Invercargill councillor objects to using te reo Māori names first in new builds

An Invercargill city councillor revealed his disdain for the use of te reo Māori in names after making an incorrect assumption at a meeting.

The incident occurred on Tuesday as councillors worked through a report on fees and charges one page at a time during an ordinary meeting.

When elected members reached a section on the soon-to-be-built Te Unua Museum of Southland, council mana whenua representative Evelyn Cook pointed out the complex had been incorrectly titled “Southland Museum and Art Gallery Te Unua” in the report.

Cook also noted the charges detailed in that section related to services delivered by Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka Trust — the board which oversees the museum collection — which had not been mentioned anywhere.

'I didn't agree to it': Councillor Barry Stewart objects to use of te reo Māori names.

Council chief executive Michael Day confirmed the page had been incorrectly titled and said it needed to be changed.

First-term councillor Barry Stewart then interjected.

“Are we going to reverse all these European names and put the Māori names first on everything? Because I’m going to object every time.

“Evelyn’s busy saying — I’m presuming she’s saying — that the Māori name should be above.”

When a councillor sitting next to Stewart confirmed it was the name of the museum, he responded “I didn’t agree to it”.

Chairman Tom Campbell clarified the museum’s collection had a te reo name, which needed to be reflected in the report, while Cook said it was a matter of consistency.

“If we are going to be consistent with decisions we have already made at this table, then the documents we produce should also reflect that,” she said.

Stewart was elected in 2022 as the 12th and final councillor by a margin of 26 votes.