December 12, 2023
Iwi challenges reo name drop
Tauranga moana iwi Ngāi Te Rangi has filed an urgent Waitangi Tribunal claim against public sector and ministry name changes.
Chief executive Paora Stanley says it’s concerned the Government is changing the names of departments like Waka Kotahi without due process just two weeks into its term.
The action is to slow them down.
“There’s some very, very disturbing things coming out. From when we’re filing this case about what’s actually happening. The government, as I described in my press release, is acting like a drunken sailor. And I’ve been a drunken sailor, so I know what one looks like, but this is crazy,” he says.
Mr Stanley says taking a Māori name off an agency shows disdain for te reo Maori.