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New Zealand Defence Force
Te Ope Kaatua O Aotearoa
Media Release
1 November 2005
Kiwis showcase Aotearoa in Afghanistan
The sights and sounds of Maori Culture echoed across Bagram Air Base last week weekend as members of the New Zealand
Defence Force showcased Aotearoa.
The performance by the Maori Culture Group of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) was part of an
International Day designed to provide information on each country of the Coalition.
Each country provided a static display that showed various aspects of its national culture and identity, and displayed
some of their military assets currently employed in Afghanistan.
Some countries went further by providing food, displaying traditional costumes and organising live performances.
The Maori Culture Group performed twice during the day before about 1500 personnel from the international coalition.
The performance included a wero (challenge), a mihi (speech), the well-known haka-powhiri of Toia Mai and Ka Mate and
four waiata.
Other countries that participated in Bagram Air Base’s International Day included Egypt, Germany, France, Slovakia, the
Czech Republic, Romania, South Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Canada, the USA, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
ENDS