The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa did not consult a single person from Mahia when the decision was made to apply a macron to the Māhia Peninsula’s name, according to the head of the Mahia Maori Committee and Rongomaiwahine Iwi.
Chairman Paul Ratapu said while phoneticallythere was a macron applied to Mahia, it was never written with a macron.
"There was no consultation with the tangata whenua of Mahia. They didn't engage with the people of Mahia," Ratapu said.
Ratapu said the name should remain without a macron.
"The macron is a 'mita'- a dialectal variation, and the board should have consulted with us 100 per cent because we are the iwi authority of Mahia," he said.
“They [the board] are trying to bring te reo into Pākehā constructs. They are using a macron to make it easier for people to pronounce.
“If they want to use our kupu [word] they need to come through our front gates and talk to us.”
In response, board secretary Wendy Shaw said Tatau Tatau o Te Wairoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, the Wairoa-Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board, the Aorangi Māori Trust Board and Rongomaiwahine Iwi were contacted by email in mid-April directly regarding the proposal for Māhia Canyon.
“They were given at least a month’s notice prior to the public notification [newspapers, Facebook, Linz webpage, Twitter, NZ Gazette],” Shaw said.
"The only response was received from Tatau Tatau o Te Wairoa."
Strong debate surrounds a decision to apply a macron to the Māhia Peninsula's name.
Submissions inviting support or objection concluded on July 2, she said.
"People could make their submissions online, no submissions were received," Shaw said.
"Given there was no objection to the consultation regarding Māhia Canyon, the macron on Māhia, Māhia Beach and Māhia Peninsula was applied for consistency as the correct use of a macron."
She said the process also required advice from an expert te reo linguist, who was provided with Te Māhia mai Tawhiti and two histories.
The first was Te Aue Davis: "Meaning of Te Māhia mai Tawhiti - Māhia from afar - a Hawaiki name Sourced from Infomap 346-01 Te Ika a Māui Edition 1, 1995".
And the second was A W Reed: "The ancient name of the peninsula was Te Mahiamaitawhiti, lit. the murmurings of home, named by Ruawharo of the Takitimu canoe for its resemblance to a place in the homeland. Ruawharo left the canoe to deposit gravel brought from Hawaiki here, following his mother's advice to him to settle 'where a whale is cast ashore'. That is why he stood up and cried, 'This is Mahia!' when he saw a headland that resembled a whale."
Shaw said if mana whenua Rongomaiwahine Iwi had further concerns about the addition of the macron, the board would be happy to hear from them to discuss the matter further.
Ratapu could not be reached for further comment.
The decision to use a macron for Māhia was made official by the board on July 16. It was among 698 decisions regarding place-name changes.
Board chairman Anslem Haanen said once made official, place names must be used in all official documents like road signs, maps, websites and databases.
"It's important to ensure we preserve and protect place names so that they endure, and we have certainty about their location, extent, origin and authenticity," Haanen said.
Some of the Māori place names like Tākaka, Eketāhuna and Māhia Peninsula now have macrons applied.
Adding macrons correctly in written Māori makes the meaning of a name clear and assists with pronunciation.
Māori place names, like all place names, have stories behind them, so ensuring their correct spelling will help keep those stories alive, he said.
