Abel Tasman is officially recognised as the first European to reach these shores. Image / Supplied
Abel Tasman is officially recognised as the first European to reach these shores. Image / Supplied
Zeeland, aka "Old Zealand", is the least populous province of the Netherlands, made up of islands and peninsulas - Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen, Noord-Beveland, Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland - and a strip of land on the Belgian border.
It's also what the Dutch named this land following Abel Tasman's voyage to our fairshores in 1642 - Nova Zeelandia.
After James Cook arrived in 1769, it was anglicised and became New Zealand.
In his speech to New Zealand First's AGM last weekend, party leader Winston Peters slammed the use of the word "Aotearoa" instead of "New Zealand" in government reports.
Has Peters' view got wide support or has the time come to do away with New Zealand altogether? Should we simply be called Aotearoa? What about Aotearoa-New Zealand?
McDouall said such a decision would require "a much larger discussion" and perhaps a referendum.
"Like the name of our city, it tends to provoke some emotions that are not always logical.
"Think about all the efforts you put into naming your children, or even naming your labrador, for goodness' sake.
"Changing the name of the country couldn't just be on a whim."
Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall said he would be in favour of Aotearoa-New Zealand. Photo / Paul Brooks
Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa chairman Pahia Turia said the country was maturing and starting to consider things that "would never have been on the table before".
"What's really important is creating opportunities for people to have those discussions," Turia said.
"We can learn from each other and be respectful of each other's positions, whether we are for or against."
For former Whanganui MP Chester Borrows said doing away with New Zealand was a "no brainer".
"First of all, we were named after some obscure part of Holland," Borrows said.
"Why would you keep that? Especially when there's an indigenous name that is unique and is about the landscape.
"It's just nuts to think we would carry on with it. It's colonialism and it's rubbish."
Decisions such as this would always provoke a fierce reaction among certain parts of the population, Borrows said.
"I remember back when they were making the argument for Mt Taranaki, and people had bumper stickers saying 'Mt Egmont - Our Name, Our Heritage'.
"That's just stupid, and the same goes for anyone who says 'New Zealand - Our Name, Our Heritage'.
"You're not Dutch, you're of Welsh or Scottish ancestry or something. You probably couldn't tell me much about Abel Tasman whatsoever."
Whanganui MP Steph Lewis said changing the name of the country wasn't a topic that had been raised so far in her first term in Parliament.
"To me personally, Aotearoa has more meaning than a name that links back to a place I've never been to or really know anything about," Lewis said.
Steph Lewis said she didn't know anything at all about Zeeland. Photo / Bevan Conley
"We've come a long way on the international stage in terms of stepping out from the shadow of the United Kingdom and forging our own path.
"On many of the big issues we have been leaders, so to then call ourselves after somebody else just doesn't seem to fit with where we're at as a country any more."
Holding a referendum on the issue wasn't the answer, Borrows said.
"Referendums are usually promoted by politicians who don't have the wherewithal to make a decision and stick by it, and to do what's right."
Like McDouall, Whanganui RSA welfare officer Mac McCallion said he would be in favour of Aotearoa-New Zealand.
The only thing that concerned him about a name change was the fact we were known as New Zealand "right across the globe".
"From a soldier's point of view, a lot of our menfolk and womenfolk have served overseas under the banner of New Zealand," McCallion said.
"If the name was changed straight away people might forget who we are and what we've done for them.
"All that good work of those New Zealanders over the years, from the Boer War right up to the present day, might fade into the distance."
As someone of Māori heritage, McCallion said he could understand the feelings of people on both sides of the debate.
"It's something I've been thinking about for a while.
"Aotearoa-New Zealand would probably be the way to go to start with, just so people could get used to the name change.
"Do things gradually and we have a chance to educate them."
Whanganui RSA welfare officer Mac McCallion. Photo / Bevan Conley
Ruapehu district councillor Elijah Pue said he wasn't sure if the public were ready for the country's name to change.
"You think back to the uproar about Whanganui with an h," Pue said.
"It will become a race debate, even though it's not a race question at all, but 2021 New Zealand will turn it into something like that, unfortunately."
If serious discussions on the issue were to begin, it would take at least another decade for a name change to be implemented, Pue said.
"If it does happen before then I'd be absolutely over the moon, because it would be turning a new page in our country's psyche, I think.
"We would be going back to our origins and acknowledging our past. Could it also coincide with a possible republic and a removal of the Union Jack from our flag?"
McDouall said there were other advantages of doing away with "New Zealand".
"We'd come into the Olympic stadium before Australia, so there's that to consider.
"I think Aotearoa-New Zealand would also make us the country with the best scrabble score for our name as well.
"If you looked at a world map from 100 years ago and then one now, you would see that cities, countries, districts and areas have all had their names altered.
"We shouldn't shy away from this debate but, equally, we need to respect all views."
