Abacwaningi baseNew Zealand bathole ukuthi abantu basePolynesia kungenzeka ukuthi babe ngabokuqala ukuthola izwekazi elikude loMhlaba eSouth Pole, Antarctica ekuqaleni kwekhulu lesikhombisa. AmaPolynesia ayiqembu elincane labantu base-Austronesian okuhlanganisa amaRotuma, amaSamoa, amaTongan, amaNiuean, amaCook Islands Māori, amaTahitian Mā'ohi, amaMāoli aseHawaii, amaMarquesans kanye namaMāori aseNew Zealand. Abacwaningi baseNew Zealand bathole lokho okubizwa ngokuthi “izincwadi ezimpunga” okuhlanganisa amarekhodi omlomo, imisebenzi yobuciko yomlando yendabuko kanye nemithombo okungezona ezezemfundo ukuze kutholwe ukuxhumana phakathi kwabantu baseMāori ne-Antarctica.
UPriscilla Wehi, umcwaningi oholayo wocwaningo ovela esikhungweni socwaningo sikahulumeni waseNew Zealand iManaaki Whenua, utshele iNew Zealand Herald, “Asizange sikuthole lokhu, kuyindaba eyaziwayo…Umsebenzi wethu kwakuwukuhlanganisa lonke ulwazi [okuhlanganisa nosiko oludluliselwa ngomlomo nezincwadi ezimpunga] futhi sikudlulisele emhlabeni.” Ucwaningo oluholwa nguManaaki Whenua Landcare Research kanye noTe Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, ucwaningo lugxile ekuxhumaneni kwamaMaori nezwekazi elikude eliqandisiwe. Ukubonwa kokuqala okurekhodiwe kwe-Antarctica kwenzeka ohambweni lwaseRussia ngo-1820, futhi umuntu wokuqala owathinta ngempumelelo izwekazi eliyiqhwa ubhaliswe njengomhloli wamazwe waseMelika ngo-1821.
Nokho, manje leli phepha elisha selithole ukuthi uhambo lwaseningizimu olwaluqhutshwa induna yasePolynesia uHui Te Rangiora nethimba layo lwenzeka izinkulungwane zeminyaka ngaphambi kohambo lwaseRussia. Ngokocwaningo, kwaze kwadlula isikhathi eside ngaphambi kokuthi uMāori afudukele eNew Zealand. Ngisho noma umlando omningi wabantu basePolynesia usekelwe esikweni elidluliselwa ngomlomo futhi izinto ezinkulu ezitholakele ezinjengokufinyelela e-Antarctica kubikwa ukuthi azinakwa, ososayensi baseMāori bayakufakazela ukuthi ungumthombo onokwethenjelwa wobufakazi.
“Ama-Māori abamba iqhaza ohambweni lwase-Antarctic awavamile ukuvunywa. Sithole ukuhlobana phakathi kweMāori ne-Antarctica kanye namanzi ayo bekulokhu kwenzeka kusukela ohambweni oluvamile lwendabuko, futhi kamuva ngokuba nengxenye ohambweni nasekuhloleni okuholwa yiYurophu, ucwaningo lwesayensi yangaleso sikhathi, ukudoba, nokunye amakhulu eminyaka.”—Priscilla Wehi
Abacwaningi bathe esitatimendeni, “Ukubamba iqhaza kwama-Māori ohambweni nohambo lwase-Antarctic kusaqhubeka kuze kube namuhla. Abacwaningi bathi kubalulekile ukuthi kwenziwe ucwaningo olwengeziwe ukuze kugcwaliswe izikhala zolwazi, futhi kuqinisekiswe ukufakwa kweMāori ebudlelwaneni obuzayo ne-Antarctica.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, u-Wehi uphinde waphawula, “Ukukhulisa ososayensi abaningi baseMāori e-Antarctic kanye nokuhlanganisa imibono ye-Māori kuzokwengeza ukujula ezinhlelweni zocwaningo zaseNew Zealand futhi ekugcineni ukuvikela nokuphathwa kwe-Antarctica.”
