Australian activewear brand AROHA is facing backlash around “cultural appropriation” after the non-Māori owner said she chose the name “to be a little bit different”.
Owner Katie Bourke posted a video to her business and personal Instagram this week talking about why she chose the name AROHA.
“When I was researching the brand, I wanted meaning behind it, so the first thing was love and compassion,” she said.
“I didn’t want to use an Australian name. I wanted to be a little bit different.”
The Māori word “aroha” means “to love”, but broken down further it means to acknowledge the breath or life force.
“I’ve also got a step-daughter who is of Māori culture, so we decided to go with AROHA, and it’s been going strong for the last four years,” Bourke continued.
Popular Māori content creator Holly-May Neho of Ōpōtiki (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) responded to the video, calling it cultural appropriation. Her video gained more than half a million views on TikTok.
“She doesn’t give two f***s about Māori people. There’s no Māori visibility - look at the models she’s got on her page,” she told the Herald.
“She’s wanting to use it as a marketing ploy. It’s got nothing to do with Māori people.”
Neho said it was interesting the owner didn’t want an Australian name.
“Why can’t you tautoko (support) the Aboriginal people? The land that you’re on. How about you start there?”
She found the video “almost satire”, critiquing the business owner’s mispronunciations, as did many commenters on social media.
Neho believed the word “aroha” meant nurturing, understanding, and emotional intelligence - things she felt the brand did not reflect.
“It’s a taonga (treasure).”
Responding to comments on Instagram, the brand defended its name choice: “Inspiration from language or meaning across borders is not the same as appropriation and there was never an intention to disrespect Te Reo Māori.”
Neho posted a screenshot of a message one commenter had received from Bourke’s personal Instagram directly stating, “Hey hun! I’m the owner of AROHA happy for you to direct all your negativity to me. Just checking where do you live?”
The Herald has contacted the business for comment but had not received a response at time of publication.
Responding to another comment, the brand said the issue was brought to its attention six months ago.
“Unfortunately, at this stage, a full rebrand is not a viable option for our business.”
@hecticbyhm Morena @arohaofficial_co This ain’t it. Using Māori language/culture to represent your brand while you don’t even whakapapa Māori is extremely out of touch. Saying your company represents “love & compassion” and using Māori language to separate yourself from others is ignorant and straight up cultural appropriation and exploitative. You need to understand how harmful it is as pakeha sitting up there using our culture as your prop, I’d be interested to know if your business supports any Māori/Aborigional kaupapa since you’re all about “love & compassion” because wanting to be “a little bit different” is crazy work. #culturalappropriation #australia #maoritiktok
♬ original sound - Holly-May
Lynell Tuffery Huria, a Māori patent attorney, said while the brand’s name choice didn’t breach any laws, it was offensive.
“At the end of the day, they are using words that they have no appreciation for, no idea of the whakapapa of that word,” she said.
“It’s a lack of recognition of the whakapapa, and the relationship we have with our language, our images.”
There is no enforceable legal framework for Māori language marketing internationally, making it difficult to stop misuse.
The World International Property Organisation (WIPO) has been working to establish an international treaty for intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples since 2001.
Without a framework, Huria felt, “It doesn’t allow us to play our role as kaitiaki (guardians).
“We should be the ones who set the rules on how these words and images are used.”
Huria hoped with an election year, the Government would begin the process of setting up protections.
For Huria, it’s not about stopping use, but making sure use is appropriate. This meant engaging with indigenous people and sharing in the benefits from the culture’s use.
The About Us section on AROHA’s website also addressed the complaints: “We want to be transparent and clear that when our brand was established, we were not fully aware of the deeper cultural significance and ties associated with the word within Māori culture. We do not wish to mislead or misrepresent in any way.”
In bold font the website said, “AROHA is not a Māori-owned company.
“That said, we hold deep respect for the meaning behind the name and the values it represents. Our inspiration has always come from the essence of love itself, love within, love through growth, and love through change.
“As we continue to grow, we are committed to moving forward with honesty, respect, and intention staying true to our purpose of empowering women to feel confident in their own skin, every step of the way.”
French American shoe brand Hoka meaning “to fly”, also faced backlash last year for using a Māori word as its brand name.
Sammy Carter is a journalist for the New Zealand Herald covering news in the Wellington region. She has previously worked at the Rotorua Daily Post.