New Zealand settlers from Europe would eventually give rise to the ancestors of Ryan Weir, born in Invercargill, New Zealand in the last years of the 20th century. The immigration of Europeans changed drastically the Maori culture and way of life. Foreign disease, social disruption and conflicts over land resulted in devastating losses to Maori populations, which did not begin to recover until the later years of the 20th century, when a significant advocacy movement emerged on behalf of the Maori. A revival in both population and culture has lent the Maori ethnicity the hope that significant economic and social obstacles faced by many Maori may be alleviated by closing the education and economic gap between them and other New Zealanders. The historical grievances expressed by the Maori and their advocates are undergoing review for political redress as well.
With the distinction of having been born in the southernmost city in the world, Ryan Weir began his life in Invercargill, New Zealand, nestled in the Southland Plains where the fertility and abundance of farmland defines the lives of New Zealanders and Maori alike. Invercargill is bordered on the southern side by the shore of the New River Estuary and on the north by the banks of the Waihopai River. To the city’s west is the Oreti Beach, stretching from the Sandy Point to Riverton, and Invercargill enjoys the nearness of Dunedin, Riverton, Fiordland National Park and Gore and the old settlement of Bluff on the Southern Scenic Route for tourists.
