Did you hear that the Tai Rawhiti District Council wants to change the correct spelling of Ngati Porou names because it does not suit them? If you haven’t, then good, because I haven’t either. But imagine the uproar if they did? Imagine the anger and the protest that would arise. It would be a clear breach of the tino rangatiratanga o te Wiwi Naati!
Sadly however, for the people of Whanganui, this unlikely scenario is happening to them. This week, the New Zealand Geographic Board will decide over whether Wanganui should have the letter "h" added. The city’s spelling has been the subject of controversy over the last 8 weeks or so after Te Runanga o Tupoho, led by Ken Mair, applied to the Board to change the name to Whanganui.
Mayor of Whanganui, Michael Laws has led the opposition to change. Laws is a firm lover of publicity, controversy and putting Maori down. The former NZ First MP, who after resigning from Parliament because of personal dodgy dealings in his local electorate, got a job on Talkback Radio, and then utilised his spin doctor magic and confused the people of Whanganui into voting him Mayor, has now revealed a new set of skills - Maori language and culture expertise.
Te Runanga o Tupoho submitted to the NZ Geographic Board that "Whanganui" means ''big harbour". Whereas "Wanganui" means absolutey nothing. Ken Mair believes the city deserves to have a name that actually means something.
Yet the Lord Mayor of the River city recently declared that the word Wanganui is no longer a Maori-only word. He has deduced that the current speling, and the word Wanganui now has a mana of its own. Part of his rationale is that Maori did not have a written language, and that written language was created by Europeans. Maori can not therefore claim the word is misspelt.
Moreover, a city wide referendum showed 60% of those who responded believe the spelling should remain as it is.
Well first of all, Laws is really, really wrong. Just because he says something doesn't make it right - unless you're a journo or a politician.
Moreover, e ki, e ki, he tohunga a ia ki te reo Maori! Not even eow!
Nor does widespread ignorance make the wrong answer correct. That's not too different from asking a group of 4 year olds if Santa Claus is a real person.
Furthermore, it would be interesting to know what the total voter turnout was. The voter turn out in local elections is still only just over the 50% mark. So lots of eligible people don’t even turn up!
But if worse comes to worse, maybe Laws and his mates are getting their just desserts. Why?
Well think about the word Wanganui, or Wanga - nui. In English, the word Wanga can be spelt another way i.e. ''Wanger". And eveyone knows this is a euphemism for Dork. Now nui means Big. So this new non-Maori word that Laws argues has been created is quite a useful word to describe the Mayor himself i.e. a big dork!
By the time this Blog goes to print, the Board should have announced a decision. Let’s hope they don’t make big wangers of themselves by deciding against the wishes of the iwi.
And by the way, our own Sir Apirana Ngata supervised the mahi raranga for the tukutuku panels at the Putiki church, which is just to the right of the bridge as you enter Whanganui from the south. I bet you our man up there is hoping the right decision is made too!
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