Say it and write it right, Waipā
Waipā District Council has adopted the macron, the first important step toward correct pronunciation of Waipā.
Council is currently working to formally adopt the Māori orthographic conventions of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo as the standard for all internal and external documents, branding, and signage.
Iwi liaison advisor Shane Te Ruki said it’s a crucial step in the right direction for Waipā, which until now had been using a translation with no relevance or meaning in Māori spoken or written language.
‘Wai’ means water, and ‘pā’ means to touch or reach, as in a sound reaching the ears.
“Adopting the Māori orthographic convention will remove ambiguity and misunderstanding, and lift Waipā District Council’s standard of writing of the Māori language to that of best practice,” Te Ruki said.
“Adding the macron simply recognises the importance of correct pronunciation of Waipā.
“Realistically, it should’ve happened a long time ago. By formally adopting a standard Māori orthographic convention, we will be embracing change for the better,” he added.
Council’s strategy and community services group manager, Debbie Lascelles, said Council is supportive of the use of the macron for the organisation, however in order to adopt the macron for the district, a formal process is required.
Formally changing the district’s name to Waipā requires an application to the New Zealand Geographical Board with evidence of consultation with affected people, including the local community and iwi.
Te Ruki said it could take up to two years to fully adopt the Māori orthographic conventions of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo.
“Bedding down such a change requires time and education for it to become second nature. We have a lot of work to do in that space, and we are working on it,” Te Ruki said.
Council has already updated electronic logos for less than $100, and guidelines were in place for staff to follow.
Origins of Waipā
The name Waipā refers to the river and its valley.
In the Ngāti Unu historical accounts, the naming of the river is accounted to Kahu. Kahu is the illustrious ancestress whose travels are remembered in the names of local mountains and features of the land including Kakepuku-te-rerenga-o Kahu, Pirongia-te-aroaro-o-Kahu and Te Manga-waero-o-Kahu.
In Kahu’s travels down from the shoulders of Mount Pirongia and across the nearby streams, she gazed at the scene and the possibility of a great river in the wide and far flung valley before her. Keen to explore, she began moving at pace towards the promising valley floor and soon found herself running.
Her travelling companions called out to Kahu. They hurried to keep pace with Kahu and called out three times to their mistress asking why and to where she was running. Upon the third asking Kahu responded, “Kua pā mai te hou matāho o te wai ki aku taringa!” ‘The resonant sound of water hath reached my ears!’ In simpler words Kahu could hear the waters of a great river. ‘Wai’ water, and ‘pā’ to touch or reach, as in sound to the ears.
Thus the simple conversion of Kahu’s words by her travelling companions gave rise to the river and its valley as we know it – Waipā.