‘Iwi’ influence debated

Names for new roads in Cambridge seem to have more iwi influence now than before, says Waipā councillor Roger Gordon.

He was responding to a recommendation for four new street names in the Cambridge Road subdivision which all come about because the area was known by Māori as Maara Kai, meaning the growing of food, or food gardens.

Roger Gordon

The roads will be called Keri Street, Ruia Crescent, Hauhake Street and Ngaki Drive.

Ngaki means to till the soil, keri is to dig the soil, ruia sowing the seeds and hauhake to harvest crops.

“Going back about four to five years ago, I remember when the names went to the community board and we got Aunty Sally Drive and Uncle Bill Road,” said Gordon.

“The process that we’ve got now, and this is perception of the road names that have come through this year, particularly on Cambridge (Road)…  because they go to iwi for recommendation, that all of the road names we are now getting in Cambridge are iwi road names.

“I’m wondering if we’ve just gone a little bit too far the other way and we’ve lost a little bit of balance in the character we’ve got on our town becoming a little bit too the iwi side.”

Development Engineering team leader Mike Kulpa said the developers chose the names and then consulted with Ngāti Korokī Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā who gifted their use. The council’s street naming policy allows for the history of a site to be acknowledged.

With more new streets coming forward, there would be other similar names, he said.

One of the streets in the development is called Hugo Shaw Drive after the 14-year-old St Peter’s School student killed in a Pāpāmoa car crash two years ago. When iwi was consulted about that, they approved the name because of the Cambridge boy’s connections to the developers and the town.

Mayor Susan O’Regan said they were “absolutely great names and I applaud the developer for doing it because in this instance they connect and tell the story of what happened in that area and its importance to mana whenua. It’s nice to see some meaning rather than Aunty Jan or Uncle Bob Drive.”

Deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk said when she looked at how the names came about they were “exceptionally appropriate.”

She encouraged the community to put forward “worthy” names for consideration.

However, she was quick to pounce on Cambridge councillor Philip Coles when he said he was aware of a developer whose names were rejected.

“Perhaps they were inappropriate names Cr Coles,” she said.

“Oh no,” he said.

“I heard otherwise actually,” said Stolwyk.

See: Road named in memory of teen

Hugo Shaw Drive in Cambridge West.