Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori: All Waipā parks and reserves to have Māori names in bilingual project

Waipuke Park’s te reo Māori name has been confirmed with representatives from mana whenua.

New bilingual signs are soon to be introduced at Waipā parks and reserves.

Waipā District Council said it had been partnering with mana whenua over the past two years to identify te reo Māori names for parks and reserves across the district and made the announcement as part of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori language week activities.

Community services manager Brad Ward said the te reo Māori names would be an addition to any existing English name.

In some cases, it would be restoring traditional names to the land the parks and reserves are based on, and in others, it may be creating new contemporary te reo Māori names.

“This project will give all our parks and reserves an appropriate te reo Māori name associated with the land’s history or purpose of the space. It recognises the importance of te reo Māori and gives the opportunity to celebrate the rich cultural history in Waipā,” Ward said.

“The best example of this dual naming is Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park; while it is a change to get used to, it soon rolls off the tongue quite naturally.”

The implementation would occur as the existing signs came to the end of their life, needed to be replaced due to damage, or the information needed updating.

“We want to reiterate to the public that where the parks and reserves have an English name, that will be retained alongside the new te reo Māori name. Having the te reo Māori names and stories in our parks and reserves will help people become more comfortable with the language, learn about the history of the area, and ensure the narratives of the past aren’t lost.”

Four parks already with te reo Māori names had been confirmed with mana whenua. These were to be officially named, Mātakitaki, Whare Marama, Tūrata and Waipuke.

“This will be a long process and we have a way to go but it is great to get started,” Ward said.

By the end of the project, all 260 parks and reserves in Waipā will have a te reo Māori name and signage.