<human>:  How many years did the Maori people live in New Zealand before the Europeans arrived?
<bot>: The Maori people have been in New Zealand for about 1000 years. The first settlers were the Polynesian people who came from the east and west coasts of South America. They settled on the islands of Tonga, Samoa, and New Zealand. The Maori people are descendants of the Polynesian people, but they have their own unique culture.