Kia Ora: Should this be used in official Government correspondence?

To post in this sub-forum you must have made 100 posts or have Trust status or have completed our ID Verification

Forums › Politics › Kia Ora: Should this be used in official Government correspondence?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

18125 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#1994714 12-Apr-2018 11:29

Geektastic:

djtOtago:

frednz:

I don't think you would pass your teacher exams if you took this approach! It's important that we teach our kids how to write properly!

Why is starting written correspondence with a greeting not proper writing?

Unless it is 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Madam' or 'Dear Mr Smith' or 'Dear Mrs Smith' etc then no, it isn't.

Good lord this isn't Victorian England, next it will be only written farewell that is acceptable is "I have the honour Sir/Madam to remain your most obedient servant"

NordVPN

Protect your online activity with NordVPN (affiliate link).

amiga500

1484 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1994756 12-Apr-2018 12:04

Maybe Radio NZ lobbied for this to be implemented.

frednz

1452 posts

Uber Geek

#1994776 12-Apr-2018 12:27

MikeB4:

Geektastic:

djtOtago:

frednz:

I don't think you would pass your teacher exams if you took this approach! It's important that we teach our kids how to write properly!

Why is starting written correspondence with a greeting not proper writing?

Unless it is 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Madam' or 'Dear Mr Smith' or 'Dear Mrs Smith' etc then no, it isn't.

Good lord this isn't Victorian England, next it will be only written farewell that is acceptable is "I have the honour Sir/Madam to remain your most obedient servant"

In line with "Kia Ora" at the start of your letter, shouldn't you finish with "Ka kite (anō)", or perhaps "Heoi anō tāku mō nāianei"?

This would show how culturally sensitive you are and how you have a deep understanding of Maori greetings and phrases.

It also shows that in no way can people call you a "racist" if you make sure all your correspondence has a mix of both English and Te Reo Maori.

No doubt people from India, China etc. are also mixing their English writings with appropriate words from their languages?

frednz

1452 posts

Uber Geek

#1994783 12-Apr-2018 12:36

Linux:

frednz:

Linux:

@frednz Are you just trolling? Who cares what it starts with could be in Chinese or Japanese I would not give a crap! I am kiwi born here in Takapuna and love travel and other languages

You need to get out more I think

Linux

I don't think you would pass your teacher exams if you took this approach! It's important that we teach our kids how to write properly!

@frednz I have no idea what drugs you are on but you should quit now! I would rather rip my eyeballs out than be a teacher in this day and age

Linux

Why, what's wrong with being a teacher when they are on holiday for such a large part of the year, and you certainly don't need meds if you're a teacher! Were you really with VodafoneNZ for 17 years 4 days, that's about the length of time it takes to get Vodafone to reply to one of your enquiries! I think it's turned out to be a good discussion about how and why we should use Te Reo Maori in our everyday life!

By the way kua te pakaru taku rorohiko and I think it's because my Windows 10 updates are not installing properly or perhaps He pōturi rawa te ipurangi i tēnei rā.

chevrolux

4962 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1994789 12-Apr-2018 12:51

frednz: Kia Ora...well thanks everyone for your replies. I can see I need to liberally splash around phrases such as kia ora to show how tolerant I am of current trends. Not sure why this thread was shifted out of "off topic" to politics..is it really a political discussion?

It's got nothing to do with "trends", but it has EVERYTHING to do with tolerance. Even using the word 'tolerance' annoys me in this situation, why are we simply 'tolerating' the use of this greeting?! A greeting on a letter has absolutely zero impact in your daily life, so who cares what greeting is used. Having an issue with 'Kia Ora' on a letter can be lumped in to the same category as having an issue with two dudes getting married - it has zero bearing on your daily life, so why does it matter.

No one is saying you need to use 'Kia Ora' in your day to day. But if you were truly tolerant, you wouldn't start a thread questioning the use of it.

And don't be daft, of course it is a political discussion - you even used the 'Politics' forum.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#1994808 12-Apr-2018 13:03

chevrolux:

you even used the 'Politics' forum.

The thread was shifted to the politics forum - probably a wise decision.

frednz

1452 posts

Uber Geek

#1994809 12-Apr-2018 13:04

chevrolux:

frednz: Kia Ora...well thanks everyone for your replies. I can see I need to liberally splash around phrases such as kia ora to show how tolerant I am of current trends. Not sure why this thread was shifted out of "off topic" to politics..is it really a political discussion?

It's got nothing to do with "trends", but it has EVERYTHING to do with tolerance. Even using the word 'tolerance' annoys me in this situation, why are we simply 'tolerating' the use of this greeting?! A greeting on a letter has absolutely zero impact in your daily life, so who cares what greeting is used. Having an issue with 'Kia Ora' on a letter can be lumped in to the same category as having an issue with two dudes getting married - it has zero bearing on your daily life, so why does it matter.

No one is saying you need to use 'Kia Ora' in your day to day. But if you were truly tolerant, you wouldn't start a thread questioning the use of it.

And don't be daft, of course it is a political discussion - you even used the 'Politics' forum.

OK fair enough, good comment, I am just interested in what other people think about a Government Department mixing languages in their correspondence and whether this is taught as good practice in schools. I'm not sure how long it's been fashionable to mix languages in correspondence, but we never did it when I was at University.

I didn't use the "Politics" form, I posted this topic to "Off Topic", so to say it's a political discussion is stretching this definition a bit IMHO.

Linux

10294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1994861 12-Apr-2018 13:54

@frednz What is wrong with being a teacher you ask

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/warning-after-teacher-falsely-accused

Linux

DaveB

1139 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1996190 14-Apr-2018 20:43

chevrolux:

frednz: Kia Ora...well thanks everyone for your replies. I can see I need to liberally splash around phrases such as kia ora to show how tolerant I am of current trends. Not sure why this thread was shifted out of "off topic" to politics..is it really a political discussion?

It's got nothing to do with "trends", but it has EVERYTHING to do with tolerance. Even using the word 'tolerance' annoys me in this situation, why are we simply 'tolerating' the use of this greeting?! A greeting on a letter has absolutely zero impact in your daily life, so who cares what greeting is used. Having an issue with 'Kia Ora' on a letter can be lumped in to the same category as having an issue with two dudes getting married - it has zero bearing on your daily life, so why does it matter.

No one is saying you need to use 'Kia Ora' in your day to day. But if you were truly tolerant, you wouldn't start a thread questioning the use of it.

And don't be daft, of course it is a political discussion - you even used the 'Politics' forum.

Tolerance = "showing willingness to allow the existence of opinions or behaviour that one does not necessarily agree with". Nothing wrong with that IMO, so why bash Fred? My point is, as you pointed out - "it has zero bearing on your daily life" - so why challenge or question what Fred feels?

So well done Fred for bringing this up. He is of course entitled to his opinion ..... I think, still, maybe.

Personally I do like it. Kiwis really do need a sense of identity in our multi cultural country and (although the minority) Maori makes sense. Next step of course could be the disappearance of the English written language altogether.

Geektastic

17689 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1996655 15-Apr-2018 22:02

MikeB4:

Geektastic:

djtOtago:

frednz:

I don't think you would pass your teacher exams if you took this approach! It's important that we teach our kids how to write properly!

Why is starting written correspondence with a greeting not proper writing?

Unless it is 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Madam' or 'Dear Mr Smith' or 'Dear Mrs Smith' etc then no, it isn't.

Good lord this isn't Victorian England, next it will be only written farewell that is acceptable is "I have the honour Sir/Madam to remain your most obedient servant"

It is still common usage to begin letters like that.

Of course, in no standards, do what you like, dress like a tramp at the office, turn up late to meetings no one cares, answer your phone in meetings etc etc New Zealand, maybe it isn't.

MikeB4

18125 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#1996669 15-Apr-2018 22:23

This is Aotearoa not some Victorian England hanging onto pompous BS. Kia Ora is acceptable in our standards. I get many letters emails etc addressed Kia Ora Mike or Hi Mike.

The use of Kia Ora is not a low standard it is a high standard.

dejadeadnz

2394 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1997269 16-Apr-2018 20:14

MikeB4:

This is Aotearoa not some Victorian England hanging onto pompous BS. Kia Ora is acceptable in our standards. I get many letters emails etc addressed Kia Ora Mike or Hi Mike.

The use of Kia Ora is not a low standard it is a high standard.

Geektastic's cringe-inducing worldviews aren't exactly unknown around here. His "standards" apparently excludes him from caring too much about some large corporation (or at least one of its staff member) putting up an ad advertising only for Anglo Saxon staff. His standard clearly excludes reading about the fact that Maori is an official language of NZ and that we are actually in the 21st century.

In all seriousness, it's beneath the intelligence of anyone remotely in tune with the 21st century to engage with him.

DaveB

1139 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1997310 16-Apr-2018 21:07

dejadeadnz:

MikeB4:

This is Aotearoa not some Victorian England hanging onto pompous BS. Kia Ora is acceptable in our standards. I get many letters emails etc addressed Kia Ora Mike or Hi Mike.

The use of Kia Ora is not a low standard it is a high standard.

Geektastic's cringe-inducing worldviews aren't exactly unknown around here. His "standards" apparently excludes him from caring too much about some large corporation (or at least one of its staff member) putting up an ad advertising only for Anglo Saxon staff. His standard clearly excludes reading about the fact that Maori is an official language of NZ and that we are actually in the 21st century.

In all seriousness, it's beneath the intelligence of anyone remotely in tune with the 21st century to engage with him.

I guess your 21st century view does not allow for others to have an opinion then? REGARDLESS of what you may think, opinions should still be welcomed here. Or maybe we should just call this the "dejadead" forum? I may not agree with Geektastic all the time, or MikeB4 for that matter. But I do find their views and comments to be less cringe-inducing than your dictatorial views. Lighten up FGS. This is a political forum and people should be allowed to state what they feel. Shouldn't they?

dejadeadnz

2394 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1997321 16-Apr-2018 21:40

DaveB:

I guess your 21st century view does not allow for others to have an opinion then? REGARDLESS of what you may think, opinions should still be welcomed here. Or maybe we should just call this the "dejadead" forum? I may not agree with Geektastic all the time, or MikeB4 for that matter. But I do find their views and comments to be less cringe-inducing than your dictatorial views. Lighten up FGS. This is a political forum and people should be allowed to state what they feel. Shouldn't they?

He's perfectly entitled to (i) have his opinion and (ii) to express it to the extent he desires on here within the bounds allowed by the site owner. But your laughable freedom of speech crusade is just that -- laughable. You scream about allowing others having an opinion, yet one of the tenets of a free exchange is having thick enough skin to have your opinions ripped apart, rather than demand that your critics shut up because somehow one is entitled to be free from criticism, especially when the opinions are not founded upon reason.

Here are some objective facts:

(i) Geektastic is bound by the laws of NZ;

(ii) He gets a chance to vote and to influence the direction of legislations every 3 years, just like you and I; amd

(iii) Our legitimately elected parliamentarians decided that Maori is to be an official language of NZ.

"Kia Ora" is a commonly understood greeting that is frankly understood by almost everybody who lives in NZ, who is not intellectually disabled, hasn't been under a rock for at least decades, and one who displays even the slightest bit of willingness to look beyond his/her world a tiny bit. All that plus the objective background I have detailed suggests that the insinuation that somehow using "Kia Ora" as a greeting is some manifestation of low standards is nothing but utter garbage. Even worse, it shows the person who uttered such sentiment to be a bigot who espouses ethnocentric views, for there is simply nothing inherently high or low standard about a greeting in one language over another. The presumption that somehow English is better is obnoxious. You can argue this all you like or come back with the same garbage about respecting others' opinions. But rubbish opinions that are poorly argued remain just that -- rubbish.

MikeAqua

7611 posts

Uber Geek

#1997562 17-Apr-2018 09:35

dejadeadnz:

the insinuation that somehow using "Kia Ora" as a greeting is some manifestation of low standards is nothing but utter garbage. Even worse, it shows the person who uttered such sentiment to be a bigot who espouses ethnocentric views, for there is simply nothing inherently high or low standard about a greeting in one language over another.

I got the impression Geektastic's objection was the informality of the greeting For example a letter that started with "gidday" he might similarly object to. If my interpretation is correct his objection was in regard to register, not Language.

The question then becomes: Is kia ora appropriately formal for official correspondence?

My observation is that kia ora is used in casual settings. But I have no expertise in this.

And it probably is informal to mix languages. It's actually called code switching - mixing is using one language's syntax with another's words.

A better argument might be to consider kia ora a part of NZ English.

Mike

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5