Te Puni Kōkiri recently hosted a group of 19 Inuit rangatahi from Nunavut, Canada.

“We were very honoured to host this group of indigenous rangatahi because there are a lot of symmetries between our (Māori) culture and the Inuit culture,” says Te Puni Kōkiri policy analyst Aaron Munro.

“It was a great opportunity for us to learn from another indigenous culture and share with them our own culture, history and development,” he says.

The students, aged between 18 and 24, have just completed an eight-month educational course on Nunavut’s history, culture and politics, with a special focus on the creation of Canada’s newest territory in 1999, Nunavut, as the result of a treaty settlement.

Nunavut comprises one-fifth of Canada’s land area, about the size of France and Spain combined with a population roughly that of Whanganui.

The students’ focus is to learn more of New Zealand’s treaty settlement process, Māori development and community engagement, while sharing their own culture.

The students shared with Te Puni Kōkiri staff Inuit history, culture and politics through music, singing, language and presentations.

The last time a group of Inuit students came to New Zealand was 10 years ago. At that time their programme also included meetings with Te Puni Kōkiri, the Waitangi Tribunal and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.