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Download AudioMāori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi says the party’s push to make Aotearoa the official name of the country has a serious purpose.
The Maori affairs select committee considered the proposal this week.
Mr Waititi says while the country is facing other important issues like the rising cost of living and the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle, it can’t lose sight of building a stronger future.
“This is all part of growing the identity of a country that should be deep-seated in the values and the principles; well the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. And so building a Tiriti-centric Aotearoa is important to building a greater nation than we already are,” he says.
Mr Waititi says renaming the country is a step towards becoming a truly bicultural nation.
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