MAORILAND OR NEW ZEALAND?
(To the Editor.) Sir,—We have altered tho designation of our country from "colony" to "Dominion," and the status of the King's representative from Governor to Gover-nor-General. Also ninny of our districts, mountains, and glaciers are losing their Hun nnsies for more appropriate Maori ones, autl the time therefore seems opportune for altering the nnme of our glorious little country itsolf from the ugly and foreign-eounding New Zealand tu tho euphonious and poetical one of "Maoriland (pronounced "MahonInnd," not "Mowriland"). It is well known that Sir James Carroll is etrongly iu favour of the ohange, and cur writers and journalists havo already familiarised our own people as well as the world at large with the prettier find more appropriate name trough tho medium of song and story and newspaper article. The peoples of the British Empire have never hnd much cause , to love tho Dutch, least of all in these days when, while the Allies are fighting as much for her as any other nation, Holland preserves a most benevolent neutrality towards our common foe, and eurreptltiously renders him all the help possible 'even, it is said, to the extent of supplying sufficient foodstuffs to keep one million Hun soldiers in the field, i think it is safe to say that our bpya at the front would heartily welcome the change. ' , , Nor need we havo any qualms about dropping the name because it wag bestowed on these islands by the redoubtnblo Abel Tasman; for as a matter of fact he named the country "Statenland, after the Dutch Parliament, and that august body, declining the honour, altered it to New. Zealand. In any case that loresick worthy's name and achievements are already well commemorated in such names as Tasmania, Tasrnan Sea, Mount Tasman, Tasman Glacier, fnsnian Bay, etc.,-while it is open to doubt whether he was even the first European, to visit these shores. There is ft tradition that the Portuguese wore here at a much earlier date. Certain it 19 that Tasman formed a very bad opinion of thn country and its inhabitants, f.nd sailed away never to return without ever having set his foot ashore. Ihe honour of first landing and making the acquaintance of tho Natives was reserved for Captain James Cook, 120 yeara later, when the islands, wnro o.rcumand charted and observations made upon the character of the country and its inhabitants. During his first visit, lasting six months, pigs and poultry were presented to the Maoris, to whom he subsequently paid two more visits. Outshining l>c>tc Tasman and Cook in during and enterprise were the original Maori discoverers of these islands, who, leaving their beloved Hawiuki, faced tho dangors ir.d hardships of a long ocean voyage in *b«r frail canoes, and made them theirs by the double right of discovery and conquest. I believe that during the present war the Maoris have sent a larger proportion of their young men into the trine line than any other coloured race within the Empire, and it would be paying them a well-deserved compliment to call tho country of w.hich they wore only Tecenlly the. sole owners by the name which I feel sure they would prefer beforo all others. As a descendant of some of the earliest pioneers, I hnve person•illv always preferred the sweet-sounding "Maoriland" to tho outlandish New Zealand, and I have also noticed that tho boys in France, whose hearts have no doubt been made fonder by absence, rarely say New Zealand, but prefer to speak of "home" or else just use the initials N.Z., as, for instance, dear old N Z " "when we get back to N.Z./ etc. It is admitted in these days, in epite ot our commercialism, that there is a great deal in a name, and I have no doubt that there are thousands of good Maorilanders who, like myself, have a great love for our grand little country, but ■who find it impossible to lovo its foreign name.- 1 -! am, etc., „
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 32, 1 November 1917, Page 5
Word Count
664MAORILAND OR NEW ZEALAND? Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 32, 1 November 1917, Page 5
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