Where does “Aotearoa” come from?

Aotearoa (Hawaiian) comes from Maori Aotearoa, from Maori ao, from Proto-Polynesian qao — cloud.

Ancestry of “Aotearoa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1MaoriAotearoalong white cloud; North Island; New Zealand; long...
2Maoriaodaytime; world; cloud
3Proto-Polynesianqaocloud
Every word from Proto-Polynesian qao →Every word from Maori ao →Every word from Maori Aotearoa →