World Indigenous
Peoples' Conference
on Education 2005

 

Aotearoa by olwen

The islands of Aotearoa
Are miles to the south of Samoa.
Not heard of this free land?
You might say "New Zeeland";
Explored by James Cook, not Balboa.

(a-o-te-a-ro-a) -- all syllables should properly be equally stressed.
Aotearoa is the recognized Maori name for New Zealand, and is sometimes used either by itself or in conjunction with "New Zealand".
New Zealand was named after Zeeland by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who was the first European to visit. (Tasman did not land and did not explore thoroughly.)

I
n November 2005, Ehulani Stephany attended the World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education (WIPCE), in New Zealand. Here is her report:


My trip to Aotearoa (New Zealand) was fabulous, something that I will remember for the rest of my life. There were 25 of us that traveled together from Hawai'i Community College, representing the Hawai'ian Life-style program. This trip was for the WIPCE (World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education). There were two thousand people from all over the world that attended this special event, and seven hundred were from the Hawai'ian Islands. The opening event was spectacular, with hundreds of Maori men in their war canoes paddling down the river, followed by protocol.

The workshops at the WIPCE were outstanding; there were people of different cultures offering very informative materials of their culture. There were many sharing performances for everyone to enjoy in the main tent daily. We had the honor to be one of the participants in the closing event at the stadium in Hamilton. Our group stayed at three different Maraes, which are Maori culture villages. The people treated us with so much warmth, care, and respect. They truly believe that we are their cousins that have finally come home. We were fed wonderful food everywhere we visited, which was made with a lot of love.

I would like to return to Aotearoa for their grand opening of a new Marae in the town of Waihi, which is next to Lake Taupo, the largest lake in the world to have been formed by a volcanic eruption; this event is planned for November 2006.


Aotearoa by Chris Doyle

The kiwi and tui (not moa)
Enjoy eating tasty feijoa.
The birds here are grand
In New Zealand, this land
That the Maori call Aotearoa.

Aotearoa (OW-tay-uh-ROH-uh) means "the land of the long white cloud." Although it's a Maori word, it's seen throughout New Zealand on signs and memorabilia. The kiwi and tui (TOO-ee) are birds native to the country, as was the moa, now extinct. The feijoa (fay-JOH-uh) is the edible fruit of a shrub grown commercially in the country, after being brought over from South America.


Ehulani Stephany lives and teaches hula in the district of Puna, on the island of Hawaii. She can be contacted at .