just change the nothing names

The renaming of the islands of this country by the europeans has always bugged me. South Island and North Island - it doesn't get blander than that. News that the indigenous names are being considered is good because they mean something, they have context. It is a great irony that I live in Golden Bay, europeans have called this bay Murderers Bay, Blind Bay, Massacre Bay, Coal Bay and then Golden Bay - the Māori name is Mohua which is a golden headed endemic bird on the back of the NZ $100 note. They didn't need and didn't have the authority to change the names - they should have just used the names that were here when they arrived but that's colonisation for you.

The shocker about the 'North' and "South' Islands is that those names were never official in the first place as the NZGB says

Scoop

NZGB Chair Dr Don Grant says the move follows the receipt of a proposal to change the name ‘South Island’ to its original Māori name ‘Te Waipounamu’ and to consider the original Māori name of the North Island at the same time.

“At that time we noted that the existing English names were recorded names, rather than official names. They appeared on LINZ’s maps, charts and other official publications but had never been formalised under the NZGB Act.

So we go to a consultation process and the outcome of that will be a compromise of

meaning that either the English name or the Māori name, or both names together could be used as official.

FFS just change the names into ‘Te Ika-a-Māui’ (for the North Island) and ‘Te Waipounamu’ (for the South Island). Who in their right mind is attached to 'North' and 'South' - it is completely bogus and an insult to Māori.

.

the way to do it and the way not to do it

This is the way to do it. So much history just under the surface and Māori will reveal it when it can be accepted - which it has been in this very effective research and name change.

Stuff

For more than 110 years Hawera-based Matangarara Rd has wrongly been called Matangara Rd and although the slight error was overlooked by just about everyone else, Normanby resident Henare Ngaia was not going to let the issue slide. "Because of the wrong spelling the word meant nothing. But with `ra' added to the end of it a piece of our history can be remembered." The story goes that a woman rejected the man she was betrothed to because of his looks, and the union, perhaps designed to unite two marae, didn't take place. "She called him lizardface: `Mata' means face, `ngarara' means lizard."

He then met with both the Iwi Liaison Committee and the Hawera Community Board with a signed petition and a detailed history. "There was no objection to our proposal. In fact the Iwi Liaison Committee consisted of descendants from both the lady and the lizardface so they all knew the story." Mr Ngaia has now set his sights on roads in Normanby and Manaia.

Yes very good Mr Ngaia - thank you for your hard work in getting these spellings correct and revealing the history within. How many streets and names in this land have hidden history waiting to be revealed? Just about everywhere, just about everywhere.

The ownership of Māori names and intellectual property should be vested with Māori - end of story and the sooner the Wai 262 recommendations are implemented the better - then we won't have shockers like this french effort. I wish they would just leave Māori alone - they embarass themselves and insult all Māori.

namegames

I am opposed to naming a ridge on Aoraki for ed hillary. Sorry, it is just not appropriate.

From NZH

"The Geographic Board has narrowed a list of several public proposals for honouring the New Zealand icon down to one - to rename the South Ridge of Aoraki-Mt Cook "Hillary Ridge"  ...While some might think Sir Ed's enormous contribution merits the naming of a whole mountain, or mountain range"

Ummm - what contribution did ed make to maori?

I tend to believe that everything should be renamed back to maori. Just think about the recent weather in maori- showing the correct names for each area - it didn't make anyone's head explode. We could double-name for a while, no problem. Consultation is important as this story shows.

From NZH

"Te Heipora Place, off Arataki Rd, was named after the principal wife of Te Hapuku, an important chief in the area in the 1870s. Te Heipora owned a large area of land there.

Residents objected at a naming and blessing ceremony yesterday morning because they had not been part of the naming process, saying the name was too unfamiliar and difficult to pronounce.

Oh dear - Te Heipora (tay hay-pora) - that's fixed.

"But kaumatua Jerry Hapuku said the name had great significance, and matched Karanema Drive, which was named after Te Heipora's son or grandson.

The iwi did not intend to compromise. "We want this name on this street. It is how we feel as descendants," he said."

and as Pukepuke Tangiora Huata, a descendent of Te Heipora says

"We have foreign tourists visiting who can say the words right but some people born in New Zealand don't want to."

Don't want to!

If we did go to maori names we would soon adjust. It would really help this country and create opportunities to move forward.

Bit more about names from Lew at Kiwipolitico