MAORI PLACE NAMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 182, 1 August 1923, Page 6

MAORI PLACE NAMES.

PRACTICE AND PEDAHTBY. THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS. The matter of influencing pupils to correctly pronounce Maori place-name* was mentioned at the Education Board meeting to-day, when the principal of the Teachers' Training College reported rhat this matter received attention's!' part of the English course prescribed for '' teachers in training. Generally there" was little difficulty with the subject, but in some instances studentg felt that it was too pedantic to depart so far from common usage as to give the exact Maori pronunciation to names like Onehunga (O-ne-hu-nga). It was a question of how far the old pronunciation might be restored, and the best means to be taken to combat the tendency to Anglicise Maori names. The general public.: would have to be approached more , directly than through the schools, Mr. Cousins thought. This point of view had t*<en put before * the Education Department, and a reply . u-as received to-day to the effect that all that could be done was to take care of the pronunciation in the schools and : training colleges. The public, the Department felt, would have to take care of itself. "Railway officials are probably the worst offenders, , ' wrote the Director of Education, "but it is believed it would be futile to make representations to the Railway Department regarding the matter. It is indeed doubtful if the Railway Department could be expected to take action."