Before visiting New Zealand, check the entry requirements for your passport, complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration, and declare anything that could pose a biosecurity risk. In Māori cultural settings, protocols vary: listen to your hosts and follow their guidance. These are the essentials for planning a respectful, well-prepared visit.
Understand Māori culture and tikanga
Māori culture, language and tikanga—customs and protocol—are part of contemporary life in Aotearoa New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand describes Māori influence across areas including food, language, education and governance. It also explains manaakitanga as hospitality and kindness, and kaitiakitanga as guardianship and respect for the natural environment. These concepts have depth and context; they are not a checklist of simple rules for visitors. Immigration New Zealand’s Māori culture overview offers an introduction.
How to behave at a marae or welcome
A marae is a Māori meeting place and may host a formal welcome called a pōwhiri. Depending on the place and occasion, a pōwhiri may include a karanga (call), wero (challenge), whaikōrero (speeches) and hongi (pressing noses). Welcomes have changed over time, and not every marae or occasion follows the same form. Some welcomes are informal.
Follow the hosts’ lead
Observe, listen and follow the instructions of the people hosting you. As Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand puts it, “The best practice is to follow the guidance of the host people.” Read its explanation of welcome and hospitality for context, not as a universal script.
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Be attentive around food and sleeping areas
At some marae, food and drink are served in an area separate from sleeping spaces. Practices connected with tapu and noa differ, and are not observed in the same way everywhere. Ask your hosts if you are unsure rather than assuming one custom applies at every marae.
Check your entry requirements before booking or departure
Whether you need a visitor visa or a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) depends on your passport and circumstances. New Zealand and Australian citizens do not need a visa or NZeTA; Australian permanent residents normally need an NZeTA. Most other travellers need a visa or NZeTA before travel, and must hold a valid passport or another accepted travel document. Use Immigration New Zealand’s Visa NZeTA checker for your own situation and consult its visitor information before departure.
A visa or NZeTA does not itself guarantee permission to enter. On arrival, visitors must apply for entry permission. Immigration officers may ask questions or request evidence, while other border agencies check customs and biosecurity requirements. Answer questions truthfully and keep any relevant travel information or supporting evidence accessible. See Immigration New Zealand’s arrival guidance.
Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration
Everyone entering New Zealand must complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD), which gathers travel, immigration, customs and biosecurity information. Air travellers can submit it from 24 hours before their journey begins. Sea travellers can submit it from 24 hours before the ship leaves its last overseas port bound for New Zealand. A paper declaration is available if you cannot complete it online. Check the latest steps on Immigration New Zealand’s Traveller Declaration page.
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Declare biosecurity risk items
New Zealand’s biosecurity checks cover items that may carry pests, diseases or contaminants. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says travellers should declare risk items, including:
- Food
- Plants and animal products
- Wooden products
- Soil and water
- Outdoor equipment
If you are carrying something you are unsure about, declare it and check MPI’s current item guidance. Marked amnesty bins at arrival are available for disposing of undeclared risk goods, but they are not a substitute for checking what must be declared. MPI’s guide to declaring items on arrival was last reviewed on 13 July 2026; rules and item-level guidance can change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Plan the practical details of your visit
Tourism New Zealand’s official visitor site brings together information about weather and climate, health and safety, visitor information centres, and activities related to history, arts and culture. Use it to shape your plans, then check specific transport, access and booking details with the relevant provider. Start at Welcome to New Zealand.
Compare activities by what matters to your trip
If choosing between tours or activities, compare who leads each experience, what is included, where it takes place, travel time, accessibility, group size, cancellation terms and the total price. These details vary by operator; an activity category on an official visitor site does not establish that a particular experience will suit every traveller.
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