The Maori Party has launched a petition calling on Parliament to change the country's official name to Aotearoa and "officially restore the Te Reo Maori names for all towns, cities and place names". According to the petition:
"It’s well past time that Te Reo Māori was restored to its rightful place as the first and official language of this country. We are a Polynesian country – we are Aotearoa."
A Curia Research poll released today however finds 49 percent of New Zealanders oppose changing the name of the country to Aotearoa and only 28 percent support a change. Of those who have an opinion, 64 percent oppose changing the name of New Zealand to Aotearoa
Something as fundamentally important as the very name of the country must eventually be the subject of a referendum.
No matter how many signatures the Maori Party get on their petition, it would disenfranchise New Zealanders if such a petition led to a change of the country’s name.