NEW ZEALAND’S Name

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 531, 7 December 1928, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND’S Name

WRITTEN FORM OF AOTEAROA RULINg Inquiries to The Su „ co the correct written form of the* Aotearoa were referred to Mr don Best, the foremost authority Maori lore aud history. Mr Best, writing from the Tv bull Library, Wellington, says/ "Aotearoa is, of course, three words, but I fail to see ti°-Ao-tea-roa is necessary. w e c)o ‘ up our own place names—Welling* ! must have originally been a t/ word Place name. Greytown, j 0 l sonville, etc. If hyphenated at / then Aotea-roa should be suffid en .' “We see in tradition that the W was named Aotea when discovered Z the Polynesians, but Great Barri Island was also named Aotea, atliis was probably the reason why”! mainland name was given the lens;! ened form of Aotearoa, cr ‘extensiv Aotea.’ “I prefer the closed torm Aotearoa —we have a multitude of precedents As the Maori possessed no form 0 < script he can give us no authority tive ruling. Better keep to pak/a usage, or some stickler may demacf Grey-town or Grey-Town.”