Te Matau-a-Māui, Heretaunga, Ahuriri: What Hawke's Bay would look like if Māori Party's campaign to restore place names succeeds

A map of Hawke's Bay featuring both English and te reo Māori place names. Photo / Mapbox

The Māori Party's campaign to restore the te reo Māori names for all towns, cities and place names across Aotearoa would mean significant changes in Hawke's Bay.

If it came to pass, Napier would become Ahuriri, Hastings would become Heretaunga, Havelock North would likely be Maungawharau and Dannevirke Tāmakinui-a-Rua.

Several suburbs across the region known as Te Matau-a-Māui could also see their names change.

The Māori Party has launched a campaign to restore the te reo Māori names for all towns, cities and place names across Aotearoa. Photo / Warren Buckland

Paharakeke (Flaxmere) councillor Henare O'Keefe said he was "totally in favour" of the campaign which reflected sentiment that had been growing for several years.

"There are place names of historic value that need to be recognised."

It was about "partnership", he said.

"When I'm in Flaxmere there's a lot of colonial names and we don't relate to them.

"Their origins don't come from here."

He acknowledged there would likely be an uphill battle as people got used to the changes.

"Of course there will be a few trials and tribulations.

"Change is always difficult."

His message to the public was not to be afraid of using te reo place names and to embrace it.

He gave an example of a recent flight where he was welcomed into Ahuriri in te reo by an Indian-New Zealand pilot.

"That's as good a place as any to start."

Paharakeke (Flaxmere) councillor Henare O'Keefe was fully in support of the campaign to see te reo place names restored. Photo / NZME

Hastings District Council was equally supportive and has already launched an action plan to realise the "ambitious goal" of having Hastings be a te reo Māori city by 2040, mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said.

"In 2019 we launched our Heretaunga Ararau Te Reo Māori Policy, which provides a framework for Hastings District Council to recognise the status of the language as a taonga of iwi Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand, and to support its revitalisation within the Hastings district."

The initiative has included the creation of dual welcome signs for the city gateways and installing pou whenua to recognise places of mana whenua settlement or significance.

Adopting Māori place names have also been explored, as well as encouraging and supporting more community-based te reo Māori events, and incorporating cultural narratives and design that tell Māori stories into district development.

"Other aims are to introduce bi-lingual signage at council facilities, and to recognise and celebrate te reo Māori champions of all ages in the community," Hazlehurst said.

"In terms of council operations, the goal is to incorporate te reo Māori in more documents and forms, as well as the design and build of council projects, including planning for growth and the District Plan."

Hawke's Bay is notably home to the longest place name in the world: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki-maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Photo / NZME

Napier is one of four places taking part in the Aoteoroa Reorua programme led by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Mayor Kirsten Wise said council had partnered with Te Taiwhenua o Whanganui ā Orotū to start bi-lingual place names and build a Reorua strategy.

"This programme is the start for Ahuriri/Napier to follow the bi-lingual policy of Māori to be on the left and English on the right."

Council has also been incorporating te reo Māori in signs as it comes up for renewal, she said.

"We are also awaiting the Mana Ahuriri Claim, which is yet to be passed by Parliament, which means the Council will have to carry out name changes by law.

"Once this has been concluded, the original names will replace the current names"

Asked if council supported the petition, she said this process was with central government and council did not yet have an opinion.

Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker said she loved the idea of further promoting the use of te reo Māori place names and was proud to introduce herself as "Koromatua a rohe o Tamatea Central Hawke's Bay".

"We are extremely fortunate in Central Hawke's Bay that all of our urban settlements and many of our rural geographies hold their Maori names – Waipukurau, Waipawa, Ōtāne, Takapau, Pōrangahau, Onga Onga, Tikokino, Ruataniwha, Aramoana, Ruahine, Tukituki.

"This is of huge value to us and we are working on projects that revitalise and promote our tipuna, the stories and the history of our place via our partnership project with mana whenua – Ngā ara Tipuna ki Tamatea."