Hori (slur)

Common card · No. 383395

Hori is an ethnic slur used against people of Māori descent, accused of being dirty, rude or even disrespectful. The term comes from a Māori-language transliteration of "George", an English name that was very popular during the early years of European colonisation of New Zealand. The usage as a derogatory term for Māori grew with the increasing urbanisation of Māori and is still common, though its usage may be less than in past decades. The level of offence implied by the use of the term has varied over time and with context. In the mid-1950s, there was a radio sketch "Dad and Hori" and in the early 1960s, the Pākehā writer W. Norman McCallum published several bestselling comedic books under the pseudonym "Hori". The pseudonym was chosen as a typical Māori name and the books depicted Māori as overweight, lazy, and happy-go-lucky. In recent years amongst Māori it has to some extent been "reclaimed" by the community which it was originally intended to insult – being often used as a term of...

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