Hoka shoe brand upsets New Zealand’s Māori community with name, reports RNZ
19 Mar 2025
Photo by Sophie Turner on Unsplash
Running shoe brand Hoka is courting controversy in New Zealand over its name – which is a Māori word meaning ‘to fly’ – reports the RNZ site in a recent article titled HOKA shoes uses a Māori name. Why don’t they say so?
RNZ – Radio New Zealand – is New Zealand's independent public service multimedia organisation.
The shoe brand was launched in France in 2009, before relocating to the US. It was bought by Deckers Brands in 2013.
When it was originally launched, the brand stated that the origin of the name was the Māori language; indeed, at one time it used the phrase “Hoka one one” in its advertising, which means “to fly above the earth” in Māori.
However, as the RNZ story points out, while earlier version of the company website, and media articles quoting company founders, referenced the name’s Māori origins, the current site has no such references. And a video it uses mispronounces the Māori word as ‘hoe-kah’ when it should be ‘hoar-kah’, RNZ points out.
In 2019, Hoka did reference the correct pronunciation in a video made with Māori musician Tiki Naane, who was at the time an ambassador for the brand, to celebrate Māori Language Week. That video is still available here.
The RNZ article points out that Hoka has now crossed over from being a running shoe to being a lifestyle brand, worn by celebrities such as Britney Spears and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The brand opened a store in an Auckland mall last year and is now widely stocked across New Zealand. RNZ added that at the time the article was written, neither the brand nor its local distributor had responded to requests for comment, including on whether the company had consulted with Māori experts before adopting the name or since.
New Zealand has probably the strongest rules on the use of indigenous names and cultural symbols anywhere in the world, as an article on RNZ today, Can companies legally use Māori names,(19/03/25) points out. If companies do want to use Māori names (or imagery), then the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand will have to first get approval from a Māori advisory committee.
Other issues which have annoyed the Māori community include the cultural appropriation of the Māori ceremonial dance, the haka, which has religious elements. As The Guardian reported in 2021, a trade deal signed between the UK and New Zealand included a commitment from the British Government to promote the recognition and protection of the haka.
Incidentally, as this BBC news story from January 2025 says, New Zealand law allows natural features to be recognised as ‘legal persons’, reflecting the Māori belief that some natural features are ancestors and living beings. Mount Taranaki (image above) was the third natural object to be given this status.
In a related development, after 25 years of diplomatic negotiations, in May 2024, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) adopted a Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources (GRs) and Associated Traditional Knowledge. The Treaty establishes a mandatory patent disclosure requirement, which means anyone filing patent must disclose the country of origin of the genetic resources and/or the Indigenous Peoples or local community providing the associated traditional knowledge, if the claimed inventions are based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge.
Photo by Sophie Turner on Unsplash
Running shoe brand Hoka is courting controversy in New Zealand over its name – which is a Māori word meaning ‘to fly’ – reports the RNZ site in a recent article titled HOKA shoes uses a Māori name. Why don’t they say so?
RNZ – Radio New Zealand – is New Zealand's independent public service multimedia organisation.
The shoe brand was launched in France in 2009, before relocating to the US. It was bought by Deckers Brands in 2013.
When it was originally launched, the brand stated that the origin of the name was the Māori language; indeed, at one time it used the phrase “Hoka one one” in its advertising, which means “to fly above the earth” in Māori.
However, as the RNZ story points out, while earlier version of the company website, and media articles quoting company founders, referenced the name’s Māori origins, the current site has no such references. And a video it uses mispronounces the Māori word as ‘hoe-kah’ when it should be ‘hoar-kah’, RNZ points out.
In 2019, Hoka did reference the correct pronunciation in a video made with Māori musician Tiki Naane, who was at the time an ambassador for the brand, to celebrate Māori Language Week. That video is still available here.
The RNZ article points out that Hoka has now crossed over from being a running shoe to being a lifestyle brand, worn by celebrities such as Britney Spears and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The brand opened a store in an Auckland mall last year and is now widely stocked across New Zealand. RNZ added that at the time the article was written, neither the brand nor its local distributor had responded to requests for comment, including on whether the company had consulted with Māori experts before adopting the name or since.
New Zealand has probably the strongest rules on the use of indigenous names and cultural symbols anywhere in the world, as an article on RNZ today, Can companies legally use Māori names,(19/03/25) points out. If companies do want to use Māori names (or imagery), then the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand will have to first get approval from a Māori advisory committee.
Other issues which have annoyed the Māori community include the cultural appropriation of the Māori ceremonial dance, the haka, which has religious elements. As The Guardian reported in 2021, a trade deal signed between the UK and New Zealand included a commitment from the British Government to promote the recognition and protection of the haka.
Incidentally, as this BBC news story from January 2025 says, New Zealand law allows natural features to be recognised as ‘legal persons’, reflecting the Māori belief that some natural features are ancestors and living beings. Mount Taranaki (image above) was the third natural object to be given this status.
In a related development, after 25 years of diplomatic negotiations, in May 2024, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) adopted a Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources (GRs) and Associated Traditional Knowledge. The Treaty establishes a mandatory patent disclosure requirement, which means anyone filing patent must disclose the country of origin of the genetic resources and/or the Indigenous Peoples or local community providing the associated traditional knowledge, if the claimed inventions are based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge.
Photo by Sophie Turner on Unsplash
Running shoe brand Hoka is courting controversy in New Zealand over its name – which is a Māori word meaning ‘to fly’ – reports the RNZ site in a recent article titled HOKA shoes uses a Māori name. Why don’t they say so?
RNZ – Radio New Zealand – is New Zealand's independent public service multimedia organisation.
The shoe brand was launched in France in 2009, before relocating to the US. It was bought by Deckers Brands in 2013.
When it was originally launched, the brand stated that the origin of the name was the Māori language; indeed, at one time it used the phrase “Hoka one one” in its advertising, which means “to fly above the earth” in Māori.
However, as the RNZ story points out, while earlier version of the company website, and media articles quoting company founders, referenced the name’s Māori origins, the current site has no such references. And a video it uses mispronounces the Māori word as ‘hoe-kah’ when it should be ‘hoar-kah’, RNZ points out.
In 2019, Hoka did reference the correct pronunciation in a video made with Māori musician Tiki Naane, who was at the time an ambassador for the brand, to celebrate Māori Language Week. That video is still available here.
The RNZ article points out that Hoka has now crossed over from being a running shoe to being a lifestyle brand, worn by celebrities such as Britney Spears and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The brand opened a store in an Auckland mall last year and is now widely stocked across New Zealand. RNZ added that at the time the article was written, neither the brand nor its local distributor had responded to requests for comment, including on whether the company had consulted with Māori experts before adopting the name or since.
New Zealand has probably the strongest rules on the use of indigenous names and cultural symbols anywhere in the world, as an article on RNZ today, Can companies legally use Māori names,(19/03/25) points out. If companies do want to use Māori names (or imagery), then the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand will have to first get approval from a Māori advisory committee.
Other issues which have annoyed the Māori community include the cultural appropriation of the Māori ceremonial dance, the haka, which has religious elements. As The Guardian reported in 2021, a trade deal signed between the UK and New Zealand included a commitment from the British Government to promote the recognition and protection of the haka.
Incidentally, as this BBC news story from January 2025 says, New Zealand law allows natural features to be recognised as ‘legal persons’, reflecting the Māori belief that some natural features are ancestors and living beings. Mount Taranaki (image above) was the third natural object to be given this status.
In a related development, after 25 years of diplomatic negotiations, in May 2024, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) adopted a Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources (GRs) and Associated Traditional Knowledge. The Treaty establishes a mandatory patent disclosure requirement, which means anyone filing patent must disclose the country of origin of the genetic resources and/or the Indigenous Peoples or local community providing the associated traditional knowledge, if the claimed inventions are based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge.
Photo by Sophie Turner on Unsplash
Running shoe brand Hoka is courting controversy in New Zealand over its name – which is a Māori word meaning ‘to fly’ – reports the RNZ site in a recent article titled HOKA shoes uses a Māori name. Why don’t they say so?
RNZ – Radio New Zealand – is New Zealand's independent public service multimedia organisation.
The shoe brand was launched in France in 2009, before relocating to the US. It was bought by Deckers Brands in 2013.
When it was originally launched, the brand stated that the origin of the name was the Māori language; indeed, at one time it used the phrase “Hoka one one” in its advertising, which means “to fly above the earth” in Māori.
However, as the RNZ story points out, while earlier version of the company website, and media articles quoting company founders, referenced the name’s Māori origins, the current site has no such references. And a video it uses mispronounces the Māori word as ‘hoe-kah’ when it should be ‘hoar-kah’, RNZ points out.
In 2019, Hoka did reference the correct pronunciation in a video made with Māori musician Tiki Naane, who was at the time an ambassador for the brand, to celebrate Māori Language Week. That video is still available here.
The RNZ article points out that Hoka has now crossed over from being a running shoe to being a lifestyle brand, worn by celebrities such as Britney Spears and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The brand opened a store in an Auckland mall last year and is now widely stocked across New Zealand. RNZ added that at the time the article was written, neither the brand nor its local distributor had responded to requests for comment, including on whether the company had consulted with Māori experts before adopting the name or since.
New Zealand has probably the strongest rules on the use of indigenous names and cultural symbols anywhere in the world, as an article on RNZ today, Can companies legally use Māori names,(19/03/25) points out. If companies do want to use Māori names (or imagery), then the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand will have to first get approval from a Māori advisory committee.
Other issues which have annoyed the Māori community include the cultural appropriation of the Māori ceremonial dance, the haka, which has religious elements. As The Guardian reported in 2021, a trade deal signed between the UK and New Zealand included a commitment from the British Government to promote the recognition and protection of the haka.
Incidentally, as this BBC news story from January 2025 says, New Zealand law allows natural features to be recognised as ‘legal persons’, reflecting the Māori belief that some natural features are ancestors and living beings. Mount Taranaki (image above) was the third natural object to be given this status.
In a related development, after 25 years of diplomatic negotiations, in May 2024, member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) adopted a Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources (GRs) and Associated Traditional Knowledge. The Treaty establishes a mandatory patent disclosure requirement, which means anyone filing patent must disclose the country of origin of the genetic resources and/or the Indigenous Peoples or local community providing the associated traditional knowledge, if the claimed inventions are based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge.
Read Recent Articles
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Read Full Post
Inngot's online platform identifies all your intangible assets and demonstrates their value to lenders, investors, acquirers, licensees and stakeholders
Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.
Inngot's online platform identifies all your intangible assets and demonstrates their value to lenders, investors, acquirers, licensees and stakeholders
Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.
Inngot's online platform identifies all your intangible assets and demonstrates their value to lenders, investors, acquirers, licensees and stakeholders
Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.
Inngot's online platform identifies all your intangible assets and demonstrates their value to lenders, investors, acquirers, licensees and stakeholders
Accreditations
Copyright © Inngot Limited 2019-2025. All rights reserved.