It’s time for a new name for our country
Replying to Alan Pollock’s recent letter (January 28), I agree with Gareth Morgan when he suggests we change our name from New Zealand to Aotearoa.
Our country was originally named Staten Land by Abel Tasman, then changed to Nieuw Zeeland, after a Dutch province.
Dutch cartographers later amended it to become Nova Zeelandia. Captain James Cook then anglicised the name so it became New Zealand.
We ended up being stuck with a meaningless name that has no relevance or connection whatsoever to our origins, land, people and location.
‘‘He ao, he aotea, he aotearoa (It is a cloud, it is a white cloud, it is a long white cloud).’’ These words may well have been spoken by our first Maori settlers, or may be based on myth and legend.
Either way, I can imagine Maori sailing their double-hulled waka and, on sighting our land for the first time, saying these or similar words.
It is time to change the name, and I for one would be proud to see the elegant Maori name Aotearoa used in future – the sooner the better.
PETER TAYLOR Paraparaumu [abridged] theatre audience behaviour must also surely apply to concertgoers (February 2).
I have spent a lifetime dealing with ignorant concert and operagoers throughout Britain and Europe plus the US, New Zealand and Australia.
The coughers are some of the worst offenders, in that they have an uncanny way of choosing a quiet passage to make their explosive interruptions.
Chatterers come next, and when spoken to at a suitable interval, I ask if whatever it was couldn’t have waited. A blank look ensues.
The great Spike Milligan had several ways of dealing with irritating audience members.
Should anyone arrive late and struggle to their seat, he would stop his performance and apologise to the audience for the latecomer(s) – and, for their benefit, start all over again.
My own technique is to say, ‘‘Oh, do shut up!’’ in terse tones.
The secret is that when hearing such people, go for the jugular and strike first, as you know that once they start, it will continue.
Thank you for the excellent article.
LESLIE AUSTIN Featherston [abridged]