King Charles pens letter to New Zealand referring to country as Aotearoa
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Read King Charles’s Amazing Letter to New Zealand Proving the Monarchy Has Been Changed Forever Under His Leadership
- King Charles referred to New Zealand as Aotearoa
- The reference came amid the debate over whether the country should change its name.
King Charles III has sent a letter to New Zealand in which he refers to the country as Aotearoa for the first time for the British monarch.
Aotearoa is the Maori name for the country, and there is increasing demand for it to become the official name of New Zealand. The Maori are the Polynesian indigenous people of the country.
King Charles wrote the letter to share his condolences with the country after it was hit by deadly floods and record rains last week.
At least four people were killed while thousands of houses were damaged after heavy rains triggered widespread landslides.
King Charles III has sent a letter to New Zealand in which he refers to the country as Aotearoa for the first time for the British monarch.
At least four people have been killed and thousands of houses damaged after heavy rains triggered widespread landslides.
King Charles opened the letter by addressing New Zealand by its traditional Maori name.
“It is with the deepest concern that I have been following the news of the flooding and severe weather affecting various regions of Aotearoa, New Zealand,” he wrote.
‘My wife and I send our sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives, and our thoughts are with the many others whose lives have been so terribly affected by the events.
“I have long admired the strength and resourcefulness of New Zealanders, and I send my thoughts and prayers to all those who support response and recovery efforts to help people repair or restore homes, businesses and lives.”
King Charles continued to pay his respects to the indigenous people of the land by ending the letter with a Maori phrase.
‘Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Be strong, be brave, be firm,’ she wrote.
New Zealand is one of 15 nations under the Commonwealth with countries like Australia and Canada among them.
Prince Charles’ use of the Maori language comes after a petition was launched to change the country’s official name to Aotearoa.
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she uses both New Zealand and Aotearoa interchangeably, and hoped the rest of the country would follow suit.
“Whether or not we change it in law, I don’t think it will change the fact that New Zealanders are increasingly referring to Aotearoa, and I think that’s a welcome transition.”
However, a recent poll found that the majority of New Zealanders want the official name of New Zealand to remain the same.
Kiwis were asked: ‘What do you think the country should be officially called?’
More than half of those polled voted to keep the New Zealand name at 58 percent.
Others opted for Aotearoa to be in the mix at 41 per cent.
Only 9 percent of people wanted to replace the New Zealand name entirely with Aotearoa.
Another 31 percent wanted to see a double-barreled name: Aotearoa New Zealand.
King Charles wrote the letter to share his condolences with the country after it was hit by deadly floods and record rains last week.