As a Kiwi I remember all sorts of shenanigans like the crater of Mt. Eden being considered Tapu and not to be tread upon but that didn't seem to stop all the cuzzies from going down there and drinking boxes of Cody's and leaving the cans everywhere.

Or not seeing many Maori in language classes cause they weren't interested but I was required to attend (opt out, but I wanted to learn a bit of Maori).

Respect is earned and I think active and friendly participation in their own culture would help foster the partnership you talk about. But growing up most of what I saw was selective participation.