Kiwi is the nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand, as well as being a relatively common self-reference. The name derives from the kiwi, a flightless bird which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand. It is not usually considered offensive.
The first New Zealanders to be widely known as Kiwis were the military. The Regimental Signs for all New Zealand regiments feature the kiwi, including those which fought in th...
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Kiwi is the nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand, as well as being a relatively common self-reference. The name derives from the kiwi, a flightless bird which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand. It is not usually considered offensive.
The first New Zealanders to be widely known as Kiwis were the military. The Regimental Signs for all New Zealand regiments feature the kiwi, including those which fought in the Second Boer War then with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in World War I. Much of the interaction between regiments and locals was done under the respective Regimental Sign, and the kiwi came to mean first the men of regiments and then all New Zealanders. Due to the relative isolation of New Zealand, many troops stayed in Europe (particularly at Beacon Hill, near Bulford on the Salisbury Plain, where they carved a chalk kiwi into the hill in 1918) for months or years until transport home could be arranged.
The Oxford English...
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