24 May 2000
DUNNE UNBOWED BY AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND DAY BILL DEFEAT
United New Zealand leader, Hon Peter Dunne, is unbowed after Parliament’s rejection of his Aotearoa New Zealand Day Bill
this afternoon.
He has vowed to keep up his campaign to change the name and form of New Zealand’s national day.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Day bill proposed renaming Waitangi Day Aotearoa New Zealand Day and celebrating it on the
Monday nearest to February 6th.
“I was not surprised the Government opposed the bill, given its reliance on the votes of its Maori bloc, who are
resistant to any change in the status of Waitangi Day.”
“However, as Norman Kirk, the original author of the concept of New Zealand Day, pointed out in 1973, Waitangi Day is
not just a day for Maori, but for all New Zealanders.”
“Current events in Fiji show clearly the danger to a society of legislating on a racial basis, and provide a timely
warning that society’s symbols should be about promoting the things that unite a country rather than those that divide.”
“New Zealand is a modern, multicultural society, and while the legacy of Waitangi Day is an important part of our
history we cannot and should not ignore, we need a national day that brings us all together, whatever our ethnic and
cultural origins.”
“That was the point of the Aotearoa New Zealand Day Bill, and its validity is undiminished by today’s Parliamentary
vote.”
“According to opinion polling, 62% of New Zealanders support some or all of the Bill’s provisions, and in their
interests, I will therefore be continuing the campaign for a new national day,” Mr Dunne says.
ENDS
New Zealand’s Liberal Party
MEDIA STATEMENT
HON PETER DUNNE, MP
LEADER UNITED NEW ZEALAND
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 1.
Ph(04)471 9410 or (025) 469 808. Fax (04)499 7266.
e-mail: peter.dunne@parliament.govt.nz. Internet Address: http://www.united.org.nz
New Zealand’s Liberal Party