Support For Maori Language In Porirua

In the lead up to Māori Language Week, several Māori have made submissions to Porirua City to support the Māori Language in local Māori place names.

Council asked for public feedback during June, and the feedback period closed last Friday (see http://www.pcc.govt.nz/pages/Home/News---Events/Public-Consultation/Formalisation-of-Suburb-Names-and-Boundaries).

Several submissions were made, supporting two changes:

- to include macrons in Māori names where appropriate e.g. Pāuatahanui, Rānui, Paekākāriki, but no macron in Mana.

- to use bilingual names for current English names, like is done with Taranaki / Egmont and Mt Aoraki / Cook.

Macrons have been adopted by the Electoral Commission for several electorates such as Māngere and Tāmaki, so the submitters hope that the Porirua Council will adopt a similar policy.

The whānau in Porirua have also let tangata whenua know that they are making these submissions in support of local names.

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