Team Names

Black, White, Silver and Ferns.

For those of you watching the World Cup, you may have cringed at the name of the New Zealand team: The All Whites. Sounds a bit… supreme, no? Fear not, dear readers, the nomenclature origin has nothing to do with skin pigment and everything to do with a typo. Or not.

In a country of 5 million people who love sport, the national teams are revered. We celebrate their performances on the world stage, especially when competing against larger countries. Just like road signs match from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, we have noticed that the sports teams’ names all share a theme involving the colors black, white or silver and with frequent reference to the silver fern (Cyathea dealbata, endemic to NZ). It started with the All Blacks.

Legend has it that an English newspaper, reporting on a rugby match in 1905, commented that the New Zealand team had impressively played as if comprised of all backs (we’ll skip the lesson in rugby positions.) The headline, though, was inadvertently typed up as “New Zealand All Blacks” and was repeated throughout their U.K. tour. This may be more of a tall tale, however, as no one has produced copies of said Daily Mail issues. It is more likely that their all black uniforms, which they have always sported, was the reason for the nickname.

In any case, New Zealand loves a theme and has embraced it. Here is an incomplete list of national sport teams to illustrate the point.

• All Blacks: men’s rugby

• Black Ferns: women’s rugby

• All Whites: men’s soccer (we call it both soccer and football here)

• Football Ferns: women’s soccer

• Black Caps: men’s cricket

• White Caps: women’s water polo

• Black Foils: SailGP team

• Black Sticks: men’s and women’s field hockey

• Silver Ferns: women’s netball

• Tall Blacks: men’s basketball

• Tall Ferns: women’s basketball

Beyond sport team uniforms, you will find the silver fern logo on airplanes, passports, company brands, and countless souvenirs. These are usually positioned on a black or white background. This branding is arguably more recognizable than the national flag (in 2016, a referendum on adopting a new national flag failed. One option would have replaced the Union Jack with a fern. These unofficial flags can still be purchased and are flying all over New Zealand.)

The official flag, with the Union Jack and Southern Cross

One of the proposed replacements, designed by Kyle Lockwood

Black, White, Silver. Ferns. It’s a vibe.