New Zealand minister names new ferry Captain Cook and tells 'snivelling wokesters' to accept his decision

By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:40, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 15:48, 23 July 2026 New Zealand has named a new inter-island ferry after Captain Cook despite condemnation from 'snivelling wokesters.' The new vessel linking the country's North Island and South Island will be named after the British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led voyages to the Pacific.  But the decision to name the ferry after Cook, who killed Māori when he and his crew arrived in New Zealand in October 1769, has sparked criticism as the country has been making moves over the last few years to come to terms with its colonial history.  However, the country's foreign minister, Winston Peters, has dismissed the backlash and said those who view Cook as a 'harbinger of colonisation' should be more aware of the country's past. Speaking in parliament in Wellington this week, Peters said: 'A mature country does not run from its history.  'A serious country does not vandalise its memory to satisfy the latest fashion in whinger politics.' 'It is fashionable now in certain circles to treat Captain Cook as nothing more than a symbol to be condemned, and cast out.' Two inter-island ferries have been bought from China and will arrive in New Zealand in 2029, transporting passengers and goods across the Cook Strait connecting the North Island to the South Island.  Illustration of Captain Cook - the British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led voyages to New Zealand New Zealand's foreign minister, Winston Peters (pictured), has dismissed the backlash and said those who view Cook as a 'harbinger of colonisation' should be more aware of the country's past The second vessel will be named after Kupe, a Polynesian navigator who, according to Māori, was the first to reach New Zealand. The move to call one of the ferries after Cook breaks away from the New Zealand tradition of naming ships with the Māori prefix 'Ara', meaning path, a custom that began in 1962. It also comes at a time when New Zealand has been changing the names of buildings across the country and replacing their colonial-era names with indigenous ones.  New Zealanders have a complex relationship with their country's history.  It was colonised by the British in 1840 under the Treaty of Waitangi. Fighting between the British and  Māori killed some 2,200 indigenous people.  Cook led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between 1768 and 1779, where he also visited Australia.  While Cook did not kill any locals himself, at least nine were murdered or injured on his first landing in New Zealand. Indigenous activists have long accused the British, who came after Cook's arrival to New Zealand, of violence and oppression.  Several monuments dedicated to the explorer have been vandalised in New Zealand.