Quote by Māui Pōmare: “The future of the Māori people lies in adapting, yet retaining their culture.”

This quote highlights the delicate balance between progress and tradition for indigenous communities. It suggests that survival and prosperity require a flexible approach to change, embracing new ways while steadfastly preserving the core values and identity of one's heritage, ensuring cultural continuity amid modernization.

Towards the end of his life, Pōmare continued to advocate for Māori cultural survival within a dominant Pākehā (European) society. He believed in strategic adaptation as a means to preserve Māori identity and secure a place in modern New Zealand.

Māori medical doctor and politician who was one of the first Māori to obtain a medical degree, graduating from the United States. He served as a member of the New Zealand Parliament and was instrumental in Māori health reforms in the early 20th century. He was knighted and served briefly as Acting Prime Minister in 1920.