By any other name.

The Daily Read is Dead, welcome to Nick's Kōrero.

On the first of January this year, 325 days ago, I started writing “The Daily Read”

Those who were early readers or subscribers may have seen my first newsletter where I discussed the name and my reasons for writing the Daily Read. These have of course evolved over 11 months as I’ve learned more about what I want to write about and hopefully what people enjoy reading about.

When I first started I thought I’d be be putting something out five or six times a week, pretty much every day. But it seems three is about the maximum number of newsletters most people want to read in a week, which also gives me the opportunity to spend more time on each one.

Perhaps an extra newsletter or two in weeks when particular events of interest are happening, but generally I’ll stick with what has become my standard pattern of three posts - two during the week and one in the weekend.

So now that I’ve settled on what is hopefully a good newsletter frequency, the amount of content most people would like in a week, I’ve decided to change the name. I still like “The Daily Read” but it’s a bit bland, and it’s inaccurate - it isn’t a “Daily” read.

I popped a post on my Facebook page to see what people thought about a name change and indicated that I quite liked “Nick’s Kōrero”, put perhaps that would be confusing for some people?

https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/3003

I was particularly interested in hearing from Te Reo speakers as to whether that name would be appropriate or indeed accurate. The options I put to people were:

1. Leave it as it is, who cares what the name is?

2. I like the name Daily Read, it's not accurate but it's what I know it as.

3. Is that the name? I just call it "Nick's Blog".

4. "Nick’s Kōrero" - it sounds like the articles will all be about things Maori, but they aren't.

5. Great name, you should do it.

6. I don't like either of them, choose something else like…

In reply a few people suggested just leaving it as it is, for example Lois said:

Whatever you choose I’ll be reading your blogs. I don’t think you need to change the name even if you’re only posting two or three times a week.

Thanks Lois. The majority however preferred either ‘5’ or ‘6’.

Many people agreed with the first comment which was made by Matt, my best mate these last 35 years or so:

If there is someone who doesn't know what kōrero means - I doubt that they are reading your work.

Fiona, not the one that is my wife, suggested “if the Warehouse Santa can kōrero then you sure can!”

There were a couple of comments that whakaaro (thoughts) might be a more accurate word than kōrero. But I think fewer people would find that familiar.

I did consider possible readers from overseas. Realistically many of my newsletters won’t appeal to a non-Kiwi audience, there are too many local references. With those that do I doubt an unfamiliar word in the newsletter title will put them off reading.

Doreen, who was my boss over 20 years ago, wrote:

I say go for it. Your readers will know and it makes perfect sense...tautoko!!! I support it!!!

There were suggestions of other names:

• Pete suggested “No Right Turn” - there is always one eh.

• There was Kōrerockel but someone pointed out that kind of meant "Nick isn't there", which is not really the intended message.

• Nick's Waha Nui (Nick's Big Gob) was popular.

• I suggested based on feedback that morning it could be "Thoughts of a woke clown"

• Or “Thoughts from a Westie Leftie”

• And I quite liked “It’s just a jump to the left”

I did consider putting a poll in this newsletter but really you’ll never get everyone to agree. Everyone has their own thoughts, which is good, and I don’t want people feeling like their perfectly good suggestions have been rejected as if they were a John Key flag, or Gaurav Sharma in a coming by election.

Or feeling that I’d make the wrong decision - there being of course no “right” decision.  We all know when you decisions are made by committee, too many cooks, you end up with the safest, least offensive, name.

There are already multiple newsletters called “Nick’s Thoughts” or “Nick’s Newsletter”, or “Nick’s News”. They’re fine but I don’t want one of those, I already had a bland name in. “The Daily Read”. I mean it’s hard to imagine that I could have come up with a name more banal to describe writing a blog daily.

Daily is a traditional newspaper name of course. The paper where I grew up in Rotorua was, still is, The Daily Post. It is used from broadsheets for the conservative (The Daily Telegraph) to tabloids for low IQ racists (The Daily Mail). But in the modern era where communication is more interactive it’s a bit dated. 

The daily whatever sounds like something I pop out with every couple of days and nail to a tree for people to read, then go back in my house and close the door and write the next one. I’d like things to be a bit more interactive than that. Substack have just released a chat feature, and I’m keen to have more discussion on my site in the future.

I wanted something that stood apart. I really love this country of ours - Aotearoa. I try to include the odd bit of Te Reo, my knowledge is very limited but I figure the more that Maori words, especially those that have a richer meaning than just the English translation, are used the better. 

My writing is quite left wing enough without ramming that down people’s throats in a title, so that ruled some names out. I hope many of the newsletters and ideas will appeal to people across the political spectrum.

I received the following:

To some extent it won't matter to people what a thing is called as long as they love it for what it is. Anyway I like your proposed new name ...sounds closer to your thing.

Which I think is sound. It was consistent with what others were saying - people aren’t really that fussed what the name is, in which case - may as well go with the one I like.

This feels like the right name to me, it isn’t done to be PC or woke. Some may say it is a bit “try hard” or tokenism, I can live with that.

I know I’ve chosen it because I want to live in an Aotearoa where Te Reo is encouraged and supported by pākehā and tangata whenua alike, and this is my little bit I can do.

Plus I really like it, it fits, so I’m going to go with it.

The Daily Read is Dead. Welcome to Nick’s Kōrero.

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I hope a lot of you lovely people like it better this way, but if you don’t I hope you still want to read the newsletters - you’ll probably get used to the name.