Aotearoa or New Zealand: has the moment come to change the country’s name?

Māori party leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Te Pati Māori has presented a petition with 70,000 signatures asking for New Zealand to be renamed Aotearoa. Photograph: Kiriana Eparaima-Hautapu

What’s in a name? A lot, when it comes to a nation’s identity.

Recognition is growing within Aotearoa New Zealand over the importance of te reo Māori (Māori language), and with it a renewed push to change the country’s official name – this time backed by a petition with 70,000 signatures.