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Dunne Continues Push For National New Zealand Day
Dunne Continues Push For National New Zealand Day
United Future leader Peter Dunne, on the eve of Waitangi Day, today renewed his call for New Zealand to have a separate day to celebrate New Zealand's nationhood, while retaining Waitangi Day as a historically and culturally significant day for this country.
Mr Dunne, the sponsor of a New Zealand Day Bill now before a Parliamentary select committee, said "In the interests of absolute clarity, I am prepared to amend the Bill to clarify that there would be a Waitangi Day and a New Zealand Day.
"New Zealand is right to honour the Treaty as our nation's founding document and the visible sign of a compact between Maori and the settlers.
"But it is no longer 1840 and there have been huge changes in New Zealand's culture and demographics.
"It's time for New Zealand to recognise this new reality with a national day that is not a day of grievance, but celebrates the things that unite us.
"Over time, I believe we will make greater changes and we will have a new flag, a new constitution and a republican form of government.
"An informal poll on the United Future website shows 3 to 1 support for a New Zealand Day as well as a Waitangi Day and I say it's time we all grew up and started the process of asserting our New Zealand nationhood," said Mr Dunne.
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