Rugby, Kiwi culture and te reo: a Brit's guide to fitting in in Auckland

New Zealand feels like home with better weather for about a fortnight. Then someone says "kia ora", talks about the All Blacks like a religion and turns up to the supermarket barefoot, and you realise it's its own place.

The short version

• Rugby is the national game. The All Blacks are a big deal, the Blues play at Eden Park, and a Lions tour is a national event [1].
• The Lions Women play three Tests against the Black Ferns in New Zealand in September 2027, starting in Auckland on 11 September [2].
• Te reo Māori is an official language. You'll hear it on the news, in place names and at work from day one. A few words go a long way.
• Waitangi Day (6 February) and Matariki (Friday 10 July in 2026, Friday 25 June in 2027) are public holidays rooted in Māori and New Zealand history [3].
• Kiwis are relaxed, modest and allergic to showing off. Brits who arrive with "how we do it back home" tend to learn that quickly.

Rugby and the rivalry with the Lions

You don't have to like rugby in Auckland, but it helps to know the basics. The All Blacks are the national men's team, the Black Ferns the women's. Auckland's professional side is the Blues, who play Super Rugby Pacific against teams from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, mostly at Eden Park. Below that sit the provincial competition and hundreds of club sides, where Saturday mornings are spent on the touchline with a pie and a flat white.

The haka

Before Tests, the All Blacks perform a haka, usually "Ka Mate" or "Kapa o Pango". It's a Māori challenge, not a show. Watch it respectfully. Turning your back on it, or treating it as a joke, goes down badly, and the long-running argument over how far an opposing team can advance towards it is better left to the commentators.

The Lions

For Brits, the British & Irish Lions are the bit that brings it all together. Lions tours to New Zealand are rare and huge, and the history is mostly one-sided: the 1971 Lions are the only side to win a series here, the 2005 tour ended in a 3–0 whitewash, and the 2017 series was drawn 1–1 with a draw in the final Test. Expect your Kiwi colleagues to remember all of it, especially 2005.

The Lions won their 2025 series in Australia [1]. The next men's tour to New Zealand is widely expected in 2029, but dates hadn't been published when we checked. The women's tour is confirmed [2]:

Source: All Blacks / NZ Rugby, checked November 2026 [2].

Watching the footie and the cricket

For Six Nations, Premier League and Champions League games, the time difference means early mornings or very late nights. The Fox on the Viaduct shows rugby and English football, and The Paddington in Parnell is big on the Premier League [4][5]. Our guide to British food, shops and pubs in Auckland has more.

If you'd rather play than watch, cricket is the summer sport. Cornwall Cricket Club at Cornwall Park runs junior, women's, men's and midweek business-house cricket, and had 2026/27 registrations open when we checked [6].

Māori culture and te reo

Māori are the tangata whenua, the people of the land, and Māori culture runs right through public life in a way that's quite different from anything back home. Te reo Māori is an official language of New Zealand, and the Government's language commission, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, promotes it and points learners to free courses and resources [7]. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week, is held every September.

You'll see te reo on road signs, in government department names (Inland Revenue is Te Tari Taake) and in emails that start "Kia ora" and end "Ngā mihi". Using a few words is normal and appreciated. Getting them roughly right is better than avoiding them.

Words you'll hear in your first week

Saying place names

Brits often struggle with Māori place names, and locals notice. Vowels are short and pure, a bit like Italian or Spanish: a as in "car", e as in "egg", i as in "eat", o as in "or", u as in "zoo". A macron (ā) makes the vowel longer. "Wh" is usually said like an "f", so Whangārei starts with an "f" sound. Take your time with Maungawhau, Ōtāhuhu and Papatoetoe. A colleague will happily correct you, and it's polite to say thanks.

On a marae

If you're invited to a marae for a work event, a funeral (tangihanga) or a school trip, you'll usually be welcomed with a pōwhiri, a formal welcome with speeches and song. Follow your hosts. A few general points:

1. Take your shoes off before going into the meeting house.
2. Don't sit on tables or pillows, and don't put food near where people sit or sleep.
3. Expect a hongi, pressing noses, during the welcome.
4. Your group may be asked to sing a waiata after its speech. Learning one in advance is a nice touch.
5. Ask if you're unsure. Nobody minds a question.

The Treaty and Waitangi Day

The Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Māori chiefs. Its meaning and the differences between the English and Māori texts still drive New Zealand politics. As a newly arrived Brit, it's worth reading up before offering opinions. Waitangi Day on 6 February marks the signing; in 2027 it falls on a Saturday and is "Mondayised" for many workers [3].

Matariki, the Māori New Year, has been a public holiday since 2022 and moves each year with the stars [3].

Kiwi ways that catch Brits out

Most of the time, Kiwis are like us: dry, self-deprecating and fond of a cuppa. The differences are small but real.

• Modesty matters. New Zealanders talk about "tall poppy syndrome". Boasting about your salary, school or the size of your old job in London lands badly.
• "Yeah, nah" means no. "Nah, yeah" means yes. "Sweet as" means fine.
• Footwear is optional. Bare feet in the supermarket, the dairy (corner shop) or the school run is normal. Jandals are flip-flops, togs are swimmers and a chilly bin is a cool box.
• BYO means bring your own wine to many restaurants, often with a small corkage charge.
• Bring a plate means bring food to share, not an empty plate. Every Brit makes this joke once.
• Don't call them Aussies. The trans-Tasman rivalry is friendly but real, especially at the rugby and the cricket.
• Christmas is in summer. Boxing Day is at the beach, and a roast in 28°C is optional.
• The outdoors is the social life. Tramping (hiking), the beach and the bach (holiday house) are what weekends are for.

Making friends and feeling at home

The FCDO's Living in New Zealand guide is useful for the official side of the move [8]. For the human side, join something: a club, a choir, a sports team or your children's school community. Kiwis are welcoming, but the invite to a barbecue often comes after you've turned up a few times.

Plenty of Brits in Auckland swap tips on all of this, from te reo night classes to where to watch the Lions at 7am, in our community group for Brits in New Zealand.

Sources

1. British & Irish Lions: official site
2. All Blacks (NZ Rugby): Black Ferns v British & Irish Lions Women 2027
3. Employment New Zealand: Public holidays and anniversary dates
4. The Fox, Auckland
5. The Paddington, Parnell
6. Cornwall Cricket Club
7. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission)
8. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in New Zealand (updated 11 December 2025)

Keep reading

• British life in Auckland
• British food, shops and pubs in Auckland
• Nightlife in Auckland
• The emotional move