1918: Ratana Fever

November 8, 2019

By AHNZ

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s daughter was nearly named ‘Eight’ in Maori to mark this day in history and what it represents to Ratana Church, the Labour Party’s ally.

Today in history: 8th November; The Maori version of the Labour Party came into being, coinciding with Wiremu Ratana entering the delirious stage of his influenza fever in 1918.

It wasn’t too long before the two political blocs, Labour and Ratana, joined forces and they are linked up to this day. The Prime Minister came close to naming her daughter in tribute to the political alliance but I guess they decided it was a little on the nose to do so…

“November 8 was without doubt the most significant day Ratana faithful would celebrate in generations.”- NZ Herald

In February 2018, the Prime Minister was “..gifted a middle name for her then unborn baby. The name, Te Waru, means “eight” and was a reference to the 8th of November, 1918.”

I can see where Ratana are coming from. To them, 2018 is a very special year and they have high hopes for the new generation to champion their cause forward. In the event, the girl’s official name is Neve ‘Te Aroha’ Ardern Gayford. I assume the offer still stands and Ratana people will still think of their little friend as ‘Te Waru’ along with (I assume) many other children born in this marvellous year.

It’s OK with me to offer such names or titles to babies; It will be up to them to accept or reject that calling when they come of age.

Lucky Ratana didn’t get sick earlier in the week, little Neve would have ended up with the name ‘ono’, homonymous with “Oh no!” Or, if it had been a longer fever, Neave Tahi Rua Toru Wha Gayford, and that would have been a bit untidy!

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Note: In the year since the centenary no major or minor miracles have been reported about Ratana’s special new age. The most significant thing is that one of its senior ministers has been sent to jail for sex offending. That’s not a step-up, just a step toward being normal.

Ref. 1918: The Ratana Church

Ref. Politicians travel to Ratana to mark centenary; NZ Herald

Note 2020: Had the Ratana name been accepted, it would have also entailed that Ardern’s (the child’s) marriage partner would be Ratana’s to select; Ref. “Such was the Maori custom; that naming gave the right to guardianship in marriage of the child, and…”; p125, Firth (1929)

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