Before this woke crusade is allowed to go too far, people need to be enlightened as to all aspects of a name change … especially considering what is at stake, i.e. the financial cost as regards our hard-earned Internationally recognised "NZ" marketing brand.
There should also be consideration for our soldiers who died fighting in two World Wars ... 30,000 of whom are interred in overseas countries, where their gravestones are proudly inscribed with the name of their homeland as being "New Zealand".
Of course, to counter these aspects, it will be argued that the New Zealand name will always remain combined with Aotearoa. Rubbish. We already see and hear numerous examples of where it is not.
Of real significance concerning this whole matter is that despite what has been our country’s name under various spellings since 1643 (which is quite a stretch of history) the desire to now change it to Aotearoa is based solely on the belief that it’s the original Māori name. But the truth is, Māori had no name for the country as a whole. The North Island was Te Ika ā Māui and the South Island Te Waka ā Māui.
It is said that the word Aotearoa described white cloud. And “Aotea” was used by some to name the North Island. Although, the area now known as the King Country was referred to as Aotearoa during the 1870’s.
In 1890 the author, William Reeves popularized the usage of "Aotearoa" to describe the entirety of New Zealand through romanticized literary narratives rather than traditional precedent.
The first Māori dictionary, published in 1844, had no entry for Aotearoa. And the Te Reo Treaty of Waitangi signed in 1840 makes no mention of it.
In 1835 when chiefs were establishing the Declaration of Independence (which failed due to intertribal fighting) they didn’t know what name to give their country, so called it Nu Tireni which expressed their pronunciation of the English wording for “New Zealand”.
This not only proves that Aotearoa was never the traditionally accepted name, but also that Maori were happy with the name New Zealand. So much so, they made up Te Reo words to match it.
Kerry Butler is rated an amateur historian who specialises in exposing the truth to prevent losing control of our country.
9 comments:
Interesting
If 'New Zealand' is such a problem, we could always return to Staten Landt, which is what Tasman called. Trouble is, he thought there was a land connection to Staten Island in Argentina. But who knows, the Maoris, expert navigators that they were, might have discovered that and can now lay a claim to part of Argentina at the WT. Brace yourself, Javier Milei!
Yeah, I know, I'm being stupid and childish here...... in keeping with this whole name 'debate'.
The move should be stamped out once and for all.
So many in media and business now use Aotearoa by itself. Reading between the lines,balways accompanied by a certain smugness.
Yet these same people always, without exception, call us New Zealanders. I am looking forward to the first brave soul to call us Aotearoaers. Or perhaps Aotearoians.
Given what is at stake, it is an incredibly stupid move to change the name of our country but, if it's to be done, it must be by way of a public referendum. Meantime, anyone using Aotearoa, or it combined with New Zealand, is just woke (imho) and signals their leaning to stupidity and/or acceptance of co-governance - just as does wearing the pounamu or bone on a lanyard that has become so popular. But isn't it strange how these bods lap up a term that only gained its promotion from its use by a coloniser? If they so want to bow to and honour the Treaty, they should use Nu Tirani. Of course, many that 'push that barrow' haven't read, much less understood the thing.
The more the white ants eat away at every aspect of NZ, the more established the "A" word becomes the normal.
Who the hell approved it for NZ passports ?
Does anyone know ?
Was it an anonymous Wellington official who was intimidated by a Labour / Green / TPM type ?
It is useful as it identifies a user as being woke and left.
"....to push a name change for our country to “Aotearoa”...."
No. Just no. Once upon a time, I wouldn't have particularly objected to the double-barrelled NZ/Aotearoa. But I've changed my mind.
In the first instance, we've seen what happened to the name of Mt Egmont: it's disappeared altogether. And "NZ" would similarly disappear. We have reverted to using "Mt Egmont".
Secondly, the Maori language has been weaponised in recent times. I am now resistant to any attempts to change this country's name. If activists and others want to use "Aotearoa", they can go ahead and knock themselves out. Just don't expect the rest of us to do it. Nor should official documents change.
The Southern and Northern Cochlear Implant Programmes recently joined together to form "The Aotearoa Cochlear Implant Programme."
The left want to delete any mention of New Zealand and delete the proud history of our country at the same time. We don't live in Aotearoa and there was never a country called Aotearoa.
No.
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