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Use Of Aotearoa In House 'Not A Matter Of Order', Brownlee Tells MPs
Giles Dexter, Political Reporter
Parliament's Speaker has told MPs he does not expect to hear any more points of order over the use of the word Aotearoa.
Two weeks ago, New Zealand First MPs Winston Peters and Shane Jones attacked Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March for referring to the country's name as Aotearoa during Question Time
Peters questioned why someone who came to New Zealand in 2006 was allowed to ask a question that changed the country's name without a public referendum, while Jones questioned the appropriateness of "recent immigrants" telling Māori what the name of the country should be.
Menéndez March was born in Mexico, but like all MPs is a New Zealand citizen.
At the time, Gerry Brownlee encouraged MPs to use the term Aotearoa-New Zealand, and while Standing Orders made it clear MPs could use English, te reo Māori, or sign language, he would take some time to think about the matter of New Zealand's name.
On Tuesday, he told the House he had considered the approach taken by the New Zealand Geographic Board.
"The official name of New Zealand may only be altered by legislation. However, Aotearoa is regularly used as a name of New Zealand, including by the Geographic Board itself in its own name and in the title of the legislation that created it. It appears on our passports and it appears on our currency," he said.
Brownlee said his suggestion on using Aotearoa-New Zealand was "for the sake of order in the House" and to assist anyone who did not understand the term.
"However, members may speak in any of the three languages at any time. If other members do not like certain words, they don't have to use them. But it's not a matter of order, and I don't expect to have further points of order raised about it."
On his way out of the House, Peters said he disagreed with the Speaker's conclusion.
"The Speaker's wrong. And I'll tell you why he's wrong. This matter has never gone to the people of this country, has never got the people's consent. There's no mandate, there's no authority," he said.
Peters said his issue was with the use of Aotearoa, not te reo Māori being used in the House. He said the public should have a say on the matter, not "temporarily empowered politicians, all the way to the Speaker".
He said if MPs used Aotearoa in a question to him, they would not get an answer.
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