Sole Māori names for 10 parks across Waitākere Ranges

Exclusively te reo Māori names will now adorn 10 parks in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area. Photo / NZME

In a move to honour the region’s Māori heritage, 10 parks in the Waitākere Ranges have had their English names replaced with sole te reo Māori names.

The decision was made during the latest business meeting of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board.

Additionally, the board has chosen to introduce Māori names as dual names for nine parks and two libraries.

The move is part of phase two of Te Kete Rukuruku, the Auckland Council’s broader plan to ensure more reo Māori is seen, heard, learnt and spoken in the region.

“Te reo Māori and te ao Māori are integral and unique to Aotearoa New Zealand,” Waitākere Ranges Local Board chairman, Greg Presland said.

“They are beautiful and they need to be preserved and enhanced.

‘Proper respect’ shown

“The local board has unashamedly chosen to adopt sole Māori names for many of the parks throughout the Te Kete Rukuruku process. We believe proper respect for te ao Māori is shown by giving te reo name primacy,” he added.

Among the 10 parks that will now carry sole Māori names, Te Kakau (formerly known as Sunvue Park) has been selected as the site to receive full bilingual signage and an interpretative text that will narrate the story behind its Māori name.

The recent decision follows the adoption of 19 Māori names for parks and reserves as part of the Te Kete Rukuruku Tranche One in June 2021.

The local board took another step forward in February 2022 by inviting west Auckland iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki to name an additional 20 sites and two libraries for tranche two.

The change will see Daffodil Scenic Reserve in Titirangi become Tihorea.

More Māori names

Glen Close Reserve will become Tūtohu. Levy Reserve is now Kīkītara. Onedin Green is now Mauku, Shah Park is Māharo. South Titirangi Recreation Reserve becomes Nīoreore, Sunvue Park is Te Kakau, Woodfern Reserve becomes Kōmuri, Woodglen Rd Reserve is now Kāhui Whetū, while Woodside Glen becomes Pūrua.

The nine parks with dual names see Glen Eden Picnic Ground also being called Huihui. Annison Green is now also Ahoaho.

Clarence Reserve is Akaaka.

Lopdell Plantation Reserve is now also Kuranga while Maywood Reserve will also be known as Tautoru.

Milan Reserve in Glen Eden will also be called Whetū.

Nicolas Reserve is now also Tairoa and Westview Reserve is also Uru.

The Glen Eden Library is now also Te Pātaka Kōrero o Ōkaurirahi while Withers Reserve is also Pānaki and Titirangi Library gets the dual name Te Pātaka Kōrero o Titirangi.