It’s time for the main streets of Tauranga to be named after tīpuna Māori, not Pākehā soldiers, according to Charlie Tawhiao, of Ngāi Te Rangi

This interview, from Manako, deals with  a renewed call to change the main street names in Tauranga from the names of Pākehā soldiers, and to commemorate instead the Māori ancestors who led the fight against them in the 19th century. You can find out more about the conflict here (at the NZ Government history website).

The interview broadcast is downloaded here. It’s worth listening to the original. Charlie’s kōrero is quite easy to follow, even if Eruera’s is quite a bit more challenging.

 

Below is my brief summary of the broadcast.

 

I tēnei uiuinga, ka kōrero a Eruera Morgan ki a Charlie Tawhiao o Ngāi Te Rangi, mō ngā ingoa o ngā tiriti o Tauranga Moana. I tēnei wā, kua tapaina ngā tiriti matua hei maumahara ki ngā hōia i whawhai ki Ngāi Te Rangi me ngā iwi o reira i tērā atu rautau,  i ngā pakanga i tapaina e Charlie ‘te Riri o te Pākehā.’ Hei tauira, kō Cameron St te tiriti matua o Tauranga, ā ko Cameron te tianara Pākehā i whawhai i reira.

E ai ki a Charlie, kua puta mai anō te whakaaro o ngā iwi o reira kia huri ai ngā ingoa o ngā tiriti i tērā tāone nui ki ngā ingoa o ō rātou tūpuna, me te mea, ki ngā ingoa o rātou i whawhai mō ō rātou whenua i ngā pakanga. I mihi hoki a Charlie ki ngā rangatahi, nā rātou i whakahōungia  anō te whakaaro nei. Ki a ia, ehara tēnei i te mahi māmā noa iho. Ko te tino whakaaro, kia hoki anō te mana o terā wāhi ki ngā iwi o reira.

Nā Eruera i tino tautoko tēra whakaaro. Ki a ia, ko tēnei te tikanga o ngā tūpuna, mā ngā ingoa ka ora tonu ai ngā pūrakau o neherā, ka ora tonu ai ngā hītoria mō ngā tīpuna, mō te iwi hoki.

Vocabulary

tapa(ina)                                          named

Te Riri o te Pākehā                       ‘The Anger of the Pākehā’ (New Zealand land wars)

tianara                                            general

tērā atu rautau                              the century before last

pūrākau                                          story

hītōria (hītori)                                history