Levin name change is in the wind

We’ve been saying Levin’s name wrong, and there’s talk of a new name for the town.

Levin already has a makeover plan, with Horowhenua councillors saying the town is dated and dowdy and needs to get its mojo back.

Councillor Victoria Kayesimmons said it would also be nice to acknowledge the town’s traditional name, Taitoko.

Horowhenua District Council made its first prominent use of the name Taitoko in the Transforming Taitoko/levin consultation document. It has also been used in decorations on a pop-up consultation booth the council installed in a central area of the town.

The town’s older residents would remember both the town and family name it came from were pronounced ‘‘Le-veen’’, according to council material.

Kaye-simmons said there was no formal proposal for the change, but she hoped it would happen in the future.

‘‘We thought it would be a start, using that a bit more often. We’re looking at doing what O¯ taki does – they do a lot of bilingual stuff.

‘‘It just feels right that we should start adding Levin-taitoko or Taitoko-levin when we talk about where we are from.’’

She spoke with about 80 residents during recent consultation, as well as friends, family and clients.

‘‘I’ve only had a couple of negative comments; one was because they thought we were changing it for the sake of change, and the other was a bit racist.’’

Most residents knew the traditional name, she said, and some who were originally from overseas had been particularly encouraging.

The council had not formally discussed the idea with Levin’s Muau¯ poko iwi or investigated what was involved in an official change, she said.

Including Taitoko in the consultation process had been met with ‘‘general support’’, council strategic officer Lauren Baddock said.

The name Taitoko was chosen by Muau¯ poko leader Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui, who had drawn up plans for a bicultural town, before the land was obtained by the Crown, council material says.

Levin was adopted by the Crown from the name already given to a new railway station operating on land donated by Te Rangihiwinui for the railway corridor. It was named for William Hort Levin, a Wellington-based director of the railway company. It is unlikely that Levin ever visited the town.

Residents approached on the town’s main street held a range of views.

Riely Tuimalealiifano, 22, thought most people would be happy with the change, especially if there was an adjustment period where both names were used.

‘‘I’m 100 per cent for it. As far as I know, the guy that the town’s named after, I don’t think he did anything except the railway tracks.

‘‘No-one even says his name right, so we might as well change it.’’

Jenny Nairn, 75, said she would be fine with it either way.

‘‘But I would prefer it to stay Levin because it’s only a small place, and it’s just that constantly changing the names gets kind of confusing, especially if you’re getting a bit older.

‘‘I just think Levin is Levin,’’ she said.

Louise Peneha, 72, said a name change was a good idea to ‘‘keep the heritage’’.

Wayne Hickman, 41, said ‘‘it would be a bit of a change, but change is always good’’. People had got used to the H in Whanganui, he said.

‘‘It just feels right that we should start adding Levin-taitoko or Taitoko-levin when we talk about where we are from.’’ Horowhenua councillor Victoria Kaye-simmons