In a sharp exchange in Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters pushed back hard against the creeping rebranding of New Zealand under a name it was never officially given - Aotearoa New Zealand.
The confrontation began when Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono asked Peters what commitments the Government had made to protect “Aotearoa New Zealand's” marine environment following the United Nations Ocean Conference in France.
Peters' response was blunt:
“No such country turned up, nor is such a country a member of the United Nations.”
He made it clear - in every official document, speech, and registration at the international conference, the country was listed and referred to as New Zealand. Not Aotearoa, not Aotearoa New Zealand, just New Zealand. That is the name recognised by the international community and the name under which this country conducts foreign affairs.
Peters went further:
“The name of this country, in all the documents and the membership of the United Nations, is New Zealand. We are not going to have somebody unilaterally, without consultation with the New Zealand people, change this country’s name.”
His comments sparked pushback from the Speaker, who reminded the House of a ruling made earlier in the year that allows MPs to refer to the country as Aotearoa New Zealand. But Peters was not having it.
He pointed out that the name change has never been put to a vote, never been raised in a referendum, and never been formally adopted through legislation.
“This sham, bogus pretence that our name is being changed when the New Zealand taxpayer has never been consulted. We are not going to put up with it.”
When Tuiono repeated his question, again using Aotearoa New Zealand, Peters shot back:
“Because no such country exists, we made no such commitments.”
He reminded Parliament that if even the New Zealand Geographic Board is going to use the dual name, it should only happen through proper legislative change. Not through stealth, branding exercises, or activist language creep inside government departments.
Why I’m starting to paywall most articles
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been blown away by how much support this Substack has had. It’s grown faster than I expected, and it’s clear there’s a real appetite for the kind of content I’m putting out - honest, unapologetic, and not afraid to call things for what they are, even if it pisses off the Māori elite and left-wing politicians.
This moment in Parliament highlights a growing frustration among New Zealanders. The widespread use of "Aotearoa" or "Aotearoa New Zealand" in public communications, documents, and government branding has happened without the consent of the people. It is being normalised from the top down rather than through any democratic process.
Peters is not opposing te reo Māori. What he is opposing is bypassing the public in a fundamental shift of national identity. If politicians want to rename the country, they need to put it to a referendum.
Until then, as Peters rightly stated, the name of this country remains, simply, New Zealand
© Matua Kahurangi. All rights reserved. This content is the intellectual property of Matua Kahurangi and may not be copied, reproduced, or republished in any form without prior written permission. Sharing excerpts with proper credit and a link to the original is allowed for non-commercial purposes.
Share this post