Name change meeting turns into shouting match

People walked out of a meeting in Whangarei last night after debate over the spelling of Mt Parahaki got heated.

Whangarei Act Party list MP Muriel Newman called the public meeting as she believes many people do not want the spelling of Parahaki to be changed to Parihaka, as local Maori have asked.

"My personal view is that it's a name change," she told about 200 people, mainly middle-aged and elderly Pakeha, who turned up to Forum North. "I don't think it's a respelling as they are two different things."

At times the meeting got heated, with some speakers being loudly interrupted by others. One elderly Pakeha woman walked out saying she was "disgusted".

A Pakeha man criticised Whangarei District Council for not asking residents what they thought about changing the name.

In 2003, local kaumatua (elder) Te Ihi Tito asked the council to change the spelling of Parahaki to Parihaka.

The council supported the change and next month the New Zealand Geographic Board will decide, with the help of public submissions, whether to ask Land Information Minister Pete Hodgson to change the spelling.

Mere Mangu, who unsuccessfully challenged Labour MP Dover Samuels in the last election, accused most of the audience of being "one foot in the grave" people.

She also said all Maori agreed the spelling needed to be changed.

Another Maori woman accused Mrs Newman of "not doing a service" as she had only "exposed" herself and "left us".

Mrs Newman told the meeting she wanted the council to restart the process of changing Parahaki's spelling so people would be consulted.

"If people had been involved from the beginning, the feeling of powerlessness would be a lot less," she said.

She called the meeting off when people started getting angry about not being able to voice their opinions to the group. She later said it was a "bit disappointing" some people had been "disrespectful" of others by interrupting or calling out.

After the meeting, Mr Tito said he was pleased people had been able to publicly discuss the issue.

"Everybody has an opinion but, to us as Maori, it's our genealogy and it's a beautiful history that needs to be told," he said.

The issue has raised heated debate in Northland where Mrs Newman has been accused of Maori bashing. But she says many people felt strongly about the issue and were confused by the consultation process.

The spelling should not change and she had seen maps dating back to the 1850s with the spelling Parahaki, Mrs Newman said.

"There's a lot of people who are saying 'good on you' because they feel very strongly. I think they feel powerless."

Mrs Newman said she had surveyed about 2000 people and found 94 per cent opposed the change of spelling of the mountain.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)