Recently in New Zealand, the incoming coalition government has indicated that the push to rename New Zealand to “Aotearoa” will halt, as part of a series of legislation changes that confirm English as one of the country’s official languages. Other Native languages, such as Maori and sign language are recognized under the law as official languages, and English is currently the most spoken language. As part of its election policies, NZ First pledged to fight against “racist separatism” and pushed for English to be legislated as the primary official language, a move that will be followed through by the incoming coalition government.
Under the former administration of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, there was a substantial increase in the usage of Maori terms in official government settings and communication, a move that has been criticized as tokenism and seen as largely ineffective by incoming Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. He said that rather than focusing on tokenism, the effort should be on carrying out duties and responsibilities efficiently. Under the new administration, Maori names for government departments will be replaced, and all public service departments will have English names and are required to communicate in English.
In addition, the incoming coalition government has also agreed to review the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), remove co-governance in public services, stop all work on He Puapua, and review all legislation that includes the “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.” These changes also include stopping the efforts to centralize the country’s water usage under Three Waters legislation. The administration confirmed that it would not recognize the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) as having any binding legal effect.