The speaker of New Zealand’s parliament has told lawmakers to stop complaining about the use of the Māori name for the country, after the deputy prime minister strongly objected to hearing it in the house.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Gerry Brownlee said that while “New Zealand” is the official name, the Māori name “Aotearoa” is used widely, including on currency and passports.
Lawmakers were free to speak in any of the three languages – English, Māori or sign language – and that was “the end of the matter”, Brownlee said.
“If other members do not like certain words, they don’t have to use them. But it’s not a matter of order and I don’t expect to have further points of order raised about it.”
The ruling comes after Winston Peters – who is deputy prime minister, foreign affairs minister and the leader of the populist New Zealand First party – questioned why the Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March had used “Aotearoa” during house proceedings last month.
“Why is someone who applied to come to a country called New Zealand as an immigrant in 2006 allowed in this house to change the country’s name without the mandate, approval or referendum of the New Zealand people?” Peters asked.
Menéndez March is originally from Mexico but is a New Zealand citizen.
New Zealand First minister Shane Jones later questioned the appropriateness of “recent immigrants” telling Māori what the name of the country should be.
After the incident, Menéndez March accused the minister’s comments of being “explicitly xenophobic” and said it could translate into harm within the community.
Other lawmakers have referred to Aotearoa in the house, including the National party minister Tama Potaka who used it a day before Menéndez March.
Brownlee’s ruling comes at a moment of high tension between the government and the Indigenous population. Since taking office, the rightwing coalition’s broader policy direction for Māori – including limiting Māori language use in public services and sweeping rollbacks to policies designed to improve Māori health and wellbeing – has prompted strident criticism and major protests.
The name Aotearoa – commonly translated to “long white cloud” or “long bright world” – is increasingly used by members of the public, within media, businesses and government, amid a decades-long push to revitalise the Indigenous language.
But while Māori words and phrases have become commonplace – even among non-Māori – the appetite to officially change New Zealand’s name is low. In 2022, Te Pāti Māori (the Māori party) delivered a petition of 70,000 signatures to parliament calling for the country’s name to be officially changed to Aotearoa. At the time, polling suggested the majority of New Zealanders were not ready for it.
Peters – who is Māori – has opposed affirmative initiatives intended to advance Māori, criticised the use of Māori names for government departments and drawn ire for claiming Māori are not Indigenous.
After Tuesday’s ruling, Peters told media the speaker’s conclusion was “wrong”. “And I’ll tell you why he’s wrong. This matter has never gone to the people of this country, has never got the people’s consent. There’s no mandate, there’s no authority,” he said.
Peters, Jones and Menéndez March were contacted for comment.
Associated Press contributed to this report
