The Maori make up around 15% of New Zealand's population. Indigenous Australians only make up about 3% of Australia's population.

Besides this, a commonly cited reason is the Treaty of Waitangi from 1840. In New Zealand, the British Crown had a treaty with the Maori people that legally established the rights of Maori people. There was no Australian equivalent to this, and this was one of the reasons New Zealand did not join Australia during Australia's federation. So a culture of respect for the Maori people exists in the early history of New Zealand.

Also notable is the lack of pan-Aboriginal identity in Australia compared to New Zealand. Largely due to geographical proximity, indigenous Australians have far less in common with each other than the Maori do in terms of cultural practices. Indigenous Australians had hundreds of languages prior to European settlement, while the Maori had 1, for example.