You old romantic, though what this has to do with Samoan and Tokolauen clocks ...
Very doubtful that the Maoris had a name for the whole place and, then again, which Maoris? What about the Moriori? Also, what the hell is Ragnorok? Some other fanciful takeover of a Europeanised Maori word from one of the old dialects or, as it sounds, some kind of adoption of fantastical Norse?
Or are you just one of those Pakehas keen to hold the "Maori" back in their pre-European state, untainted by the advantages of modern medicine, education, food, transport, housing and the gift of a mother tongue that happens to have become a world language? Into the ghetto, you Maoris. Let's reintroduce cannibalism and slavery and none of this feminist nonsense about women on Maraes. Let's get them to use their old weights and measures, that should help them along the way.
By the way, it must be between 50 years and a century since there were any "pure" Maoris. Perhaps there is a handy operation to remover the impure genes. Racialist horror, I find you.
And do not tell me how disadvantaged "Maoris" are: I remember in the 1980s when both the Police minister and the head of the armed forces were "Maori", poor, repressed souls. They can vote on the general roll and have a couple of reserved parliamentary seats and there are, sadly, nowadays some no-go areas for non-maoris (especially in the North, plus lots of formerly public land and coast for which you now need permission from "Maori" and DOC to go there).
Pay them proper respect as modern, capable people and do not patronise them by stealing their original language to satisfy your feelings of inadequacy.
Perhaps you should learn to take pride in the many good things that Europeans (that's you according to your name) achieved in their whole history and specifically their courage and success in New Zealand (Is n't it nice that the British colonists respected the Dutch name? Dig dig). Mind you, if the French had been a day or two earlier, we could all be speaking French.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
