MAORI PLACE NAMES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 68, 16 February 1935, Page 9

MAORI PLACE NAMES

ADDRESS BY AUTHORITY. PLEA TO CHANGE CITY’S NAME. Yesterday’s gathering of? the members of the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club was addressed by Mr Johannes C'. Andersen, of Wellington, librarian of the Turnbull Library, who spoke on Maori place-names. The speaker touched on the general principles of the origin of names, pointing out that some came from associations and others from descriptive reasons. Mr Anderson made a plea for tne change of the name of “Palmerston North” to “Manawatu.” The speaker was introduced by the chairman, Mr H. I. Christensen, who commented that Mr Andersen’s contributions to New Zealand historical literature were such that he needed very little introduction.

Since the setting up of the New Zealand Georgraplncal Board the matter of place names had commanded far more attention than before, sold the speaker. He said the board was not to set up new names for old, bnt rather to prevent the repetition of names and to endorse a change of name when it was requested. In that regard there were six “Whitiangas.’ Consequently, when there was a request for the name of one to be changed it was called Mercury Bay. Many place names were descriptive. Those beginning with “Wai” referred, generally, to water, but not necessarily. The name could be that of a place the Maori had known in the past. AVe did the same thing and liked associations. Milford, in South Canterbury, was a descriptive name because, at one time, there was a flour mill at the stream, thus “Million!.” The flour mill had gone to Temuka and the ford was replaced by a bridge. Similarly, Culverden was an inappropriate name. It was named after a place in England meaning a wooded hollow where the wood pigeon was plentiful. Aorangi (Mount Cook) was an example of how a name could be misinterpreted as to its meaning. Aorangi was a name brought to New Zealand from the Pacific, and one canoe, from over the sea, passed within sight of the peak, which was named troin a little boy, the son of the captain of the vessel. The boy had been the smallest member in the eanoe, while the peak was the highest in the land. But the giving of the name could be understood when it was explained that the boy was usually carried on his grandfather’s shoulder, so he was, even as a boy, taller than the others. “Manga” meant the branch of a river—as in Mangaweku—while “Whanga” meant the mouth of a river' or an inlet. Early maps showed the 'Wanganui River as having a wide inlet-like mouth, which was originally called Whanganui, the name spreading later to tiie whole river. Waikanae was, some thought, “a river where mullet were,” but the name really came from “wai” (water) and “kanao” (to look wildly about), the name originating front an early exploring Maori’s actions there, the Maori being Hau, from Wanganui. In Canterbury there was the lio Gully and “Tio” meant oysters. But that could not be, as there were no oysters there, ’lhe name came from the call “Tea-oh 1” which was uttered by travellers who stopped there as a midway point. There was a Tycho Elat in Canterbury which drew its name not from the Danish astronomer’s name but from that of a Maori, Taiko, who tended sheep there. Many names were exceedingly descriptive, said the speaker, and lie gave a number of instances. The Maori was a poet and a great orator because of bis poetic outlook; the Maori place names showed that. Hau, starting from Whanganui, had made a journey down the coast. When he came to this district his heart felt peaceful and calm—“Manawatu.” Another version, which was not taken with such credence, was that Hau heard a noise in the bush and could not understand it, and so his “heart stood still -Thus came the interpretation of the standing heart. Touching on the name of Palmerston North, to speaker urged that it be changed to “Manawatu.” There was the Manawatu River in the district while the district itself provided a good backing for a change of name. lhe Postal Department had advised that no less than 1500 packages a year were misdirected between Palmerston North and Palmerston on the Christchurch-]) unedin railway line. (Somebody suffered through that confusion of names, lie said, and Palmerston had the prior right to the name. What would happen, toOj when Palmerston North became a city like 'Wellington, to be divided into postal districts P 'Would they he called “Palmerston North North,” “Palmerston North East” or what? Mr Andersen said that when he had, as a member of the New Zealand Geographical Board, sent the first batch of reports to Lord Bledisloe, His Excellency had suggested something should be done as to the changing of tile name ‘1 almerston North.” The matter had had his keen interest and a short time ago he had advised Lord Bledisloe that he would be speaking in Palmerston North and would then bring the subiect forward. Ho had received, just prior to leaving, a short note from His Excellency wishing him success in the matter. A vote of thanks to the speaker was proposed by the chairman, who indicated that if a committee took up the change of name some definite objective might be reached. Visitors welcomed at gatheiing were Messrs G. A. Gow (Korea) and C. A. Lindsay (Maungaturoto).