- New Zealand and the UAE talk with pride and self-satisfaction about more than 200 ethnic groups and nationalities among their native citizens.
- Both are linked through culture as Emirati Bedouin and Māori culture share some areas of connection, encompassing a similar traditional salutation – the Bedouin mukhashamah looks much like the hongi, and articulates similar values of harmony and trust among individuals. New Zealand and UAE are both fishing nation-states.
- In spite of the typecast of a desert culture of the UAE, fishing has been essential to Emirati nation for 1000s of years and plays a significant part in the contemporary UAE economy.
