Officials warned English-first logo change could harm Crown–Māori ties
Officials warned the Government that its move to put the English name before the Māori name in its official branding could cause “material harm” to the Crown-Māori relationship.
The branding was officially updated in May, putting “New Zealand Government” before “Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa”.
Advice on the change, presented to Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith by Public Service Commission officials, said it would be “likely to be perceived as de-prioritising te reo Māori and diminishing the Crown’s active protection and partnership obligations”.
Officials claimed it could cause “material harm to the Crown-Māori relationship”.
A prior briefing to then-Public Service Minister Judith Collins in early April stated Collins had previously instructed the Public Service Commission to reverse the ordering of te reo Māori and English names in its branding “quickly and at minimal cost”.
The Public Service Commission advised that the changes could be viewed negatively by some, given a Waitangi Tribunal inquiry on the use of te reo in the public sector.
“Given the tribunal’s findings, the proposed changes are likely to be seen as inherently detrimental and a de-prioritisation of the promotion of te reo Māori (as the language in need of revitalisation in order to survive), and as diminishing Crown efforts to meet its duties of active protection and partnership, thus doing material harm to the Crown-Māori relationship,” officials said.
Another briefing to Collins said the branding change would not benefit trust in the public sector.
“In this context, the change is unlikely to assist in addressing the significant gap between Māori and non-Māori scores in measures of trust in the public service, satisfaction with services, and trust in the public service brand, all of which are likely to contribute to better outcomes for Māori in the long term.”
Goldsmith previously said updating the Government’s own branding was a coalition commitment.
The briefings were sent to Collins just days after Newstalk ZB reported Act MP Todd Stephenson wrote to her with concerns the Government had been “slow” to rebrand certain agencies.
Goldsmith has been approached for comment.
Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.