More M¯aori place names recognised

Another group of places across the country now reflect both Ma¯ori and Pa¯keha¯ history after receiving dual names this year.

Land Information New Zealand (Linz) has given 22 places from Fiordland to the East Cape both English and Ma¯ ori names.

In Gisborne, Cook Landing Site National Historic Reserve is now also officially Puhi Kai Iti, and the Ma¯ ori name for Poverty Bay, Tu¯ ranganui-a-kiwa, has been restored.

Tamatea, the Ma¯ ori name for Dusky Sound, was one of the 16 sounds and inlets of Fiordland that received dual names earlier this month.

New Zealand Geographic Board secretary Wendy Shaw said the name was proposed by a tourism operator in the area, who wanted to be able to share the

Ma¯ ori history with tourists.

She said the board, which is New Zealand’s place naming authority under the auspices of Linz, and local iwi Nga¯i Tahu were ‘‘very excited’’ about restoring the Ma¯ ori names.

Nga¯i Tahu kauma¯tua Ta¯ Tipene O’regan said the names had been restored ‘‘to their appropriate place’’.

‘‘The important thing about these dual names is it records a bicultural history but from my point of view it brings the old traditional names assigned by our ancestors back to the places; they are the first names these places had. I am quite happy to have the other names attached to them but they are the ones that should not be forgotten.’’

Tamatea was a mythical exploring ancestor whose legacy was brought by Polynesian ancestors when they first arrived in

New Zealand some 800 years ago.

O’regan said there were names associated with Tamatea all around Fiordland, Southland, and the Takitimu mountains, which are named after his waka, which was wrecked at the mouth of the Wairau River.

Most of the names on the list came from the ancestor Tu¯ teraki

Whanoa who, according to the Waitaha people, carved out Te Wai Pounamu so humans could live there, O’regan said.

‘‘The last great work that he undertook after he invented all the peninsulas on the eastern coast, and then he went up into the Grey River and invented valleys.

‘‘He then went down and chopped out the fiords, and our friend Tu¯ teraki Whanoa had an assistant there who was responsible for all the forests and greenery.’’

O’regan said it was huge for the Ma¯ori names to have equal recognition with the names given by Cook, or by passing whalers or Sydney merchants who landed sealing gangs there.

‘‘These are the names by which our old people know these places and they are quite extraordinarily beautiful, of course.’’ – RNZ