Patti Maori (Maori Party) launched a fundraiser on Tuesday to change the name of New Zealand. If the group is successful, by 2026, the settlements will regain the Maori name as well
A set of signatures were launched in New Zealand to change the name of the country as well as the names of the settlements.
The new official name of the island nation in the Pacific Ocean will be Aotearoa, which was used by the indigenous Maori according to the petition, the most famous translation of which is “Land of the Long White Cloud”. However, the date of the word is disputed, as it is believed to have originally been used only for the North Island and not for the entire country.
The party leaders, Roiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarwa Packer, said the indigenous patient Māori (the Māori Party) also wants compromises to restore the Māori name by 2026.
It’s time to return the Maori language to the first and official language of this country. We are a Polynesian country, our name is Aotearoa
– said Royi Alwaiti, adding that indigenous peoples are “deeply fed up” with the old names being distorted and ignored.
This is the twenty-first century, and changes must be made
announced.
Debi Ngariwa-Baker added that the name change and colonial orientation in the education system led to a decline in knowledge of the Maori language from 90 percent to 26 percent among the indigenous population between 1910 and 1950, and today it is around 20 percent.
Changing the official name of the country would help restore the status of our language – Felicidet Debbie Ngariwa Packer.
In New Zealand, many companies, ministries and government agencies already use the name Aotearoa, which is also used in passports. In addition to English and New Zealand Sign Language, Maori has been one of the island nation’s official languages since 1987.
