Maori society changed in three ways as a result of cultural contact with Europeans. Their religion changed, their technology changed, and last of all, their culture changed.
First of all, Maori religion changed. It changed from a religion of many gods to a religion of a single god. The missionaries at the time in New Zealand were largely responsible this change from pagan worship to Christianity. At first, Maori were still focused mostly on their own gods, but eventually they lost faith in their original gods as they saw that the gods could not bring defense to European diseases and did not bring victory in battle. Maori saw that converting to Christianity was the only way to restore balance in their religious system.
After that, Maori technology experienced huge changes. Due to trade, Maori learned about various tools and skills. Some of their old forms of technology were abandoned in place of the new, better European technology.
Māori statue in Rotorua, New Zealand
Maori students from The New Zealand Maori Arts & C...
Detail of front of Tamatekapua, a wharenui (Meetin...For example, with the arrival of guns and armour, many traditional weapons such as meres were discarded because they were deemed useless. Maori also learnt new skills in place of old ones. Maori changed their way of doing many things, for example, building a house or boat, due to the changes in their social and technological environment.
Most importantly, Maori culture changed. Some practices, such as cannibalism, polygamy and slavery stopped, while others, like tapu went into decline. Eventually, such practices, too, died out. Other aspects of changes in Maori culture included shifting their tribal area. This was mainly caused by wars started when Europeans introduced muskets to New Zealand. As well as being forced to move, Maori died of European brought diseases because they did not have immunity.
In conclusion, Maori society changed largely as a result of Pakeha contact. Their religion,