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
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maori | Aotearoa | long white cloud; North Island; New Zealand; long... |
| 2 | Maori | ao | daytime; world; cloud |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | qao | cloud |