Tourism body hails name change
The decision to call Taranaki’s iconic mountain only by its Ma¯ ori name should be welcomed and celebrated, the head of the region’s tourism body has said.
Justine Gilliland was speaking about an agreement between Nga¯ Iwi o Taranaki and the Crown that will see the removal of the names Mt Egmont and Egmont National Park.
From next year the mountain will be known as Taranaki Maunga and the national park will be called Te Papakura o Taranaki.
In an emailed statement, Gilliland said Venture Taranaki focused on the promotion of all of the region’s stories and successes, and the maunga was central to that work.
‘‘We received a number of media inquiries from around the world when it was announced that Te Maunga would have the status and protection of a person.
‘‘We anticipate that the name change will drive further interest in, and awareness of, the region, and we look forward to helping foster greater understanding of the significance of Taranaki Maunga.
‘‘With the changes coming into effect next year, there will be time to update signage and other branding elements, while most maps are produced digitally, and can be easily updated.’’
New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom said the maunga was finally getting some Government investment.
‘‘Finally the people of Taranaki have a say in what happens up there.’’
Holdom said there was unlikely to be a material cost to the council for road signage as "the expectation is we only need to replace road signs when they are due for replacement".
The change does away with the name given to the mountain in 1770 by the British explorer James Cook, after the Earl of Egmont.
Historian Dr Danny Keenan, a member of the Te Atiawa iwi, said the change would restore their tu¯ puna (ancestor) Rua Taranaki as sole guardian of the mountain.
‘‘In the testimony of our old people before the land courts, during the confiscations, what comes through is that, in the context of hurt, dispossession and loss, the old people constantly asserted their mana as grounded in the land – boundaries, rivers, forests and other features were named in amazing detail.
‘‘But they always began and ended with the mountain, Taranaki,
which was everything.’’
New Plymouth District councillor Dinnie Moeahu said having the appropriate name was better for the community.
‘‘I don’t know any landmark that was named after someone who didn’t even walk on this land, to have such significance to who we are as a community.’’
Howie Tamati, co-chairman of Te Huinga Taumatua Committee, said it had been a good process. ‘‘It’s been gentle. There’s people around who still want to call it Egmont. That’s fine, but officially it’s now the mountain Taranaki, named after Rua Taranaki.’’
With the majority of New Zealanders now accepting Ma¯ori names, the change was not as controversial as when it was first proposed, he said.
Jacqui King, who is also a member of the committee, said the change was progress for the region. It was disappointing that bigotry was still present, but it was having less influence each time, she said. ‘‘Our history is our community’s history.’’ the centre of