How do the Maori refer to themselves, their language, and their country?
A16. The Maori call their language either te reo Maori (the Maori language) or simply Maori . The word Maori means common or ordinary. It is said that last century when foreigners asked Maori who they were they replied tangata maori which means ordinary people. The word Maori is now used to refer to both the Maori people and their language. There is no single word in Maori for a Maori speaking person or a non-Maori speaking person. Before European colonization Maori used several different words for the main islands of New Zealand. One word for the North Island is Aotearoa. The Treaty of Waitangi used the borrowing Nu Tirani for New Zealand, however this rarely heard in modern Maori. In recent times Aotearoa is generally used to refer to the whole of New Zealand. Some people in New Zealand would like the name New Zealand to be changed to Aotearoa. The terms Aotearoa/New Zealand and New Zealand/Aotearoa are sometimes used in New Zealand writing.
