A Cook Islands paramount chief wants to re-start discussions on finding a Cook Islands Maori name for the country.
Paramount Chief Pa Marie Ariki Photo: Ronnie Siu'lepa
Pa Marie Ariki of the Takitumu district on Rarotonga said all Cook Islanders must be given the opportunity to choose or compose a traditional name for the country.
The chief had held consultations with the government and the House of Ariki about introducing such a name, Pa Ariki said.
The Aotearoa-New Zealand situation could be emulated by the Cook Islands so that there were two names, she said.
In the mid-1990s the then government held a national referendum on several issues including whether Cook Islanders wanted the country's name changed to the more traditional Avaiki Nui.
The majority wanted to keep the Cook Islands name.