Guest Author Cullen Linebarger
The radical left has embarked on global campaigns around the world to cancel prominent historical figures and places in the name of “racial justice” and political correctness. Now they have their sights on cancelling an entire country.
The Māori Party of New Zealand presented a petition of 70,000 names before New Zealand’s Parliament to not only officially change the country’s name to Aotearoa, but to also “restore the original Māori names for all towns, cities, and places right across the country” by 2026. This not only means the name New Zealand will be erased but also the nation’s entire identity with famous cities such as Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Queenstown no longer in existence.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-chair of the Māori Party, argues renaming New Zealand Aotearoa will correct the so-called wrongs of colonization. From NPR:
“It’s really important that we dismantle some of the grips of colonization that have hindered our ability to reach our true potential. And one of the biggest things that’s reflected in some of the poorer states across the nation is the lack of self-identity, is the lack of actually understanding even who the tangata whenuaor Indigenous people, Māori of Aotearoa are.”
“It will have a massive positive impact on the ability for us to reclaim not just our language, but to lift the trauma of colonization”
Ngarewa-Packer provided no evidence during the interview of the Māori being held back by colonization. Furthermore, there is no justification for referring to New Zealand as Aotearoa in the first place. Bruce Moon, a New Zealand historian, aptly notes that “in the pre-European era, Māori had no name for the country as a whole.” The country was discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642 and the Dutch East India Company named the place “Nieuw Zeeland.” The island was later renamed New Zealand after becoming a British colony in 1840. Aotearoa did not emerge into the lexicon until 1890when it was used in a fictional story by author Stephenson Percy Smith.
The prospects for a name change in the near future appear unclear. The New Zealand Parliament has not acted as of today and far-left Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has not pushed to rename New Zealand. Last year, however, she said more people referring to the country as Aotearoa was “a positive thing” and “a transition that has been welcomed.” The cancel culture warriors will surely take comfort with those comments.
Even if the New Zealand Parliament takes no action, the mission to erase New Zealand from memory will continue uninterrupted. Ngarewa-Packer argues “it’s not a matter of if but when” New Zealand becomes Aotearoa. Furthermore, there been a stealthmovement within the Ardern government, domestic companies, and newspapers amplifying Aotearoa into the public consciousness. The woke White House even issued a joint statement referring to New Zealand as “Aotearoa New Zealand” after Joe Biden met with Ardern back in May.
The left never gives in until achieving their ultimate goals and will play the long game if necessary. Unless a vigilant and unwavering right emerges in New Zealand to push back against this madness, the nation will at some point no longer exist.