Posted Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 6:15pm
Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 6:15pm
Naoero is the new official name of the island nation formerly known as Nauru. (Supplied: Kathy McLeish)
In short:
Nauru has officially changed its name to Naoero.
The country's parliament passed a constitutional amendment to change the name in May without first holding a referendum as expected.
The government said the name was changed to "more faithfully honour our nation's heritage, our language, and our identity".
Nauru has officially changed its name to Naoero, the Micronesian nation's government has announced.
A constitutional amendment to rename the country passed parliament in May, following a proposal tabled by President David Adeang in January.
Mr Adeang said at the time that the name Nauru had been recognised internationally since the island's independence, the proposed change sought to "more faithfully honour our nation's heritage, our language, and our identity".
However, a national referendum was expected to follow to complete the constitutional procedures.
"The Republic of Naoero is the new official designation for what was previously known as Nauru. The abbreviated form will be Naoero, with the code updated to NRO, and the people will be referred to as dei-Naoero," the government said in a statement.
Nauru's parliament passed a constitutional amendment to change the name in May. (AFP: Mike Leyral)
It added that Mr Adeang delivered his opening message to parliament on July 20 and addressed the decision to return the country to its traditional name, Naoero, "following extensive discussions".
"The decision not to pursue a referendum was reached after thoughtful deliberation that Naoero is not a new name seeking acceptance by the people.
"It is already the identity of the people, is on the national coat of arms, and spoken in the community; and importantly is allowed by the Constitution.
"While a referendum is intended to determine the will of the people, the name Naoero has never been lost, but rather waiting to be fully embraced."
The government said a bill to amend the constitution to allow the name change was tabled in January. It was followed by a layover period of 90 days and the unanimous vote in favour by the members of parliament.
Speaker Marcus Stephen certified the amendment on May 13 to enact the name change.
"International organisations and countries have formally been notified of the change and have begun making the transition," the government statement said.
"Naoero is the beginning of renewed national pride, and a new chapter founded on unity, responsibility, patriotism, better health, education, and sustainable development.
"The future of Naoero will be built by learning from the mistakes of the past and using their experience to make wiser decisions for the generations to come."
The United Nations said Nauru had informed it about changing its name to Republic of Naoero on June 26.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz
