'Pakeha' causes a stink but barely half the time

By ANGELA GREGORY

European New Zealanders are split down the middle over whether they should call themselves "Pakeha."

A Herald-DigiPoll survey of 7560 Zealanders found 49 per cent of white/Caucasian/European New Zealanders thought of themselves as Pakeha and 49 per cent did not.

Aucklanders were marginally more likely than the rest of the country to think of themselves as Pakeha. Women, rather than men, were more likely to embrace the name, as were younger people.

But the big surprise came in the rural vote. A majority of farmers (51 per cent) were more likely to think of themselves as Pakeha than non-farmers (42 per cent).

Northland Federated Farmers operations manager Bill Guest was startled by the result.

"The word Pakeha has always created offence because it meant stinking pa. European sailors used to kill whales up in the Hokianga and smell the pa out."

Branch president Ian Walker said the term could also offend some Maori. When standing for New Zealand First last year, he slipped out the "P" word while visiting an East Coast rural area. "A Maori chief objected to its use and said he considered it derogatory ... I've never used it since."

But Mr Walker said that in Northland, where half the population was Maori, rural residents had closer links to Maoritanga and were more likely to use the word Pakeha.

It had become a convenient term to distinguish white New Zealanders and the younger generation did not recall its objectionable meaning.

New Zealand Maori Council chief executive Maanu Paul was not surprised farming families were more likely to call themselves Pakeha.

Mr Paul said that while the first crop of European farmers tended to be landed gentry, many soldiers had moved on to farms after the Second World War.

"They had fought alongside Maori who developed a huge reputation ... The Kiwis were proud of them."

Mr Paul said Pakeha meant fair all over.

"It was thought by some to be derogatory because keha means stink ... but it actually derives from kehakeha, which Maori used to describe their own fairer-haired people."

Mr Paul said pa could be an active verb to mean applied all over and when placed in front of keha meant fair all over the body. "Well, that's what it meant in our tribe anyway."

Historian Michael King, author of Being Pakeha, said the results were what he would expect.

He predicted that more New Zealanders would grow confident with the term. "Pakeha culture is no longer imported. It is the second indigenous culture."

Mr King said those who preferred to call themselves New Zealanders generally had a chip on their shoulder about Maori words or concepts.

He criticised the dropping of the word Pakeha from the next census form. "It was a silly thing to do ... seemingly influenced by the rednecks."