Wellingtonians are making it clear they want Māori place names to be restored to Wellington electorates, with more than 5,300 signatures on a petition sent to the Representation Committee today by Green Party Wellington MPs Julie Anne Genter and Tamatha Paul.
“The public mandate is crystal clear: the people of Wellington want the names restored,” says Green Party MP for Rongotai Julie Anne Genter.
“The Rongotai electorate was changed to an English name with minimal community consultation and zero engagement with mana whenua. This is unacceptable.
“Our communities deserve to have a say on the name of their electorate. These names were stripped without consultation, based on the feedback of three individuals,” says Julie Anne Genter.
“This week, as we celebrate and honour te reo Māori, it would be fitting and powerful for the Government to uphold the mandate of the electorate, says Green Party MP for Wellington Central Tamatha Paul.
“These changes are yet another attack on te reo. As this letter shows, the people will not stand for it.
“We are calling for the Representation Committee to listen to the people of Pōneke and return to the electorate the te reo name it has had for 30 years,” says Tamatha Paul.