OREANDA-NEWS. A political movement of members of the Maori tribe has signed a petition to the New Zealand authorities to rename the country Aotearoa. This name is the official Polynesian title-the toponym of this territory. This is reported by VICE.

The co-chairs of the party of Maori members Raviri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer believe that the return of the historical name of the country will be a key moment for New Zealand. According to them, this is an overdue opposition to the colonial heritage.

«It is high time that Maori was restored to it's rightful place as the first and official language of this country. We are a Polynesian country — we are Aotearoa», the political activists said in a statement.

Earlier it was reported that a new cabinet of ministers of New Zealand was formed in 2020. According to the Prime Minister of the country, Jacinda Andern, the new government is distinguished by a great diversity of representatives of different cultures and directions of political thinking. For the first time in the history of the New Zealand State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headed by a Maori woman, Nanaya Mahuta. The post of Deputy Prime Minister was taken by an openly gay Grant Robertson.