The Speaker of New Zealand’s Parliament, Gerry Brownlee, ruled that complaints about using the Māori name Aotearoa in Parliament would not be considered.

The controversy began when lawmaker Ricardo Menéndez March used the term, which means “land of the long white cloud” in Māori, prompting objections from Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters.

Peters argued that such changes should require a referendum.

Brownlee, however, stated that lawmakers can speak in any of New Zealand’s three official languages and would not ban the term, the Associated Press has reported.

Menéndez March called on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to address the growing anti-migrant sentiment in the government.

Written by B.C. Begley