Aotearoa, while not an original name for New Zealand, has been popularised and is commonly used as the Māori name for the North, South and Stewart Islands. For this reason, I support the dual name being proposed by the Māori Party, to be an official dual name for New Zealand.
It is important to note that the term New Zealand also includes the more than 600 islands that are a part of the territory of New Zealand. Most, if not all have their own whakapapa and pre colonial Māori name.
This debate also reminds me of the importance that our country is properly educated about the word ‘Aotearoa’ so that in the future, history is not rewritten about the original name of New Zealand; similar to the way post colonisation, the word Māori has become common to describe New Zealand’s Indigenous Peoples.
The South Island already has a legal alternative name “Te Wai Pounamu” https://www.linz.govt.nz/regulatory/place-names/place-name-consultation/7420 and the North Island, Te Ika-a-Māui; Stewart Island/Rakiura has a dual English and Māori name that was formalised through the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act.
Traditional Knowledge/Espistomologies
We have to consider that the early explorers came in multiple voyages, multiple waka and consisted of multiple tribes, many of whom were enemies. Each iwi had thier own creation stories, tikanga and unique dialects. It is incomprehensible that all the voyagers, waka and tribes noticed that there were two islands from their waka and adopted a widespread and common name of Aotearoa for only the two islands and Stewart Island.
Ngāi Tahu
Within Ngāi Tahu, the many stories of the South Island never mention Aotearoa, and some oral histories speak of the word Aotearoa being a term for New Zealand that was used by some iwi in the North Island and introduced to the South Island after colonisation.
As early as 1905, the term “Niu Tireni” was used for “New Zealand” in Ngāi Tahu at Arowhenua marae, and still to this day the words “Te Hapa o Niu Tireni” are on the wharenui.
There are a number of traditional names given to the South Island including “Te Wa(h)i Pounemu/Pounamu, Te Waka o Aoraki, Te Waka a Māui, and according to LINZ, a number of other names have been recorded over the years:
- Te Tumuki – the oldest recorded name;
- Te Arapaoa;
- Tovypoenammu – Cook’s spelling of Te Waipounamu;
- Tau Ihu o te Waka.
Naming groups of islands with one name in the Pacific was practiced, but I do not believe multiple voyagers sailed around the entire islands of New Zealand and only called the two big islands the one name. At least within Ngāi Tahu, there was not one name for the two main islands, and all of the smaler islands within the Ngāi Tahu district had individual names.
Written records
Historically our country’s first legal instrument with the British, signed by 34 northern chiefs on 28 October 1835, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni uses a transliteration of of the word New Zealand – Nu Tireni and not Aotearoa.
In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti was singed by Māori chiefs from all around the country using the Māori word “Nu Tirani” for New Zealand in the Māori text.
In 1862, befire the Pākehā invaded Waikato, the Kingitanga newspaper “Te Hokioi” used the term ‘”Nui-Tireni” for New Zealand in both the body of the text and in the papers various names “Te Hokioi o Nui-Tireni, e rere atuna; Hokioi e rere atu na; Hokioi o Nui-Tireni, e rere atu na.
Conclusion
Other reasons I support the dual name in addition to the other official names is that in the Māori version of our national anthem, the word Aotearoa is used for New Zealand, there are 42 New Zealand Government departments and agencies with dual Māori names who use Aotearoa translated for New Zealand and many government documents including passports use the word Aotearoa for New Zealand.
LINZ have also researched this topic and consulted Māori and have a list of numerous other names for the two islands, which reinforces traditional Māori knowledge from at leasty my own marae and Iwi.
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