Wakatipu? Whakatipu? It could actually be Wakatipua, you know

I REFER to your editorial (ODT, 8.2.21) in which you state there is a move by Sir Tipene O’Regan to revert the ‘‘Wakatipu’’ lake name to its original ‘‘Whakatipu’’ form.

While I am not averse to spelling alterations as required, and respect Sir Tipene’s Ngai Tahu heritage and Maori language skills, I consider the proposed change is wrong. Instead of

‘‘Wakatipu’’, or ‘‘Whakatipu’’, there are multiple historic texts which indicate the correct name is ‘‘Wakatipua’’.

The original lakerelated terminology would have been constructed by the Waitaha people, the original occupiers of the lower South Island.

That the Waitaha inhabitants used the term ‘‘Wakatipua’’ in its lake description can be deduced from a perusal of the book Song of Waitaha, in which the heritage and history of this tribal element is described at length.

There is a contained map which illustrates the lake in question as being ‘‘Wakatipua’’ and a character description of the route from Oanaka (Wanaka) to its vicinity.

A better illustration is contained in the book written by Edward Shortland describing his official travels in the lower, eastern South Island in 184344 as ‘‘Protector of Aborigines’’.

This Maorispeaking person, with linguistic skills which could differentiate between northern and southern dialects, encountered a Maori (Huruhuru) person in the Waitaki Valley who was personally familiar with the inland lakes.

The latter sketched the complex for Shortland who appended the supplied Maori names on the map. Prominent among these was ‘‘Wakatipua’’.

All things considered, in my view the existing Wakatipu spelling should be retained for the said lake and the surrounding district.

Royden Thomson

Cromwell

Racial bias

NECK ties and cornrows, two recent examples of the colonial nature of our country.

This unconscious bias puts peoples of other cultures and colours at higher risk of persecution, not just in the high schools and governing structures, but also our courts and police cells.

We must recognise that, without drug law reform, we will continue to see higher rates of nonPakeha in our prisons and before our courts, this despite the allowance for discretion to be used to prevent individuals being harmed by the prohibition state.

Bert Holmes

Opoho .....................................

BIBLE READING:

Holy, holy holy is the Lord of hosts. — Isaiah 6.3.