There's a debate that's been bubbling away for a few years now on whether NZ should change its name to Aotearoa, the Maori name for the country*. Here's a little background and opinion.
Being an older white bloke, I know quite a few of the same demographic, and there isn't a subject I can think of that garners more gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes than the idea the name of the country could change.
I've always thought we had the world's worst-named country - named after a Dutch province by a bloke who never even set foot in the country - and I would welcome the change to a unique, culturally-appropriate name. No question Maori were here before us and it's a much nicer name than "Nu Zilland".
I think the impetus for change has clearly grown this century, and while there's still a majority in favour of keeping the English name, that's dropping as the old white people die off. As far as I can tell, people under 30 would support the idea.
There's plenty of precedent for countries changing names and I'd be delighted to see us join the club.
*Anyone that interested can check out the name here - there's some dispute as to its origins, but one thing is certain, when approaching NZ by ship, you're going to see a long, white cloud long before you see any land.
Being an older white bloke, I know quite a few of the same demographic, and there isn't a subject I can think of that garners more gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes than the idea the name of the country could change.
I've always thought we had the world's worst-named country - named after a Dutch province by a bloke who never even set foot in the country - and I would welcome the change to a unique, culturally-appropriate name. No question Maori were here before us and it's a much nicer name than "Nu Zilland".
I think the impetus for change has clearly grown this century, and while there's still a majority in favour of keeping the English name, that's dropping as the old white people die off. As far as I can tell, people under 30 would support the idea.
There's plenty of precedent for countries changing names and I'd be delighted to see us join the club.
*Anyone that interested can check out the name here - there's some dispute as to its origins, but one thing is certain, when approaching NZ by ship, you're going to see a long, white cloud long before you see any land.
via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/3AB0T8a
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