Summarised by Centrist
In response to a recent Centrist social media post asking whether Aotearoa is a cultural right or an unofficial rewrite of New Zealand’s name, the results were overwhelming: of 560 responses, well over 90 percent said it was an unofficial rewrite.
Only around a few dozen were supportive.
Many were blunt:
“Definitely an unofficial rewrite of New Zealand’s name.”
“Unwanted and forced onto the majority of New Zealanders.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting how the media and the left are pushing this onto all of us.”
“It should be put to the people. I for one prefer New Zealand only.”
Others questioned the historical legitimacy of the term:
“If Māori ever called the country that, it would be in the Treaty.”
A small number offered support.
“It’s a cultural right!!!! Māori are tangata whenua, it is our language, AOTEAROA is HOME.”
“It’s a cultural right. Henceforth, I shall always call our country Aotearoa.”
Others supported dual use but opposed official change without public consent.
“Aotearoa should not replace NZ until a referendum has been held.”
Note, respondents were self-selected via a Centrist post on social media and we don’t purport it is representative of the broader population.
Still, when combined with other available data, including past polling, there is little public evidence that Aotearoa enjoys broad support as a replacement for New Zealand.
