Chris Ford: 'H' Bomb Dropped On Whanganui - Hooray For That!
About two weeks ago, I blogged about Michael Laws and his insulting words to a kura kaupapa Maori immersion class at Otaki Primary School who wrote to him regarding the use of the 'h' word in Whanganui's name.
While I don't want to traverse over old ground, may I say that the Geographic Board has made the right decision to recognise the 'h' spelling of Whanganui in response to calls from local iwi. Laws' reaction to this decision has been nothing short of vitriolic and probably racist in undertone. Dismissing the comments of Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples that the people of Whanganui should accept the name change, Laws has proven that demagougery works when it comes to leading a provincial town on an issue like this. Besides, there were hundreds of other uncontroversial name changes proposed last week by the board but one simple name change has become controversial because just one affected region has a loud mouth, right-wing mayor as its leader - Michael Laws.
For one thing, I can't understand the fuss over the inclusion of just one letter either into the name. Personally speaking, if there were representations to the Geographic Board asking that Dunedin be renamed 'New Edinburgh' (which is the Gaelic meaning of my city's name) or that the area's Maori name of Otepoti be recognised, I would not have any objection as it would recognise the bi-cultural heritage of the Otago region as well.
Having said all that, I would urge that Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson formally dualise the name Whanganui/Wanganui to keep both sides happy. After all, Wanganui, even without an 'h' is a Maori name in and of itself but the use of the correct pronounciation would still go along way to respecting the tangata whenua of the region.
If I am to make reference to the city in the future, then I am happy to accept the Geographic Board's guidance and use Whanganui. If Michael Laws and his fellow travellers could (with perhaps a bone being thrown their way in being able to use Wanganui without an 'h' as well) can see their way towards doing this as well, then good.
Otherwise, I applaud the Geographic Board for dropping their version of an 'h bomb' - hooray for that!
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Comments
I believe like most
I believe like most languages that are lost Maori is no different. It is in actual fact pigeon English as everyone knows.. Maori had no written language and it is entirely English in origin.
There is no one alive who knows how Maori was pronounced in the 19th century in much the same way as no one alive knows how Hebrew was pronounced in the time of Christ..
Why doesn't Maori get real and start to be inclusive and co-operative with the major part of new zealand the European instead of declaring war against the white population.
After all without the European settling here Maori would have died out
Bernies right Maori is just
Bernies right Maori is just pidgen english. Oh wait a minute Maori is a language spoken nation wide and didn't originate from english. It also had its own words and grammar before europeans came. However nobody knows how Maori was pronounced in the 19th century. Whoops I forgot anthropologists and historians have investigated it academically (ie rationally). Better look for something else to use as a arguement.
Yeah Maori should get real and start working with europeans, having businesses with them, having children with them and mixing cultures with them. Whoops they're already doing that too. Hmmm need another arguement now.
Europeans settling here saved the Maori! Oh drat I forgot bringing a few antibiotics doesn't actually justify the Crown cheating communitys out of there contract and trying to kill them. It doesn't help that it doesn't really have much to do with european settlers it's to do with the government.
Well actually who was
Well actually who was teaching you history. Maori sided with the British because in fact at the time there were the Spanish, Portuguese Dutch and Germans all of who if they had gained an upper hand in settlement would have actively annihilated Maori as was say their practice in South America with tribes
Furthermore the Danish were here long before Maori ( http://www.kilts.co.nz/mitancient.htm ) so Maori certainly weren't the first people here in this land. And if you go back over 2000 years ago the Chinese were mining iron ore here.
Obviously Maori had a spoken language but to suggest any living half caste person calling themselves Maori understands or has any notion of how it actually sounded is laudable .
The fact is and will remain there are no Maoris in existence just people of mixed blood who are are using an archaic nonsense doc for financial gain ..
Why doesn't Maori get it right. Their true home in numbers is actually Australia so start rowing over there... lol
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