Unwelcome signs of macron hostility
Ka¯piti’s macron meddler is at it again.
For at least the sixth time in the past 18 months, the tiny white lines on the district’s two welcome signs have been painted out by a vandal seemingly opposed to the Ma¯ori language.
Ka¯piti Coastmayor K Gurunathan described it as the sort of ‘‘bored lowIQ vandalism’’ to be expected around school holidays. ‘‘And true to form of this particular recidivist.’’
Located in Paeka¯ka¯riki and taki, the signs were last defaced in September.
The adoption of macrons – little horizontal lines above letters to indicate a longer vowel sound – has been at-times contentious since the Ka¯piti Coast District Council decided in 2010 to include them on all official signage.
The move was opposed by thencouncillor Tony Jack, and described as ‘‘PC gone mad’’ by then-councillor Peter Daniel. Following the decision to include the macrons, a resident complained to the ombudsman, claiming the local body elections could be invalidated by the new spelling.
The district council erected the welcome signs in 2011 at a cost of between $7000 and $10,000.
After the signs were defaced in September, a council spokesman said there was no plan to erect security cameras.
Yesterday, the macrons had been reinstated, but council spokeswoman Janice McDougall said it was disappointing the welcome signs continued to be vandalised.
‘‘The decision to include macrons on council signage was jointly agreed by council and Te Whakaminenga o Ka¯piti in 2010 and this position remains ... we encourage our community to report anyone vandalising or defacing our signs, or any buildings or walls in our district, to the police.’’
In 2019, following the third attack on the signs in a year, Ma¯ori Language Commission acting chief executive Tuehu Harris said removing amacron, or tohuto¯, from aMa¯ori word spelt correctly was a bit like undotting an ‘i’ or uncrossing a ‘t’.
‘‘Anyone who does that is telling you something about their level of understanding.’’