Minister removed te reo greetings from official Matariki invitation

Key points:

Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith ordered officials to remove te reo Māori greetings and references to "Aotearoa New Zealand" in an official invitation to the formal Matariki celebration this year.

Critics say the action is "shameful" and "contrary" to celebrating the indigenous language.

Documents obtained by 1News show Ministry for Culture and Heritage staff drafted a letter to Goldsmith's Australian counterpart, Tony Burke, using the salutations "tēnā koe" and "nāku noa nā", as well as "Aotearoa New Zealand".

But in an email an official noted changes directed by Goldsmith: "Following the changes made to Hon Burke’s letter from the Minister last week (i.e. removing all te reo Māori salutations and the removal of any references made to Aotearoa, New Zealand) please find below the updated email", the official wrote.

The updated invitation showed a template for the Minister's official invitations to dignitaries, which removed te reo Māori greetings, and the word "Aotearoa".

"Tēnā koe" became "Dear", while sign off "nāku noa, nā" became "Yours Sincerely".

The Matariki public holiday was announced by the previous Labour Government as part of its 2020 election promises. At the time, then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would be the first public holiday that recognised te ao Māori - the Māori world.

Goldsmith told 1News he removed the words as the draft was for an Australian politician "and I didn't think he needed a lot of te reo in his invitation, because he's an Australian".

"It's hardly the scandal of the century. I just didn't think it needed a lot of te reo in it, that was all, just simple communication ... I thought, let's just keep it simple.

"There was quite a lot of te reo language in an invitation to an Australian Minister so I thought, no, look, let's take it out."

He said it may have been applied to other official invitations from him but "it wasn't my instruction".

Asked if he thought an Australian wouldn't understand what "Aotearoa" was, Goldsmith said: "Yeah."

"Look at our coalition agreement, it says unless there's been a referendum changing the name of our country, the name is New Zealand, and so I refer to it as New Zealand.

"People can do whatever they like, they can refer to it as Aotearoa but in terms of the formal introductions, it's called New Zealand."

The invitation did include other Māori words, such as karakia, iwi, Māori and Matariki. And, in another directive, Goldsmith asked officials to provide him with a sign-off in te reo Māori for his foreword to the Matariki official booklet.

Māori language advocate and Rotorua Lakes councillor Rawiri Waru said the move was not surprising given the Government's "attacks" on Māori culture.

"I'm deeply disappointed, I'm kind of perplexed actually, as to what the point of this kind of attitude is."

"For Rotorua, we are a bilingual city. We have supported the Matariki kaupapa in terms of the national broadcast, which was on top of our maunga (mountain) Ngongotahā.

"It was attended by many different people of different cultures and it was a positive thing.

"The karakia are all in Māori. The songs were all in Māori, the wairua (spirit) was wairua Māori and yet - can't have [some] Māori on the invitation letters. This makes no sense to me."

Dame Naida Glavish, who copped controversy in 1984 for greeting people with "kia ora" while working as a telephone operator, told 1News Goldsmith's actions were "recidivist" and "Machiavallian" from the Government.

"No consideration of Te Tiriti, an intended whitewash of this country. He will never stop our reo now."

Labour's Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said what Goldsmith did was "shocking" and a "disgrace" and the Minister should apologise.

"It's an insult, not just to Māori people but to this country. Here we are trying to celebrate this language and you've got a minister acting contrary to that.

"It's just a shameful act."

Jackson said Goldsmith, who is also the Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister, "should be able to traverse both cultures" and his removal of te reo Māori from the invitations was an "act of bad faith".

"We've got the Minister who is trying to negotiate a settlement for Ngāpuhi, but he's saying Ngāpuhi, your language, means nothing."

"He's actually better than that, he's better than this and this is an affront to Māori people and to this country.

"This is a nation that is committed, no matter what government - Labour or National - to revitalising the language, and this is a Minister who's walking away from these obligations."

Today, National deputy leader Nicola Willis said the Government supported the revitalisation of te reo Māori as it was a "taonga" - a treasure.

"It's intrinsic to Māori identity, culture, history. It's actually about our past, but it's about our future. I get great joy in seeing my kids speaking te reo Māori, it's become an important part of public life, of private life and it's to be celebrated."

This is the full drafted letter text which Minister Paul Goldsmith said should be amended:

Tēnā koe (insert Hon or name MP here)

I am writing to formally extend an invitation to you in your capacity as (insert postion/title here) to Aotearoa New Zealand’s National Hautapu Ceremony. This year’s Hautapu will be hosted by Ngāi Tahu and held on Friday 28 June 2024. This ceremony is being held in celebration of Matariki which signifies the Māori new year.

Matariki is the Māori name for Pleiades, an open star cluster within the constellation of Taurus. The rising of Matariki launched the most significant celebration in the traditional Māori calendar, and its appearance continues to be honoured today, with ritual and ceremony. Matariki is a time to gather and acknowledge those who have passed, to celebrate the present and plan for the future.

The annual Matariki public holiday was officially legislated in 2022 and has since been celebrated nationally through the holding of a Hautapu ceremony. This ceremony consists of karakia (prayers/incantations) and the offering of food to Matariki in commemoration of those past in the year and in gratitude to celebrate the blessings of the new year.

The Hautapu takes place at dawn, so that the rising of the rising constellation of Matariki can be observed. The National Hautapu will take place on Friday 28 June 2024 in Wanaka, Otago. The formal ceremony will commence at 6.00am at the summit of Treble Cone, followed by a breakfast function alongside other New Zealand ministerial colleagues, Iwi representation, and stakeholders. My office will provide further details in advance to your staff once confirmed.

Unfortunately, this invitation is unable to be transferred. Should you be available to attend, please RSVP to matariki@mch.govt.nz by Friday 7 June 2024.

Nāku noa nā,

Hon Paul Goldsmith