Should New Zealand be officially renamed Aotearoa?

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Is it time for New Zealand to officially change its name?

If New Zealand gets renamed, Aotearoa might not be the best, most inclusive option.

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and widespread discussion of New Zealand's racist, imperial past, the name of the country has become a talking point again.

Magic Talk's Peter Williams sparked debate online on Tuesday after asking 'New Zealand or Aotearoa?'

Almost every year for the last decade New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa receives an inquiry about the country's name.

We asked people on the street what their favourite statue in Hamilton was, as well as who they thought deserved to have a statue in the city.

But renaming the country Aotearoa isn't an accurate representation of the entire country, one expert says.

The statue of Sir George Grey has been defaced in Albert Park, in central Auckland.

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'Aotearoa is actually one of the Māori names for the North Island of New Zealand, and has never included the South Island of New Zealand,' Dr Dan Hikuroa, a senior lecturer for the University of Auckland's Te Wānanga o Waipapa, explained to Stuff.

'So even though in contemporary use, Aotearoa has come to mean New Zealand, actually … it's quite exclusionary.'

Another name for the North Island is Te Ika a Maui (The Fish of Maui), while the South Island can be known as Te Wai Pounamu (Greenstone Waters) or Te Waka a Maui (The Canoe of Maui). There are also several names for Stewart Island including Rakiura and Te Punga o te Waka a Maui (The Anchor Stone of the Maui’s Waka).

Hikuroa, who is of Ngati Maniapoto and Waikato-Tainui and is also the culture commissioner for the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, argued the name 'New Zealand' doesn't actually represent the country any more.

'The name isn't just a representative of who we are, it actually is a hangover from that colonial [history].'

'We … have this kind of bi-cultural foundation, we are multi-cultural today.'

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While Hikuroa hadn't yet thought of a suitable name, he suggested including both English and te reo Māori words, as opposed to choosing one or the other.

'Having te reo in the name is of immense importance,' he said.

Doing so would show that this country is the 'only place in the world where this language exists'.

Take the haka for example - when people see it, they think of New Zealand.

'By giving the country a name that reflected our Māori roots and our Māori heritage, it would be kind of aligning how we are seen internationally with our name.'

The University of Waikato's Dr Arama Rata, who is of Ngāti Maniapoto, Taranaki, and Ngāruahine descent, thought the country's original name - Aotearoa - should be restored. She said an official name change would 'send an important message globally that Indigenous histories and peoples matter'.

It will also send a strong message onshore.

'This would be significant recognition of the relationship between tangata whenua and tangata tauiwi in these lands.'

The increased popularity of New Zealand/Aotearoa is a good place to start - Hikuroa saw it as a sign of respect and honour for the country's bi-cultural foundations.

But using it without the forward slash and having the words flow on from one another is even better - Aotearoa New Zealand, for example. This is how he uses it in all of his academic work.

Given the goings-on around the world in the space of racism and honouring Indigenous culture, Hikuroa thought it was good the discussion had resurfaced.

'It’s as much a case of renaming as it is a case of remembering and I think that needs to be an important part of any discussion and conversation that is had.'

An Act of Parliament is needed to change the name of New Zealand, a spokesperson from New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa said. From their understanding, no requests for changing the name ever came close to becoming a reality.

Rata said the Black Lives Matter movement had forced us to 'see the racist structures underpinning settler colonial nations'. Since the movement was sparked by the death of US man George Floyd at the hands of police, people in New Zealand - and around the world - have been speaking out.

Demonstrations have taken place across the country, statues depicting colonial icons have been defaced and removed, and even the names of towns have been called into question.

'The uprising of people around the world shows we will no longer tolerate racism, and that racist structures must be dismantled,' Rata said.

'We have our own unique histories and identities that should be affirmed in the name we use for these lands today.'