A party standing in next month’s New Zealand election has called for the country’s name to be abolished but it’s sparked a fierce backlash.
The cities of Wellington and Christchurch could also have their British derived names axed under the proposals.Kiwis go to the polls on October 17 after the previous election date of September 23 was postponed due to a new outbreak ofThe Jacinda Ardern-led Labor Party is aiming to retain power boosted by its pandemic response with the ultimate prize being able to govern in its own right and not in coalition.
“It is unacceptable that only 20 per cent of our people can speak their own language and that only 3 per cent of the country can speak its official language,” Mr Waititi said during Maori Language Week.However, the proposal has been rubbished by leader of the New Zealand First Party and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters who said it was “separatism” and politicians should be focusing on jobs and education in the wake of the pandemic.
However, the term New Zealand never replaced Aotearoa, as the original Maori name was likely not used to refer to the whole country. The name New Zealand, while made official by the British, is not all that British. Dutch explorer Able Tasman was the first European to reach the islands in 1642. Ms Ardern has avoiding wading into the debate noting only that Aotearoa is being used more frequently.
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