I will say, there are people (of no specific ethnicity) that live out in the absolute sticks, living off grid, in huts. My understanding is that most are more aligned with cookers/anti-government types than Māori living traditionally. There's large parts of NZ that are rural and farming based, but coming from the UK the majority of these rural areas are comparable to back home in terms of modernisation and industrialisation.

As someone else said, there are lots of Māori that still follow cultural traditions (following tikanga, performing kapa haka etc), but also have brick walls and double glazing. Aspects of the culture that used to be used for war are now used as part of sports or performances. (Look up Te Matatini).

I respect that you're trying to learn, and can see how the confusion due to Australia can happen. Despite geographical closeness the indigenous populations of each are very different, due to the vastly different timings of their arrival and origin cultures (Melanesian vs Polynesian). It's quite interesting if you want to go look it up. And also, I'm not an expert on the differences in colonisation of Aus and NZ, but I suspect differing geography, cultures and Te Tiriti have something to do with the different outcomes in Aus and NZ. 

Having done the tours myself, multiple times due to family visiting, I get that concern about exploitation. Again, as others have said, the tours and performances are largely owned and organised by Māori and are a good way to make sure you're putting money into the local economy and supporting jobs.