The new Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, says being Maori will not define how he does the job.
Sir Jerry, who was born, raised and educated in Whanganui and is affiliated to the river iwi, was sworn in at a ceremony at Parliament on Wednesday.
He says being Maori will provide the foundation from which he will operate and tangata whenua make it special for everyone to live in Aotearoa.
Sir Jerry says there are some unique things about being in New Zealand, and being a New Zealander, that come out of Maori heritage.
He says "tikanga, being Maori, te reo, and all of those words, are given parts of the nation's vocabulary".
