It was a good try but Winston, you’re at least five years too late, possibly much longer.
The New Zealand First leader made a not so subtle point during Question Time this week when responding to a query from an opposition MP about a UN oceans conference in France.
The question referred to Aotearoa-New Zealand. Peters replied that he had attended the conference but that “no such country turned up, nor is such a country a member of the United Nations.”
For this he was rebuked by Speaker Gerry Brownlee who pointed out that Peters had travelled the world as Foreign Minister on a passport for both Aotearoa and New Zealand, that Aotearoa now features on our bank notes and that the Geographic Board includes Aotearoa in its official name.
All of which is true.
But how did that happen? How is it that Aotearoa appears on both our passports and bank notes? These are, by some distance, the most important of official government documents.
Seventy percent of us have a passport and while many live a life through EFTPOS, Paywave and bank transfers, most of us would touch a $5 or $10 note more than any other piece of government documentation.
Here are the important questions.
Was there ever a government or parliamentary directive to include Aotearoa on passports and bank notes?
Or was it a decision from deep inside the bureaucracy?
Were we as users ever consulted?
Why was it deemed important to have this name included?
Answers are, to say the least, difficult to find.
Some reports say Aotearoa first appeared on our passports from 2005 when the Department of Internal Affairs introduced the biometric versions. Others suggest it came in 2011 when the National Party was governing with support from the Māori Party of Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia.
From memory Aotearoa originally only appeared on the inside pages of the documents. But since 2021 the front cover has included Uruwhenua Aotearoa above New Zealand Passport.
The etymology of uruwhenua is intriguing. If whenua means land and uru means either hair, a northwest direction or entering or going to a place, then translating uruwhenua to passport is quite the stretch!
But then te reo is a language with barely 200 years of written history so inventing and introducing new words has been part of its evolution for two centuries.
However, the main point is that the most official and important document a New Zealand citizen can obtain and own had its very core function – the identification of one’s country - added to and changed at some stage in the last twenty years without any consultation with those people who own them, the citizens. The change happened before our eyes with barely a murmur. We weren’t asked if we wanted the change. We weren’t told it had happened until the new passport arrived in the mail.
Considering that for a period earlier this century passports had to be re-issued every five years, it’s quite extraordinary that nobody bothered to pay much attention to the alternative or additional name of the country the document was issued for.
But it’s worth considering the time of the change, either 2005 or 2011. The country was not being wracked by a bureaucracy-led Maorification of the way we operate. When those new passports arrived fifteen or twenty years ago with an alternative name for this land we call home, we probably thought that it was, well, kind of cute.
The name on the passport was, on reflection, the start of it. Then came the bank notes in 2015 and the Ardern government put the pedal to the floor with virtually every piece of legislation, especially the Public Service Act and Education and Training Act of 2020, containing sections requiring understanding and implementation of Māori perspectives.
So now we have what we have today. A nation which is struggling with its most basic question. What is our name?
The stealth of the last two decades has been allowed to occur because as a people we have been too laconic, too lackadaisical and too focused on getting on with life. We haven’t paid enough attention to the way the country’s governing structures are slowly and inexorably being changed.
Winston Peters has seen it happen and has been trying to stop the flood. Sadly he’s been run over by the bureaucracy and the parties of the left.
His comments in Question Time this week were a good try. Maybe he should introduce a Member’s Bill to have the word Aotearoa removed from our passports.
Or maybe he should just get the people to answer the simple question – do you want your country to be named, or part named, Aotearoa ?
A referendum at next year’s election could settle the matter.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced
All of which is true.
But how did that happen? How is it that Aotearoa appears on both our passports and bank notes? These are, by some distance, the most important of official government documents.
Seventy percent of us have a passport and while many live a life through EFTPOS, Paywave and bank transfers, most of us would touch a $5 or $10 note more than any other piece of government documentation.
Here are the important questions.
Was there ever a government or parliamentary directive to include Aotearoa on passports and bank notes?
Or was it a decision from deep inside the bureaucracy?
Were we as users ever consulted?
Why was it deemed important to have this name included?
Answers are, to say the least, difficult to find.
Some reports say Aotearoa first appeared on our passports from 2005 when the Department of Internal Affairs introduced the biometric versions. Others suggest it came in 2011 when the National Party was governing with support from the Māori Party of Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia.
From memory Aotearoa originally only appeared on the inside pages of the documents. But since 2021 the front cover has included Uruwhenua Aotearoa above New Zealand Passport.
The etymology of uruwhenua is intriguing. If whenua means land and uru means either hair, a northwest direction or entering or going to a place, then translating uruwhenua to passport is quite the stretch!
But then te reo is a language with barely 200 years of written history so inventing and introducing new words has been part of its evolution for two centuries.
However, the main point is that the most official and important document a New Zealand citizen can obtain and own had its very core function – the identification of one’s country - added to and changed at some stage in the last twenty years without any consultation with those people who own them, the citizens. The change happened before our eyes with barely a murmur. We weren’t asked if we wanted the change. We weren’t told it had happened until the new passport arrived in the mail.
Considering that for a period earlier this century passports had to be re-issued every five years, it’s quite extraordinary that nobody bothered to pay much attention to the alternative or additional name of the country the document was issued for.
But it’s worth considering the time of the change, either 2005 or 2011. The country was not being wracked by a bureaucracy-led Maorification of the way we operate. When those new passports arrived fifteen or twenty years ago with an alternative name for this land we call home, we probably thought that it was, well, kind of cute.
The name on the passport was, on reflection, the start of it. Then came the bank notes in 2015 and the Ardern government put the pedal to the floor with virtually every piece of legislation, especially the Public Service Act and Education and Training Act of 2020, containing sections requiring understanding and implementation of Māori perspectives.
So now we have what we have today. A nation which is struggling with its most basic question. What is our name?
The stealth of the last two decades has been allowed to occur because as a people we have been too laconic, too lackadaisical and too focused on getting on with life. We haven’t paid enough attention to the way the country’s governing structures are slowly and inexorably being changed.
Winston Peters has seen it happen and has been trying to stop the flood. Sadly he’s been run over by the bureaucracy and the parties of the left.
His comments in Question Time this week were a good try. Maybe he should introduce a Member’s Bill to have the word Aotearoa removed from our passports.
Or maybe he should just get the people to answer the simple question – do you want your country to be named, or part named, Aotearoa ?
A referendum at next year’s election could settle the matter.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced
13 comments:
Can someone explain why the entire country of New Zealand has become referred to as Aotearoa-surely Niu Tirani is a more exact translation?
A classic example of waking up to - yet another - undesirable situation too late. The story of ex- NZ. Suggest a referendum on NZ's democracy at the same time - before He Puapua/tribal rule and an ethno-state are formally announced. Future generations will indeed ask: how did our forebears possibly let this fiasco happen?
I emailed Gerry Brownlee on this very important matter. The geographic board can't change the name of our country. He should only refer to Aotearoa New Zealand if a referendum is held and the majority of New Zealanders want this. Even though some consider this a trivial matter, no countries of any importance change their name. National under John Key made the Aotearoa passport change so it's not just "left wing governments".
We are not living in a dictatorship. You can see these politicians will go to no end of trouble to organise a referendum of matters of importance to them. Changing the flag for example or legalising cannabis. I bet most New Zealanders would consider the country name issue more important.
>" ... do you want your country to be named, or part named, Aotearoa ?"
What does it mean to 'part name' a country? This is not a well-worded question. Ask people whether they want the official name of the country to appear at the UN and on passports, bank notes, etc, to be New Zealand, Aotearoa, or Aotearoa New Zealand (tick one).
The argument about Aotearoa/ New Zealand is really quite pathetic. The country is New Zealand, time has moved on and so should the advocates pushing for naming everything Māori.
And there is precedence for moving on, look at England, London in particular. Its original name was Londinium, named by the Romans. The whole country has towns named by the Romans but virtually none are referred to by their original name. Spend time on more productive things.
“We are not living in a dictatorship”
Welcome to neo-feudalism.
Whereas, I think the argument is one of apartheid verses non-apartheid and is THE ISSUE.
You have to have some grudging admiration for the devious weasels who have, slowly but surely, gradually led the dozing sheep of this country quietly down the track to the abattoirs. Are we collectively beginning to show vague signs of awareness? Will we be fully awake before the doors clang shut? Let’s hope so.
Again governance by unelected Maori radicals pressing gullible fragile politicians to making decisions that should involve everybody, but capitulating to a few vociferous part Maori.
We have a government who lied to us about stopping this, and yet they have made the situation worse.
Luxon is so weak, he has to go.
UK relatives have latterly referred to London (which was formerly Londinium) as Londistan. I wonder why that is, it is a complete mystery to me (well okay it is not!).
I’m all for our country retaining the name New Zealand, but this is typical Winston. He’s electioneering already. This topic excites many of us, but does nothing to solve the much deeper problems besetting NZ. In terms of policy it’s an attention-grabbing red herring Winston is throwing to the receptive masses. He’s just pushing our buttons. Where’s the serious policy Winston? NZ needs so much more than this.
Our passports are coming up for renewal next year. Prior to doing the applications, we shall be enquiring of internal affairs as to which version we would be receiving because we will only accept a passport where New Zealand English is first or the only name used. In fact all blanks in the stockpile currently ought to be taken out and shredded. Frankly, the Speaker is out of order with his ruling and the insidious insertion of the bloomin' A word into official documents is a complete abomination.
I'm with you 12:04. Winston has used this type of issue to promote himself throughout his entire political career.
All talk and bluster, but no definitive results.
I get it. I'm the same.
Difference though, I don't pretend to make any promises of change.
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