[lg policy] Te reo Māori names to be considered for hundreds of Auckland parks

[Harold Schiffman]

Te reo Māori names to be considered for hundreds of Auckland parks
28 Nov, 2018 7:06pm
3 minutes to read
[image: Eastdale Reserve in Avondale is among hundreds of parks in Auckland
being considered for having a Māori name replace, or added to, its current
name. Photo / Google]
Eastdale Reserve in Avondale is among hundreds of parks in Auckland being
considered for having a Māori name replace, or added to, its current name.
Photo / Google
By: Martin Johnston <https://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/martin-johnston/>
Senior journalist, NZ Herald
martin.johnston at nzherald.co.nz @MartinJohnston6
<https://www.twitter.com/@MartinJohnston6>

Your local Auckland park could be about to gain a Māori name as local
boards consult Māori groups on how to tell the "unique stories of Tāmaki
Makaurau".

Brains Park, Dickey Reserve and Eastdale Reserve are just three among 99
places picked by the Whau Local Board in its first group of parks and
reserves to go through the review.

The Auckland Council move to add Māori names or even have them replace
existing names was initiated by mana whenua - Auckland Māori who have mana
and ancestral connections in some part of the region.

Mana whenua groups are being asked to propose Māori names to local boards.
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As well as local parks, reserves and domains, the renaming programme will
include 53 regional parks and cemeteries, plus libraries; council leisure
centres and other community places will be added later.

"The scale of the programme is significant," council officials said in a
report. "It is estimated there are more than 4100 parks and places across
Tāmaki Makaurau."

The council hopes that, in line with its Māori language policy, the
re-naming will foster learning of te reo Māori and the associated Auckland
Māori history and values.

The language policy notes that te reo Māori and culture form a critical
part of a Māori identity that is Auckland's point of difference in the
world.

Nationally many landmarks and institutions have had a Māori name added or
restored, such as our highest mountain, officially called Aoraki/Mount Cook
since the 1990s.

The council expects that in most cases parks and reserves will have a Māori
name added to their existing names.
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The public will have only a limited say on the adoption of the new names.

When a dual name is sought, the council will receive the name "as a gift",
the report says, "rather than making this subject to consultation with
interest groups and the wider community".

When only a Māori name is proposed and consultation is deemed appropriate,
the consultation will not be about the name, "which tends to invite
inappropriate comment about the specifics of a Māori name"; it will only be
about "the intent to provide a mono-lingual Māori name".

"The predominant outcome is going to be the addition of names and
associated rich narratives and will not involve the removal of names.

"Where it is considered appropriate to replace a name, the local board will
also need to carefully consider who the affected parties are and determine
if community engagement is appropriate.

"In all other cases, we propose that a strong public communications
approach will enable the community to understand the process and enjoy the
benefits of the additional name and narrative."

When the council's environment and community committee approved the naming
scheme, chairwoman Penny Hulse said, "We are honoured to be working with
mana whenua to showcase these names and learn more about out rich Māori
history; some of which have been long lost over many years."

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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