Jacinda Ardern says the Government has "not explored" the idea of changing New Zealand's name to Aotearoa.
The Māori Party this morning announced policy that would see New Zealand's name changed to Aotearoa by 2026.
When asked about this today, Ardern had the following to say: "I hear more and more often the use of Aotearoa interchangeably with New Zealand and that is a positive thing.
"Whether or not we change it in law I don’t think changes the fact New Zealanders do increasingly refer to Aotearoa, and I think that’s a transition that has been welcomed.
"It's not something that we’ve explored but I am really encouraged to continue to see people use it more frequently and I hope to see it used more internationally as well," she said.
The party also announced today intention to change the names of cities and towns that were renamed during colonisation.
When asked her view on changing New Zealand's official name to Aotearoa, National Party leader Judith Collins said it would not happen while she was Prime Minister.
"It's New Zealand, and I'm very happy to have it also called Aotearoa but I am very focused on New Zealand and New Zealanders through a Covid-19 massive recession.
"I just think we just focus on the economy and we get on and get people into work and we build a future."
In their announcement today, the Māori Party said all English place names, cities and towns would be replaced with their original ingoa Māori within the same period, te reo and Māori history would become a core part of the school curriculum, and state-funded broadcasters would have to have basic fluency in the language.
Candidate for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, said the policy for next month's election was "a bold move towards making Te Reo Māori a language for all of Aotearoa".
"It elevates Te Reo Māori to its rightful place, in a system that has long undervalued its significance."
The policy would guarantee that Te Reo Māori and Māori history will be part of core curriculum subjects up to year 10 at secondary schools and require all primary schools to incorporate Te Reo Māori into 25 per cent of their curriculum by 2026 and 50 per cent by 2030.
The party also aimed to establish a Māori standards authority which would have legislative power to audit all public service departments against cultural competency standards.
SHARE ME