MORNING AMERICA." THERE'S A LOOK AT ROBIN BEING WELCOMED TO NEW ZEALAND WITH A MAORI GREETING CEREMONY, AN ANCIENT TRADITION STILL USED TO GREET DIG THNATARIES. GOOD MORNING AGAIN TO YOU, ROBIN. >> LARA. [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] THE TRADITIONAL MAORI GREETING WHICH MANY NEW ZEALANDERS USE. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE INDIGENOUS TO NEW ZEALAND AND THEY ARE HERE AT THE CENTER WORKING HARD TO KEEP THOSE TRADITIONS ALIVE. IN THE HEART OF NEW ZEALAND'S NORTH ISLAND SITS A SMALL TOWN OF ROTORUA WHERE MAORI CULTURE IS ALIVE AND WELL. ROTORUA HAS BECOME A STRONGHOLD FOR THE MAORI PEOPLE WHO ARE INDIGENOUS TO NEW ZEALAND AND REPRESENT 16.5% OF ITS POPULATION. HERE AT THE AT THE PUIA CULTURAL CENTER, MAORI TRADITIONS HAVE BEEN ON FULL DISPLAY FOR TOURISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR 130 YEARS. ♪ >> FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE GENUINE AND MAY COME AND THEY JUST WANT TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, I JUST THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. >> Reporter: THE CENTER IS HOME TO THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS OF CARVING. AND WEAVING. AND HOUSES THE LARGEST ACTIVE GEYSER IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE. FOR MAORI PEOPLE CULTURE PRESERVATION IS IMPORTANT BUT REMNANT EFFECTS OF COLONIALISM STRONGLY DISCOURAGED THEM TO ICING THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. >> WE'RE TRYING TO -- SENDING YOU A LITTLE 5-YEAR-OLD TO SCHOOL, THEM COMING HOME TO LET YOU KNOW THEY HAD BEEN PUNISHED. >> Reporter: AFFECTING FUTURE GENERATIONS AND CAUSING THE LANGUAGE TO NEARLY CEASE TO EXIST. >> I RECALL A CONVERSATION WITH MY GRANDFATHER WHEN I WAS WANTING TO LEARN MAORI AT SCHOOL. HE SAID THAT WILL GET YOU NOWHERE. IT'S USELESS BECAUSE IT WAS WHAT WAS EMBEDDED IN HIM. >> Reporter: BUT NOW MAORI CULTURE IS EXPERIENCING A RESURGENCE. THAT STEADILY GAINING MOMENTUM. >> EVERY ASPECT OF OUR CULTURE IS REALLY SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S WHAT GIVES US OUR CONNECTION TO OUR ANCESTORS, IT TELLS US WHERE WE'VE COME FROM AND IT'S ALSO GOING TO TELL US WHERE WE'RE GOING TO. >> Reporter: WHILE HERE IN NEW ZEALAND I HAD TO VISIT THE CENTER FOR MYSELF. HI, I'M ROBIN. >> HI. >> VERY NICE TO MEET YOU. OH, MY GOODNESS. SO YOU'VE BEEN CARVING FOR HOW LONG? HOW MANY YEARS? HOW MANY DECADES? >> 56 YEARS. WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL I WASN'T VERY BRIGHT, SO TEACHERS THOUGHT I WAS QUITE DUMB ACTUALLY. >> NO. >> BUT I WAS GOOD AT ART. IT'S ONE THING I WAS VERY GOOD AT SO I KNEW THAT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE THAT'S WHAT MY CALLING WAS GOING TO BE. >> WELL, WHY DON'T WE BRING IN YOUNG'UN IN HERE. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? FIRST YEAR STUDENT. >> YEAH. >> SO YOU'RE LEARNING FROM SOMEONE LIKE CLY. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? >> TOO MUCH STUFF. WE HAVE LESSONS WITH HIM PRETTY MUCH EVERY WEEK, AN HOUR TO TWO HOURS. VERY HONORED TO BE HERE WHILE CLIVE IS STILL AROUND. >> I DON'T LIKE HOW HE SAID WHILE YOU'RE STILL AROUND. YOU'RE GOING TO BE AROUND FOR AWHILE. >> I'LL BE HERE FOR AWHILE. >> HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY SO MUCH? >> LOTS OF THINGS, BEING ABLE TO CREATE JUST BEING ABLE TO FOR ME IT'S THROUGH REPEATING SO I'M CREATING BUT NOT ONLY THAT, WE'RE WEAVING STUFF THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. AT THE MOMENT WHAT I'M DOING IS A TECHNIQUE WHICH WE CALL -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] SO I AM JUST DOUBLE TWINING ALL THE PIECES OF FIBER TOGETHER TO MAKE THEM -- THAT'S PRETTY MUCH LIKE A SEWING MACHINE BUT USING MY HANDS TO BRAID IT ALL TOGETHER. >> HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO YOU COMPLETE THE GARMENT? >> TODAY I WILL HAVE THIS GARMENT COMPLETED. >> OH, TODAY. OH, MY. >> NO, I AM -- I SAID THAT ON MONDAY. [ LAUGHTER ] >> VERY GOOD. >> NO, I'LL HAVE IT COMPLETE TODAY. >> Reporter: AND THIS SPECIAL MOMENT. ♪ [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> ALLOWING ME TO WITNESS FIRSTHAND THE POWER OF MAORI CULTURE. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. >> SAY AGAIN NOW. -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] INDEED. THIS WOMAN IS THE CULTURAL AMBASSADOR HERE. [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] ROBIN. >> THANK YOU, THANK YOU. CAN YOU EXPLAIN IN MORE DETAIL THAT WELCOMING PROCEDURE, CEREMONY WAS SO TOUCHING AND THOMAS VINTERBERG THERE'S A SIGNIFICANCE TO IT. CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT. >> THERE IS. ROBIN, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF OUR TIME OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHAPED AND INFLUENCED BY OUR ENVIRONMENT. THE MOUNTAINS, THE WATER, THE MOON, THE STARS, THE GEYSERS ALL PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART IN ENSURING WE HAVE A DEEP AND EVER LASTING CONNECTION TO OUR LAND. NOW, ANCIENT CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS ARE WHAT WE CALL -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] WHICH HAVE BEEN GIFTED TO US FROM OUR DEITIES, VERY IMPORTANT AND SOMETHING WE MUST RESPECT AND ADHERE TO AND CELEBRATE AS WELL. SO -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] IS AN ANCIENT RITUAL WHERE WE WELCOME -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] LIKE YOURSELVES LIKE WE DID THIS MORNING IN YOUR ROLE TODAY AND IT'S OUR WAY, THE -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] HAS MANY ASPECTS BUT ENCOMPASSES OUR CORE NATURAL PRINCIPLES WE CARRY. [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] LOVE, RESPECT AND GENEROSITY AND -- [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] THAT'S FAMILY. >> IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. >> THANK YOU. >> I KNOW THERE WERE A LOT OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, YOU KEPT WELCOMING TO THE FAMILY AND SAID THEY ARE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE PASSING IT ON, NOT JUST TO YOUR FAMILY BUT TO OTHERS? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IS CRUCIAL TO THE SURVIVAL OF ANY INDIGENOUS CULTURE. AGAIN, BOTH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE HAVE BEEN GIFTED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION FOR US TO ENJOY AND TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOURSELVES. SO THE ROLE THAT I PLAY, I'M EXTREMELY HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO BE ABLE TO, WELL, IMPART WHAT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT I HAVE TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION. I TRY MY VERY BEST TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND IT'S A ROLE THAT I FIND VERY, VERY HUMBLING AND THAT I ALSO TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY AND THE HOPE IS I CAN PLAY MY PART TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF OUR IDENTITY AS AN INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND HOPEFULLY OUR YOUNG ONES, OUR CHILDREN AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN WILL BE DOING EXACTLY THE SAME THING THAT WE'RE DOING HERE THIS MORNING. >> I KNOW. THIS MORNING AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING, ALMOST 2:30 AND FINALLY, FOR FOLKS THAT ARE WATCHING BACK IN THE STATES, WHAT IS YOUR HOPE THAT THEY SEE THIS MORNING ON THIS PROGRAM? >> MY GREATEST HOPE IS THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE THROUGHOUT THE TRAVELS THAT YOU TAKE THEM ON THROUGH OUR BEAUTIFUL VALLEY AND ALSO OUR BUBBLY CITY OF ROTORUA, MY HOPE IS THAT THEY'RE AGE TO -- I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO CREATE THAT CONNECTION THROUGH THE CAMERA, BUT I HOPE THAT THEY GAIN A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF W.H.O. WE ARE AS THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PEOPLE. >> BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, AND SO KIND, HUMBLE AND GRACIOUS. THANK YOU. [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> I KNOW. WE'VE BEEN HAVING FUN BUT IT'S ALSO BEEN A LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND I APPRECIATE THAT SO VERY MUCH. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. >> LARA. >> YEAH. [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] TO YOU, ROBIN, FOR