Unlike many other countries, New Zealand doesn’t allow parents to give their children names that would cause offense or that are longer than 100 characters. That’s why Judge Rob Murfitt stepped in and made a 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that she could change the name she hated: Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii. The ruling, in the city of New Plymouth on the North Island, was handed down during a custody hearing for the child, who simply went by “K.” Judge Murfitt said he was concerned about the poor judgment the parents showed in choosing the name. “It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily,” he said. The young girl now has a different name, one that she’s not embarrassed to use. The court has denied other names, including Number 16 Bus Shelter, Violence, Midnight Chardonnay, and Fish and Chips (twins).
