Opinion by Tony Orman
Watching the Olympics and seeing New Zealand with just 5 million people competing and winning medals, must have made any good Kiwi-blooded person proud to be a Kiwi. The sports commentators, especially in the rowing, in athletic events like the triathalon frequently referred to Kiwis — gold medallists women’s golfer Lydia Ko (incidentally born in Korea) and amazing rower Emma Twigg, kayaker Lisa Carrington were called Kiwis, not New Zealanders.
Yet strangely I noticed the name “Aotearoa” appearing alongside “New Zealand” on athlete’s singlets. But no commentator called them Aotearoans. (What a mouthful of a word anyhow.)
In any case, how many would have known where an Aotearoan came from, or for that matter where the mystical Aotearoa country was.
Where did “Aotearoa” come from?
Over the last few years it has been seized upon by Te Pāti Māori (TPM, the Maori Party) to brandish as the name to usurp New Zealand. Stealthily the name “Aotearoa” has been inserted here and there. Former Prime Minister John Key, bless his sly little smirk, sneakily introduced “Aotearoa” to our bank notes and on our passports.
He didn’t ask me, and I presume you neither. He did ask us by way of a referendum about a new flag for New Zealand, but he didn’t get his way on that; so perhaps he was smarting over the rejection of that great idea and thought he’d spitefully do something behind our backs?
In April 2010, he quietly sent Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples to New York to sign up to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, asserting that those with some Maori ancestry were ‘indigenous.’ The move and signing seemed very pussy-footed, even spookily clandestine. A conspiracy!
Then Labour leader Phil Goff protested that the declarations were signed in secrecy and that Dr Sharples had been “sneaked” off to New York.
“New Zealanders should have been told first that this was the intention of the government, they should not have been told afterwards,” said Goff.
The then ACT leader Rodney Hide was “shocked and appalled.”
Had Key done his homework on the name “Aotearoa”?” After all, it’s a bit obscure exactly where it came from.
Eminent historian the late Michael King said pre-European Māori had no name for New Zealand as a whole. Polynesian ancestors came from individual islands, he said, and they named islands. So the North Island was widely known as Te Ika a Māui, although he conceded some did call it Aotea or Aotearoa. But not the whole country.
Perhaps the culprit is New Zealand historian-politician William Pember Reeves who in 1898 published a book The Long White Cloud: Aotearoa and thus sent the country into an identity complex crisis?
So “Aotearoa” as a name for the whole country was really created by a European colonist. Surely Rawiri Wikuki Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori shouldn’t want such?
Harking back to the Olympics and the commentator enthusiam about compatriot medal winners. There’s another alternative to the name the commentators used, one that’s immediately recognisable internationally and has a sense of justice in stopping the childish squabbling over a name.
Yes, sports commentators’ frequent references to “Kiwi” give rise to another option — Kiwiland.
In essence, Kiwiland significantly melds the cultures Maori (”kiwi”) and European (land) — reflecting the egalitarian ethos (all people are equal) that the 19th century pioneer settlers gifted on the new colony.
Overseas ”Kiwi” obviously gives instant recognition whereas “Aotearoa” overseas leaves many bemused or confused.
For example, Labour politician Willie Jackson has a name that is fully European in origin. He should be delighted with Kiwiland which reflects both his 20% Polynesian (Maori) and 80% mixed ancestry which I gather includes Pakistani.
Why, Tipene O’Regan will know his one 1/16th Maori side will be recognised in the name as will his 15/16ths Irish and other European bloodlines. And Rawiri and Debbie should be happy too.
Yes Kiwiland is much more logical, a touch of Maori and a touch of European reflecting the harmonious blending of two cultures.
And we might even have a referendum on a flag with a Kiwi on it instantly recognisable and invoking pride in “C’mon Kiwi” on the sporting fields.
Footnote: Tony Orman is a retired journalist and author and a proud Kiwi.
As has been noted in several previous posts, the Maori name for the country used in the Treaty of Waitangi of 1840 was Nu Tirani, a transliteration of New Zealand. It made no mention of “Aotearoa”. —Eds
Good article — and a great idea Tony.
But it won’t happen, because activist Maori are totally commited to everything MAORI.
And Politicians haven’t got the back-bone to stand up to them.
Not to mention the fact that all the naive WOKE folk are caught up in the Maorififcation of our country.
And by the time those fools wake up to where it’s all leading, it’ll be too late.
Step by step, we are destined to Tribal rule.
Professor Elizabeth Rata, from Auckland University has warned, quote: “The final step for Maori in the defeat of democracy will be tribal sovereignty — a coup d’état.”
I wonder if many people are even aware of the origin of our nation’s name.
Abel Tasman called it Staten Land in 1642.
A Dutch cartographer renamed it Nova Zeelandia a while later.
James Cook anglicized it to New Zealand in1769 and it has been called New Zealand ever since.
Now, a minority of politically influential people want to “rebrand” our nation and call it Aotearoa and have being doing this by stealth and without the agreement or consent of the citizens.
Rebranding and be an advantage for an enterprise that has poor reputation but is also has significant costs and the risk of alienating supporters.
New Zealand has an excellent global reputation that would not be enhanced by rebranding. In fact, it is more likely to confuse people.
The actual origin of “Aotearoa” is not known. It is a combination of Maori words AO (world) and TEA (bright). There is no evidence that our nation was ever officially or generally called Aotearoa.
There was definitely never a nation called Aotearoa because the pre-European residents were members of many (over 500) tribal groups that had no concept of a nation state.
The proposal to rename New Zealand and call our nation Aotearoa seems to be based on the mistaken opinion that there was a Maori nation state (instead of a primitive tribal culture) called Aotearoa before Europeans arrived.
This is totally invalid and unsupported by any objective evidence.
Why should we agree to change the name of our nation to please a minority of people that are misinformed about the past?
As with the issue of changing our flag, changing the name of our nation requires open discussion, debate and a referendum that the minority forcing this change on the rest of us do not want to allow.
We should be asking our representatives in the current government to prohibit this renaming of our nation pending a referendum in 2026 that asks a simple question.
Should the name of our nation be?
1. New Zealand.
or
2. Aotearoa.
William Chambers is probably right, but hey! Kiwiland has a good sound and isn’t kiwi a Maori” term?
I get bemused by this term Maori. They are no pure blooded Maoris. Face it, we are all mongrels or perhaps better termed hybrids.
Is Aotearoa mentioned anywhere in the Treat of Waitangi
Most people overseas no more about Kiwis than that other funny name that’s something like Aotearoa. Always New Zealand to me.
In answer to the question – No.
Admittedly the word Kiwi is well known – in places like Turkey, you will often get the response “ah, Kiwi!” (though mostly from people in the trade trained up by other tourists). Whether we want formalise the association with a flightless bird is another matter.
Zealand – land of the sea – IS a good name, much better than the rather gloomy “land of the long white cloud”. It’s rather a shame the British didn’t change it to New Sealand to make it linguistically consistent and the meaning clear, however we shouldn’t tinker with the brand now.
Of course as standards continue to plummet, and we progress towards tribalism, and look more and more like a Pacific third world island country, Aotearoa will seem appropriate.
The land of the long white mushroom cloud? Destroyed by tribalism.
The Dutch got it right with New Land from the Sea ? Maori also with The Land of the Long White Cloud ! only when translated it sounds slightly odd ? as being an Aoteroan ( with the “N” on the end ) , is like something out of Star Trek ! I’d rather stick with New Zealander .
What a brilliant idea! Even my Aussie mates call it Kiwiland. While we are at it, the number of Kiwi olympians draping big fern flags over their shoulders looked distinctive. No union jack to confuse the rest of the world. We are slowly becoming more clearly recognised. I like it.
John Keys antics were despicable. Im embarrassed that i voted for him.
The only pre-moldie person who used a name for NZ anywhere similar to this one was Turi’s wife, when Turi had gone back up to Raratonga
to bring more of his country people down to NZ.( his 2nd or 3rd trip) As they were coming
down the west coast of the Nth Island she saw the first signs of land & exclaimed to Ture ” Ah Turi– Aotea ” meaning the range of high country
adjacent to 90mile/Dargaville area. NOT “aotea-bloody-roa”!!!!!!!!