Abaphandi baseNew Zealand bafumanise ukuba abantu basePolynesia banokuba ngabokuqala ukufumanisa ilizwekazi elikude loMhlaba eSouth Pole, Antarctica kwangenkulungwane yesixhenxe. Abantu basePolynesia liqela elincinane labantu base-Austronesian kuquka amaRotuma, amaSamoa, amaTonga, amaNiue, amaCook Islands, amaMāori, iTahitian Mā'ohi, iMāoli yaseHawaii, iMarquesans kunye neNew Zealandic Māori. Abaphandi baseNew Zealand bafumene into ebizwa ngokuba "uncwadi olungwevu” kuqukwa neerekhodi ezithethwayo, imisebenzi yobugcisa yemveli kunye nemithombo engeyiyo eyezemfundo yokumisela unxibelelwano phakathi kwabantu baseMāori neAntarctica.
UPriscilla Wehi, umphandi ophambili wophononongo ovela kwiziko lophando likarhulumente waseNew Zealand iManaaki Whenua, uxelele iNew Zealand Herald, “Asizange siyifumanise le nto, yingxelo eyaziwayo…Umsebenzi wethu ibikukudibanisa yonke inkcazelo [kuquka isithethe esidluliselwa ngomlomo noncwadi olungwevu] size sinxibelelane ngayo nehlabathi.” Uphononongo olukhokelwa nguManaaki Whenua Landcare Research kunye noTe Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, uphando lugxile kunxibelelwano lwamaMaori kunye nelizwekazi elikude elinomkhenkce. Ukuqala okurekhodiweyo kokubonwa kwe-Antarctica kwenzeka kuhambo lwaseRashiya ngo-1820, kwaye umntu wokuqala owabamba ngempumelelo ilizwekazi elinomkhenkce ubhaliswe njengomhloli waseMelika ngo-1821.
Noko ke, ngoku eli phepha litsha liye lafumanisa ukuba uhambo oluya emazantsi olwaluqhutywa yinkosi yasePolynesia uHui Te Rangiora neqela layo lwenzeka kumawaka eminyaka ngaphambi kohambo lwaseRashiya. Ngokophononongo, kwakukudala ngaphambi kokuba uMāori afudukele eNew Zealand. Nangona uninzi lwembali yasePolynesia isekwe kwisithethe somlomo kwaye izinto ezinkulu ezifunyenweyo ezinjengokufikelela eAntarctica kuye kwabikwa ukuba azikhathalelwanga, izazinzulu zaseMāori ziyayingqina ingumthombo othembekileyo wobungqina.
“Umāori othabatha inxaxheba kuhambo lwase-Antarctic akafane amkelwe. Siye safumana unxibelelwano phakathi kweMāori neAntarctica namanzi ayo ebekho ukususela kuhambo lwaselwandle lwamandulo, yaye kamva ngokuba nenxaxheba kuhambo nokuhlola olukhokelwa yiYurophu, uphando lwenzululwazi lwala maxesha, ukuloba, nokunye kangangeenkulungwane.”—Priscilla Wehi
Abaphandi bathi kwisiteyitimenti, "Ukuthatha inxaxheba kweMāori kuhambo lwase-Antarctic kunye nohambo luqhubekile ukuza kuthi ga ngoku. Abaphandi bathi kubalulekile ukuba kwenziwe uphando ngakumbi ukuzalisa izikhewu zolwazi, kunye nokuqinisekisa ukubandakanywa kweMāori kubudlelwane bexesha elizayo ne-Antarctica. " Ngaphaya koko, u-Wehi uphinde waphawula, "Ukukhula ngakumbi kwezazinzulu zaseMāori eAntarctic kunye nokubandakanya iimbono zeMāori kuya kongeza ubunzulu kwiinkqubo zophando zaseNew Zealand kwaye ekugqibeleni kukhuselwe kunye nolawulo lwe-Antarctica."
