Here I discuss various terms for non-Māori in Aotearoa, while mentioning some issues arising from their interpretations.

Pākehā

The Māori Dictionary defines “Pākehā” as a “New Zealander of European descent – probably originally applied to English-speaking Europeans living in Aotearoa/New Zealand” (Moorfield, n.d.a). While Europeans and their descendants are specified here, it is sometimes used to refer to all who are not tangata whenua. However, as Rawiri Taonui points out, this practice is “reversing, as new ethnic groups assert stronger identities” (2019).

The origins of the term “Pākehā” are uncertain. According to Mohi Tūrei, it comes from “pakepakehā”, the Māori interpretation of part of a chant “used in a very early visit by foreign sailors for raising their anchor” (1911, as cited in Moorfield, n.d.a). Meanwhile, Hoani Nahe claimed that it “is derived from Pakehakeha [sic], the apparition gods of the deep sea”, due to the colonisers’ pale forms and imposing ships (Nahe and Smith, 1894, p. 236).

Many Pākehā have taken offence to the label, complaining that it is a derogatory term referring to, among other things, fleas or pigs (Marcetic, 2018). Despite countless assurances that the term does not have negative connotations, opposition to its use persists – so much so that “Pākehā” made it onto a list of words banned from use in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2 (Maxwell, 2018).

As a Pākehā, I embrace the label. I think it describes my identity better than “New Zealander” (too broad) or “European” (I do not feel connected to Europe). Although support for the term appears to be growing, it seems that whether eligible people choose to refer to themselves as “Pākehā” can still serve as a marker of their political leanings.

Tauiwi

Aotearoa is much more diverse than it was a century ago, and “tauiwi” captures this diversity in a more inclusive way than “Pākehā”. “Tauiwi” at its most extreme can refer to foreigners, strangers and aliens, however it is generally used for “All New Zealanders who are not of Māori descent”, while “Pākehā” only includes “European settlers and their descendants” (Moorfield, n.d.b, Huygens, 2016, p. 156).

While less common than “Pākehā”, “tauiwi” has not escaped controversy. When the Auckland College of Education categorised graduating students as either “Maori [sic], Pacifica [sic], or tauiwi”, then-National MP Murray McCully complained that the label treated “sons and daughters of decent, law abiding ... non-Maori [sic] New Zealanders” as “strangers in the land of their birth” (Bingham, 2004). Principal Dr John Langley replied that “The word was not used in its meaning of stranger … It means a person whose ancestry is from another land. The term pakeha [sic] could equally be used but it was seen to be, I believe, a more formal term” (Bingham, 2004).

Tangata moana

“Tangata moana” is an interesting term as it could be applied not only to Pasifika people, but to Māori and even to Pākehā, if we take the “Pākehakeha” backstory. However, as shown by the title of Te Papa’s exhibition “Tangata o le Moana: The Story of the Pacific People in New Zealand”, it is generally used to refer to Pasifika people.

But if Aotearoa is in the Pacific, does that not mean that Māori are “Pacific People”? Alice Te Punga Somerville affirms that “Māori are indeed ‘tangata o le moana,’ but not within the historical scope of the New Zealand nation-state and its activities” (2012, p. 93). Once Māori settled in Aotearoa they became tangata whenua, and any Pasifika people arriving afterwards would be their manuhiri (Te Punga Somerville, 2012).

This distinction is not without controversy either. When Te Papa was looking for an iconic image to serve as the “front page” of the aforementioned exhibition, they thought they had found the perfect representation of a happy Pasifika New Zealander in the not-yet-identified Daniel Maaka; however once it was discovered that he was actually Māori, Te Papa resorted to replicating the photo with a “real” Pasifika person (Te Punga Somerville, 2012). This generated plenty of debate and required Te Papa to explain their actions (Te Punga Somerville, 2012).

Tangata tiriti

While “tangata tiriti” seems to apply to the same people that the other terms do – non-Māori New Zealanders – the difference is that the latter are simply “passive identit[ies]”, while “tangata tiriti” is “about active citizenship”, according to 1News Political Producer Lillian Hanly (Dewes, 2022). It captures not just the relationship that non-Māori New Zealanders have with tangata whenua, but also the ongoing responsibility they have “to uphold the promise of tino rangatiratanga enshrined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi” (Dewes, 2022).

Conclusion

“Pākehā”, “tauiwi”, “tangata moana” and “tangata tiriti” are terms for non-Māori in Aotearoa. Sometimes their use sparks controversy, however I am apt to believe that they are not inherently problematic, and that it is how some people choose to interpret them that can be problematic.

References