Showcasing the stories of Kaipātiki’s rich Māori history is the focus of a project to see more te reo Māori being spoken, heard, seen and learnt across Auckland.
Kaipātiki Local Board is among 11 local boards participating in a regionwide naming project – partnering with mana whenua to add names significant to Māori to parks and community facilities, including libraries, community and leisure centres, in their area.
It has invited mana whenua to provide a Māori name and narrative for 26 local parks in Kaipātiki.
“We are really pleased to be partnering with mana whenua on this project,” says Kaipātiki Local Board Chair John Gillon.
“As well as making Te Reo Māori more visible across Kaipātiki, it will allow us to celebrate the stories of the area with both locals and visitors.”
The selected names would be gifted to the local board by mana whenua and added to the existing name.
“Over time these sites would have a dual name – we not proposing changing or taking the away an existing name but adding to it with a name significant to Māori,” says Mr Gillon.
The list of names is expected to be provided to the local board sometime next year and will be workshopped before any final decisions are made.
Participating local boards
- Albert-Eden Local Board
- Henderson-Massey Local Board
- Hibiscus and Bays Local Board
- Kaipātiki Local Board
- Māngere-Otāhuhu Local Board
- Manurewa Local Board
- Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board
- Puketāpapa Local Board
- Whau Local Board
- Papakura Local Board
- Waitakere Ranges Local Board
About the Te Kete Rukruku programme
The naming initiative is part of Auckland Council’s wider Te Kete Rukuruku programme, which involves the collection and telling of unique stories of Tāmaki Makaurau.
The programme is a partnership between the council and the 19 mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau, and responds to feedback from mana whenua about the current naming practices, and to the Auckland Council Māori Language Policy adopted in 2016.
Māori names and Māori language on signs will make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori.
Auckland Council recognises the language is a cultural treasure which is at the heart of Māori identity.
Currently, only nine per cent of Auckland Council parks and places have Māori names, and this programme aims to significantly increase that and provides a platform to reclaim and celebrate our Māori identity.
In September this year, the council’s Community and Environment Committee endorsed, in principle, the inclusion of regional parks and cemeteries in the programme with a proposed implementation plan expected in the second half of 2019.
