called Hawaiki, which means “ancestor” in the Māori language.

The Hawaiki Plan is a initiative to find the cultural roots of the tribe, noted Kolas, who played a key role in making the Karetu’s visit possible.
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