I wish it was an April Fool's joke. But no. It's not.
The current legal name is "The Island of Hawai'i"
The term, "Big Island" is a connotated nickname with no legal basis or standing.
Kind of like New York's "The Big Apple" or New Orleans' "The Big Easy."
But, alas, we have the "HAWAIʻI BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES," made up of the following members:
- The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources
- The Chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
- The Chairperson of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands
- The Director of the Office of Planning
- The President of the University of Hawaiʻi
- The State Land Surveyor
- The Director of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum
It would seem to me, that the residents of this island have far more important issues on the table over that of this sheer waste of time and resources.
How does this proposed name change matter benefit ONE sole "Big Island" resident?
And even more importantly, how does this name change benefit ONE sole Native Hawaiian?