Kia kaha Kia kaha Kia kaha is a Māori phrase used by the people of New Zealand as an affirmation, meaning "stay strong". The phrase has significant meaning for Māori: popularised through its usage by the 28th Māori Battalion during World War II, it is found in titles of books and songs, as well as a motto. Linguistically, kia kaha consists of the desiderative verbal particle "kia", used here as 'an encouragement to achieve the state named', that is, to achieve "kaha" or strength. "Kaha" derives from Proto-Polynesian "*kafa", meaning "strong" or "great"; "*kafa" is also the Proto-Polynesian term for sennit rope,
Kia-Ora launched a colourful, animated advertising campaign, directed by Oscar Grillo of Klacto Animations, which used the jingle "We all adore a Kia-Ora", and featured a child in a straw hat, a dog called Fedora who served the drink, and multiple crows who pursued the boy for a drink, with the boy responding with "it's too orangey for crows". Later promotions included Caramba's song "Fido", and the jingle was referred to in the Spaced episode "Gone". The advertisements attracted a degree of controversy in later years, with claims of implicit racism, because the boy looked similar to a golliwog. The brand