Why are New Zealanders called Kiwis?
New Zealand people get their nickname from a small, flightless bird — not the fruit.
New Zealanders are commonly known as ‘Kiwis.’ This nickname isn’t a slur and it’s not at all offensive to call someone a Kiwi. In fact, the nickname is affectionate and being called a Kiwi is a point of pride for most New Zealanders.
The nickname 'Kiwi' comes from the small flightless bird native to New Zealand. During World War I, New Zealand soldiers were given the nickname and more than 100 years later New Zealanders are still called Kiwis.
But while most people from New Zealand happily call themselves Kiwis (and rarely New Zealanders), the nickname is rejected by some Māori.
Here’s the background to this quirky nickname for New Zealanders.
Why are New Zealanders called Kiwis?
New Zealanders are called Kiwis (pronounced kee wee) as a reference to the national bird of New Zealand.
The kiwi bird has always been an emblem in New Zealand.
Māori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, once made cloaks, or kahu kiwi, out of their feathers, and these were regarded as treasures worn by esteemed chiefs.
The curious little bird is so unique that it eventually came to represent New Zealand as a country. In the early 1900s, cartoonists would use the comical, round little bird as a symbol of the country.
Then, in the First World War, New Zealand soldiers were given the nickname ‘Kiwis,’ thanks to a kiwi symbol on military badges.
It seemed a fitting name for the friendly, laid-back people from a friendly country at the bottom of the world.
The nickname became so popular, New Zealand soldiers even created a kiwi monument in Wiltshire in the United Kingdom. The soldiers carved a giant kiwi into the chalk of Beacon Hill, to leave their mark on that side of the world.
Eventually, the name Kiwi was given to all New Zealanders, who proudly embraced it. Like the bird, the name Kiwi reflects the good nature and distinct culture of New Zealand.
However, today the understanding and usage of Kiwi has shifted a little, and it’s no longer as simple as calling all New Zealanders Kiwis.
The difference between Kiwis and kiwi
The name Kiwi is borrowed from te reo Māori, the Māori language.
When Kiwi is spelled with a capital letter, it usually means the people. A lowercase ‘kiwi’ refers to the bird.
As the word kiwi comes from Māori, it’s not pluralised when referring to the bird. One kiwi, two kiwi, and so on.
The nickname Kiwi for people is an English version of the Māori word, so an ‘s’ is added for plurals. One Kiwi, two Kiwis.
The Englishise-ing of the word Kiwi is one of the reasons some people dislike the nickname.
Some people and businesses are reverting back to correct Māori usage of the term — Kiwibank, for example, talk about “making Kiwi better off” when referring to New Zealanders.
A nickname for New Zealand
As well as New Zealanders having a nickname, the country has a nickname too. People sometimes refer to New Zealand as ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud,’ which is an approximate translation of Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand.
Does the nickname ‘Kiwi’ have anything to do with kiwifruit?
We call the fruit kiwifruit so as not to confuse it with the bird.
The nickname Kiwi has nothing to do with the fruit called kiwi.
Although kiwifruit are called simply kiwis in other countries, we will always know the fruit as kiwifruit, to avoid confusion.
While in New Zealand, you should also call them kiwifruit. You would never want someone to think you enjoy eating our national bird.
Kiwifruit were once called Chinese gooseberries, but growers decided to change the name to make the fruit easier to sell.
A marketing genius somewhere suggested naming the furry brown fruit after the kiwi bird, because they look somewhat similar.
Aligning the fruit with the national bird of New Zealand was a clever move, and it helped that the nickname Kiwi had well and truly caught on at this point too.
Why I no longer call myself a Kiwi
I no longer call myself a Kiwi — I refer to myself as a New Zealander — but I’m not offended if someone calls me a Kiwi.
Even though the word is borrowed from the Māori language, Kiwi generally refers to the white population of New Zealand.
When people talk about ‘Kiwi culture,’ they’re referring to the Pākehā (white) culture that encompasses things like black singlets and gumboots, classic foods like pavlova, and a “she’ll be right” attitude.
This identity largely evolved without Māori.
This means that as a national nickname, Kiwi doesn’t feel right for some Māori.
Because of this, Kiwi doesn’t mean all New Zealanders, it refers to a certain type of New Zealander.
It doesn’t mesh with Māori indigenous identity, given how typically white the nickname is.
Here’s a great video from Re:News which features some great Māori voices on this topic:
Many Māori people don’t like being called a Kiwi, because it’s the name of a bird. To some Māori, it’s offensive to call a person by the name of something you can eat — it’s basically an insult.
I also feel like ‘Kiwi’ doesn’t encompass all other people who call New Zealand home now, too.
In Auckland, as many as 40% of people were born overseas. That means it’s a hugely diverse city with a beautiful range of cultures.
Yet while many people now think of New Zealand as their permanent home, they still don’t feel fully embraced by the ‘Kiwi’ identity.
At least, this is what one of my good friends from India tells me. She has lived in New Zealand for the past decade, and has a New Zealand passport, but because she looks and sounds like she’s from India, she isn’t referred to as ‘Kiwi’.
For me personally, I want words to be as inclusive as possible (I studied linguistics, so I probably think about this more than most people).
With this in mind, I don’t like the word Kiwi anymore. It will likely stay in common usage for a long time, but I have dropped it from my vocabulary.
If you do visit New Zealand, it’s fine for you to call people Kiwis, but pay attention to who calls themself a Kiwi — you might notice a pattern in skin colour and demographic.
Pākehā identity
As well as New Zealander, Maori, and Kiwi, you might hear people in New Zealand refer to themselves as ‘Pākehā.’
Pākehā essentially means a person of European descent, so white New Zealanders.
Some people reject this term, seeing it as a negative, but on the whole it’s used neutrally. It’s just a descriptor, the same way Maori describes the indigenous people of New Zealand.
I like the term Pākehā, as it indicates my connection with New Zealand. Others prefer to identify as New Zealand European, but for me that feels a bit alienated from my New Zealand identity.
So, what should you call someone from New Zealand?
You can call a person from New Zealand a New Zealander or sometimes a Kiwi.
Is it okay to call a New Zealander a Kiwi?
Generally the term Kiwi is used affectionately and is never offensive, so it’s okay to call a New Zealander a Kiwi. However, some New Zealanders prefer to be called simply ‘New Zealanders.’
Were Kiwis named after the fruit?
Kiwis were named after the national bird, not the fruit. In New Zealand, we call the fruit ‘kiwifruit’ to distinguish from the bird. The first time I heard someone say they loved eating kiwi, I was horrified!
We do use the 🥝 to signify our nationality on social media though.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this has helped answer your questions about what to call a person from New Zealand.
If you’re thinking about visiting us, you might want to check out one of these articles before you go:
