New Zealand prepares for football whiteout
15 Jun 2010
As New Zealand’s All Whites prepare for their Football World Cup opener against Slovakia early tomorrow morning (15.06.10), Kiwi fans are getting ready for a ‘whiteout’ in support of the team.
Fans first started the ‘whiteout’ last year for the All Whites’ game against Bahrain, which helped propel them to a 1-0 win, taking the Kiwi team into the World Cup for only the second time in history - and the first time in 28 years.
In a show of solidarity with their compatriots, Kiwi league team the Warriors urged their fans to whiteout the stadium during last Sunday’s game against the Dragons - as part of a cross-codes celebration.
United colours of New Zealand
Kiwi national sport teams have always worn colours that symbolise New Zealand - such as the All Whites, All Blacks, Black Caps (cricket), Black Sox (men’s baseball), White Sox (women’s baseball), Silver Ferns (netball), Black Ferns (women’s rugby), Tall Blacks (men’s basketball) and Black Sticks (women’s field hockey).
The nicknames of the various sports teams are a play on the black jerseys worn by the All Blacks, and the kaponga or silver fern, which is the unofficial national emblem of New Zealand.
Black, white and red - the colours of the Māori flag - represent the three colours used in the design of the traditional woven kowhaiwhai / spiral, used to decorate wharenui / meeting houses.
Black and white
Even the All Blacks have joined in the spirit of the game, swapping their usual teal-coloured training jerseys for a white strip during their training sessions in Dunedin this week.
The one-off white jerseys will be auctioned to raise money for charity.
All Black prop Neemia Tialata says the team has been sending tongue-in-cheek tweets to the All Whites in South Africa, offering advice and support.
"In one of my tweets I said they’re definitely the dark horses of the World Cup. I believe they can do it; they can tip over some big teams. Just keep away from the bread and good food in Africa and keep putting the suntan lotion on … and hide those cameras as well."
History of the black jersey
There is much heated debate around the origins of the famous black jerseys worn by the All Blacks.
One story has it that the term came about because of a turn-of-the-century trend for rugby teams to be identified by their kit colour.
Another version says that the black jerseys were adopted from the New Zealand Natives, the Māori national rugby team. Previously, representative New Zealand rugby teams had worn navy blue.
However it may have come about, the name All Blacks was not widely used until the team’s historic 1905 tour, and their winning game against England’s Hartlepool.
The London-based Daily Mail was the first international newspaper to pick up on the nickname, which had been used the previous evening by the Northern Daily Mail, in its New Zealand edition.
The newspaper reported: "This is a record in the tour, which is barely yet a month old, exceeding as it does by eight points the 55 points the ‘All Blacks’, as the Colonials are dubbed, piled up against Devon."
Kiwi national symbol
New Zealand’s national netball team, dubbed the Silver Ferns, are named after the native kaponga or silver fern.
Ancient Māori tribes used the fronds of the silver fern - which has the distinctive colouring on its underside - to lay out paths at night. They would then turn the fronds over to stop enemies from following their trail.
The fern is of huge cultural significance to New Zealanders. It was used in early Māori art in the ‘koru’ form, which is inspired by the delicate fronds of newborn, unfurling fern.
The koru represents new life and new beginnings, and is incorporated into the uniforms of the majority of New Zealand sports teams.
The koru is also the official symbol of Air New Zealand.
More information
Kiwis kick off Football World Cup quest
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