Kiwi wizard headcanons
Maori wizards – earth and nature attuned wizards and witches. Maori have such a deep spiritual connection to the land, magicals even more so.
Greenstone – used as anchors for wards. Wardstones made out of this act as a connector to the earth. Rather than a traditional wardstone (which is a repository of magical energy), the pounamu wardstone does not store magical energy but rather acts as a shunt, drawing power from the earth and through it to the wards. Making wards of this type very resilient and power efficient. Say 1/5 the power requirements for a traditional ward schema. Making Academy ward crafters highly sought after the world over.
Rugby – us Kiwis have an almost fanatical devotion to the national team (the all blacks) that the power generated from a home game would be immense. Going to see as game as a magical, you would be able to feel it. It would knock the socks off anyone not prepared for it.
Quidditch – the team name would be some variant of all blacks (all whites, tall blacks, black sticks etc) and would be known for the … unique approach to the game. They would be highly trained and highly successful, able to give the top teams a run for their money. That's just the by-product of being a sports mad nation – all sportsmen and women from NZ have that drive to be the best, the Quidditch tam is no different.
Academy classes – the core subjects (transfig, potions, charms, astronomy – with a twist as we have dark sky areas, field trips for astronomy hell yah –dark arts (not DADA an actual dark arts course) and herbology.), emphasis on herbology and care of magical creatures, as many native magical creatures (the kiwi?). Electives. COMC, runes, spell crafting, ward crafting (at 6/7 years), traditional magic(maori based course – heavy on the spiritual and earth magic), divination, but no like it is is in canon – actual divination, learning how to speak to spirits for information, that kind of thing. &7 years of study mandatory, with an option for post graduate study for mastery in any subject offered or apprenticeship under one of the professors by arrangement for top students.
Possible story ideas – Neville (either on sabbatical from Hogwats, or finishing seventh year here) wanting to escape the horrors of the War, decides to finish his education in the most remote place he can find. Loves the herbology course, stays on to achieve his mastery (or gain one) Makes new friends who take him to his first all blacks match where he almost keels over from the power. Possible brings luna along – magical naturalist and COMC are her forte.)
The notion that the magical and non magical communities in NZ are more intertwined than they are elsewhere. The Academy is hidden, to protect its students from other magicals, but the non magical populous is aware of the magical community and they coexist quite peacefully. We just celebrated the first public marriage of a magical to a mundane. One of the first places that all magical creatures of equal or above human intelligence have true equality. They have all the rights of humans. Hence the emphasis on COMC and herbology.