Talks under way on adding ‘h’ to Wakatipu
Southern Nga¯i Tahu ru¯nanga are discussing whether to make an application to officially change the spelling of Wakatipu to Whakatipu – adding the h.
Nga¯i Tahu’s official atlas of traditional Ma¯ori place names recognises the correct name of the Queenstown lake as Whakatipu Waima¯ori. Four references are provided to support the claim.
New Zealand’s national naming authority, the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB), recognises the atlas as an authoritative publication.
O¯ ta¯kou ru¯nanga representative Paulette Tamati-Elliffe said discussions about an application were happening among the seven tribal authorities with interests in the Central Otago area.
An application to the NZGB has not yet been made.
The discussions among ru¯ nanga were in response to ‘‘what we’re experiencing and hearing from many within these communities’’, Tamati-Elliffe said.
She said one tourism operator with the lake’s current name in their business name was keen to restore the traditional Ma¯ori name.
Schools were also interested in a name change, she said.
‘‘It’s the correct thing to do,’’ Tamati-Elliffe said.
Wakatipu was a corruption of the traditional name and did not mean anything to mana whenua or the Ma¯ori language, she said.
‘‘I feel strongly that to have that recognition of Whakatipu Waima¯ori as the traditional name and the correct name, I think it’s an expression of holding our language and that history in high value.’’
Tamati-Elliffe said there was no hurry to go ahead with an application, and she did not want to impose it on anyone either.
‘‘I understand that when we talk about replacing road signs or business letterheads, it comes as a cost.’’
Wendy Shaw – the secretary for the New Zealand Geographic Board, also known as Nga¯ Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa – said once a proposal for a name change was received, it could take six months to several years to become official.