Rt Hon Winston Peters
Leader of New Zealand First

New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill that seeks to state in law that “New Zealand” is the official geographic name of our country.

“Over the past few years, we have had a bunch of unelected bureaucrats, officials, government departments, and politicians trying to change our country’s name by stealth - with no permission or consent from the people” says Rt Hon Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First.

The “New Zealand (Name of State) Bill” confirms that ‘New Zealand’ is our country’s official name, and it is only parliament and the people, not bureaucrats, government departments, or officials, that have the authority to make decisions about the name of the country.

“The vast majority of New Zealanders are shocked at this insidious creep of misguided and misinformed cultural history of the name ‘Aotearoa’.”

“Any true historian or cultural expert would know that it was never the original Māori name for New Zealand – and we should not allow it to be misused for cultural virtue signalling.”

“Colonialist William Pember Reeves incorrectly used ‘Aotearoa’ in the late nineteenth century, now the cultural hand-wringers have embraced his mindset.”

“Don’t force the South Island’s iwi Ngāi Tahu to use ‘Aotearoa’.  In 2021, Ngāi Tahu said the history of the name ‘Aotearoa’ originally referred solely to the North Island.”

Putting the name “New Zealand” in law will also provide constitutional clarity and legal certainty.

“The name ‘New Zealand’ is recognised around the world as the name of our country, and any uncertainty about that risks our global economic markets and political identity that we have built, and spent billions of dollars promoting, over many decades” says Mr Peters.

“Our country’s name is New Zealand and should not change unless the people of our country decide to change it.”

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