|
For other uses, see Aotearoa (disambiguation) Aotearoa (pronounced: ) is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand.
Translation The original derivation of Aotearoa is not known for certain. Ao = cloud, tea = white and roa = long, and it is accordingly most often translated as "The land of the long white cloud". According to oral tradition, the daughter of explorer Kupe saw white on the horizon and called "He ao! He ao!" ("a cloud! a cloud!"). The first land sighted was accordingly named Aotea (White Cloud) and is now commonly known as Great Barrier Island. When a much larger landmass was found beyond Aotea, it was called Aotea-roa (Long Aotea). Thus Aotearoa is a traditional name only of the North Island, though it now commonly refers to the whole country. Popular explanations There are several explanations of the origin of the word Aotearoa, of varying plausibility: In Māori It is almost certain that the use of Aotearoa to refer to the whole of New Zealand is a post-colonial usage. In pre-colonial times, Māori did not have a commonly-used name for the whole New Zealand archipelago. Until the 20th century, it was common for Aotearoa to be used to refer to the North Island only. As an example from the late 19th century, the first issue of Huia Tangata Kotahi, a Māori language newspaper, dated 8 February 1893, contains the dedication on page 1: 'He perehi tenei mo nga iwi Māori, katoa, o Aotearoa, mete Waipounamu' (This is a publication for the all Māori tribes of Aotearoa and the South Island) where 'Aotearoa' can only mean the North Island. Another well-known and presumably widely used name for the North Island is Te Ika a Māui (The fish of Māui). The South Island was called Te Wai Pounamu (The waters of greenstone) or Te Wāhi Pounamu (The place of greenstone). After the adoption of the name New Zealand by Europeans, the name used by Māori to denote the country as a whole was Niu Tireni, a transliteration of New Zealand. This name is now rarely used as Māori no longer favour the use of transliterations from English. Nonetheless, it has been suggested that the use of Aotearoa to mean 'New Zealand' was initiated by Pākehā (non-Māori). Historians (e.g. Michael King) have theorised that it originated from mistakes in the February 1916 School Journal and was thus propagated in a similar manner to the myths surrounding the Moriori. Nonetheless Aotearoa is now the term used by Māori. In English The name Aotearoa is used as an alternative name for New Zealand both by Māori and non-Māori. Although it has not gained official recognition as an alternative name for the country, it is becoming increasingly widespread in the names of national organisations, which are now bilingual, such as the National Library / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. Since the 1990s it has been the custom to sing New Zealand's national anthem God Defend New Zealand* in both Māori and English, which has exposed the term Aotearoa to a wider audience. Popular culture Notes | ||||||||
|
| |||||||||
 |
|
| |