Wanganui spelling referred to watchdog

Michael Laws

A complaint to the Human Rights Commission about the spelling of Wanganui is just a joke to the district's Mayor, Michael Laws.

Maori activist Ken Mair has sent a formal complaint to the commission against Mr Laws and Wanganui District Council.

The complaint was over "encouraging the local community to continue to spell Whanganui without the 'h', thereby belittling and undermining our language and our name as an iwi", a statement from Mr Mair said.

The "h" debate has been going on for years.

In a council referendum in February, 82 per cent of residents voted to continue spelling the city's name without an "h". After that Mr Laws suggested people and organisations who used the "h" spelling should change to reflect the majority view.

Commission spokesperson Caroline Jurriaans said Mr Mair's complaint was received on Monday. It was being assessed to see whether it came under the body's jurisdiction.

If it did, it could undertake mediation between the parties, but could not enforce an outcome.

Mr Mair said the Wanganui Mayor and council had failed to understand that Maori had a fundamental right to ensure the integrity of their language was upheld. "That is, to ensure that our language and mita [dialect] are respected and safeguarded for future generations."

The Mayor and council had shown "appalling leadership" on the issue. Mr Mair expected the commission to act on the complaint with urgency.

Mr Laws said Mr Mair was being deliberately provocative. He thought most Wanganui people would be irritated that public money could be spent on examining "this frivolous and vexatious complaint". He believed the commission would simply dismiss it, because nobody was having a right removed from them.

During his time in Parliament a select committee had looked at the commission and wondered how much use it was.

"Usually they would write a letter to us, demanding to know what our side of the story is. Then they reach some inconsequential viewpoint."

And Mr Laws thought Mr Mair could make better use of his time.

"I'd rather he spent time trying to convince gangs in Wanganui to stop selling P and cannabis in our community. That would be really constructive."

On February 28 a delegation from Whanganui iwi marched to the Wanganui District Council offices over the "h" matter. On that day Mr Laws was invited to Te Kura o Kokohuia, by a pupil, to talk about it.

He rang the school the next day, to make a time.

"I was told in no uncertain terms that it wasn't for students to arrange invitations and it was categorically withdrawn."

He said that was a pity for the pupils, because there were two sides to the "h" story and they deserved to hear both.

The New Zealand Geographic Board had also not approached council. Mr Laws said he was told that when it added an "h" to the spelling of the Whanganui River it heeded submissions from Maori and the council was not consulted.

"As a result, we have this confusion."

- WANGANUI CHRONICLE