Ua ʻike ka poʻe noiʻi o Aotearoa ʻo ka poʻe Polenekia paha ka poʻe mua i ʻike i ka ʻāina mamao o ka Honua ma ka Pole Hema, Antarctica ma mua o ke kenekulia ʻehiku. ʻO ka poʻe Polenekia kekahi ʻāpana o ka poʻe Austronesian e pili ana i nā Rotumans, Samoans, Tongans, Niueans, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian Māʻohi, Hawaiian Māoli, Marquesans and New Zealandic Māori. Ua loaʻa i nā mea noiʻi o New Zealand ka mea i kapa ʻia ʻo "palapala hina” e pili ana i nā moʻolelo waha, nā hana noʻeau ʻōiwi a me nā kumu kula ʻole no ka hoʻoholo ʻana i ka pilina ma waena o ka poʻe Māori a me Antarctica.
ʻO Priscilla Wehi, ka mea noiʻi alakaʻi o ka noiʻi mai ke keʻena noiʻi aupuni o Aotearoa Manaaki Whenua, i haʻi aku i ka New Zealand Herald, “ʻAʻole mākou i ʻike i kēia, he moʻolelo i ʻike ʻia…ʻO kā mākou hana ʻo ka hōʻuluʻulu ʻana i nā ʻike āpau [me nā moʻolelo kuʻuna waha a me nā palapala hina] a me ka haʻi ʻana aku i ka honua." ʻO ke aʻo ʻana e alakaʻi ʻia e Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research a me Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, ʻo ke aʻo ʻana i kālele nui ʻia i nā pilina Maori me ka ʻāina mamao loa i hau. ʻO ka ʻike mua ʻana o Antarctica i hana ʻia ma kahi huakaʻi Lūkini i ka makahiki 1820, a ʻo ka mea mua i hoʻopā maikaʻi i ka ʻāina maloʻo ua hoʻopaʻa inoa ʻia ma ke ʻano he mea mākaʻikaʻi ʻAmelika i ka makahiki 1821.
Eia naʻe, i kēia manawa ua hoʻokūpaʻa ʻia ka pepa hou he huakaʻi hema i alakaʻi ʻia e ke aliʻi Polenekia Hui Te Rangiora a me kona mau ʻauwaʻa he mau kaukani makahiki ma mua o ka huakaʻi Lūkini. E like me ke aʻo ʻana, ua lōʻihi loa ia ma mua o ka neʻe ʻana o ka Māori i Aotearoa. ʻOiai ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka hapa nui o ka mōʻaukala o Polenekia i ka moʻolelo kuʻuna waha a ua ʻike ʻole ʻia nā ʻike nui e like me ka hōʻea ʻana i Antarctica, ke hōʻoia nei nā ʻepekema Māori he kumu hilinaʻi ia o nā hōʻike.
“Kakaʻikahi ka ʻike ʻia ʻana o nā Māori e komo ana i ka huakaʻi Antarctic. Ua ʻike mākou i ka pilina ma waena o Māori a me Antarctica a me kona mau kai mai ka wā kahiko loa, a ma hope ma o ke komo ʻana i ka huakaʻi a alakaʻi ʻia e ʻEulopa, ka noiʻi ʻepekema o kēia wā, ka lawaiʻa, a me nā mea hou aku no nā keneturi," -Priscilla Wehi
Ua ʻōlelo ka poʻe noiʻi i loko o kahi ʻōlelo, “Ua hoʻomau ʻia ke komo ʻana o ka Māori i ka huakaʻi Antarctica a hiki i kēia lā. Wahi a ka poʻe noiʻi, he mea nui e hana hou ʻia ka noiʻi ʻana e hoʻopiha i nā hemahema ʻike, a e hōʻoia i ka hoʻokomo ʻia ʻana o ka Māori i nā pilina e hiki mai ana me Antarctica. Eia kekahi, ua ʻōlelo pū ʻo Wehi, "ʻO ka ulu ʻana i nā mea ʻepekema Antarctic Māori a me ka hoʻokomo ʻana i nā kuanaʻike Māori e hoʻonui i ka hohonu i nā papahana noiʻi o Aotearoa a ma hope o ka pale a me ka hoʻokele ʻana o Antarctica."
