Te Awa o Mokotūāraro name confirmed for Hawke’s Bay river

Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board announces today that Te Awa o Mokotūāraro is now the new official name for Clive River in Hawke’s Bay.

The river, which was the original course of the lower section of the Ngaruroro River, flows for about seven kilometres from Pakowhai Road Bridge northeast of Hastings to join the mouth of the Ngaruroro River, which flows into Hawke Bay.

Public consultation on the proposed name change was open earlier this year, from 18 January to 23 February, and the Board received many submissions.

“We were pleased with the amount of community engagement and support received for the proposal to alter the river name to Te Awa o Mokotūāraro,” Board Chairperson Anselm Haanen says.

Te Awa o Mokotūāraro is a shortened version of Ngaruroro Moko-tū-ā-raro ki Rangatira, the original name for the full length of the river. Mokotūāraro was given by Ruawharo, a high priest aboard the Takitimu waka when it entered Hawke Bay, naming it after one of his sons.

“We hope to help restore the mauri and mana of the river by restoring the name that reflects the cultural, historical and spiritual beliefs of local tangata whenua,” Mr Haanen says.

Minister for Land Information, Damien O’Connor, confirmed the Board’s decision to alter the name and from today, Te Awa o Mokotūāraro becomes the river’s official name and must be used on maps, signs and other official documents.

The name of the town that the river runs through remains Clive. It was named after Major-General Robert Clive (1725-1774).

Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa acknowledges the efforts of the local marae to improve the health of this ancestral waterway.

More information about the place naming process can be found in the ‘About the New Zealand Geographic Board’ section of our website.

About Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa

Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board is an independent statutory body. Pou Taunaha is supported and administered by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand.

Anyone may propose a name for a geographic feature or place. Pou Taunaha uses naming guidelines and standards and follows international good practice to help it to make robust and enduring decisions.

Pou Taunaha recognises the importance of pronunciation in te reo and macrons support both pronunciation and meaning. Therefore, Pou Taunaha follows the orthographic conventions of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission).

If Pou Taunaha doesn't agree with a proposal, it may consult on a different proposal considered to be more appropriate.

Pou Taunaha consults with relevant agencies, local communities, stakeholders and iwi. It researches all proposals and encourages the use of original Māori place names.

Official place names must be used in all official documents like road signs, maps, websites, databases and publications for tourists.

Anyone can make a submission on proposed place names, either online or by emailing nzgbsubmissions@linz.govt.nz, or by mailing directly to the Pou Taunaha Secretariat.

Official and recorded place names can be searched in the New Zealand Gazetteer.

Kua whakaūngia te ingoa o Te Awa o Mokotūāraro mō tētahi awa i Te Matau-a-Māui

Kua pānuita e Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa i te rangi nei ko Te Awa o Mokotūāraro te ingoa mana hou mō te Clive River i Te Matau-a-Māui.

Ko te awa nei te rerenga ake o te pito whakararo o te Awa o Ngaruroro, ka rere mō tōna whitu kiromita nei atu i te Arawhiti o te Ara o Pakowhai ki te raki-mā-rāwhiti o Heretaunga, e rere atu ai ki te waha o te Awa o Ngaruroro, kia rere atu ki Te Matau-a-Māui.

I tuwhera te whakapāpātanga tūmatanui mō te panoni i te ingoa i te tīmatanga o tēnei tau, arā, i te 18 o Kohitātea ki te 23 o Huitanguru, me te nui o ngā whakaaro i tāpaea ake ki te Poari.

Hei tā te Toihau o te Poari, a Anselm Haanen, “E harikoa ana mātou i te nui o te whai wāhi mai a te hapori me te kupu tautoko i tae mai mō te tono kia panonitia te ingoa o te awa ki Te Awa o Mokotūāraro.”

He whakarāpopotonga Te Awa o Mokotūāraro mō Ngaruroro Moko-tū-ā-raro ki Rangatira, te ingoa ake mō te roanga atu o te awa. I taunahatia a Mokotūāraro e Ruawharo, te tohunga o Takitimu waka, i te hounga atu ki Te Matau-a-Māui. I taunahatia ki tētahi o ana tama. 

Hei tā Mr Haanen, “Ko te tūmanako mā te whakahokia ake o te ingoa tūturu, e whakaatu ana i te ahurea, i ngā kōrero tuku iho me te taha wairua o te tangata whenua, e whakahokia ake anō ai te mauri me te mana o te awa.” 

I whakaūngia e te Minita mō Toitū te Whenua, e Damien O’Connor, te whakatau a te Poari kia whakarerekētia te ingoa, nō reira haere ake nei, ko Te Awa o Mokotūāraro te ingoa mana o te awa. Me āta whakamahi te ingoa nei i ngā mahere whenua, i ngā tohu huarahi me ētahi atu tuhinga mana.  

Ka mau tonu te ingoa o Clive mō te taone e rere ana te awa. I taunahatia tēnei ki a Major-General Robert Clive (1725-1774).

E mihi ana a Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa ki ngā whakapaunga kaha o te marae o te hau kāinga ki te whakahoki ake i te awa o ō rātou tūpuna ki te ora.  

Ka kitea ētahi atu kōrero mō te tukanga taunaha wāhanga o ‘About the New Zealand Geographic Board’ i tā mātou paetukutuku.  

He kōrero mō Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa

He rōpū motuhake ā-ture a Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa. E tautokohia ana, e whakahaeretia ana mātou e Toitū Te Whenua.

E āhei ana te tangata noa ki te tono ingoa mō tētahi tārainga whenua, tētahi wāhi rānei. Ka whai a Pou Taunaha i ētahi aratohu taunaha, ētahi paerewa, i ētahi tikanga mahi papai o te ao anō e pakari ai, e mauroa ai tāna i whakatau ai.

E mōhio ana a Pou Taunaha ki te hiranga o te whakahua tika i te reo, ka tautoko hoki te tohutō i te whakahua tika me te aronga o te kupu.  Nō reira, ka whai a Pou Taunaha i ngā tikanga tuhi a Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

Ki te kore a Pou Taunaha e whakaae ki tētahi tono, tērā ia ka whakapā haere mō tētahi tono e whakaarotia ana he hāngai ake.  

Ka whakapā haere a Pou Taunaha ki ngā umanga e hāngai ana, ki ngā hapori o te hau kāinga, ki te hunga whai pānga me te iwi. Ka rangahaua e ia ngā tono katoa, ka whakahau anō kia whakamahia ko te ingoa Māori taketake ake.  

Me mātua whakamahi te ingoa wāhi mana i ngā tuhinga mana katoa pērā i te tohu huarahi, te mahere whenua, te paetukutuku, te putunga raraunga me ngā tuhinga mā te tūruhi.

E āhei ana te tangata noa ki te tuku whakaaro mai mō te ingoa kua tonoa, me tāpae tuihono mai, īmēra mai rānei ki nzgbsubmissions@linz.govt.nz, me tuku hāngai mai rānei ki te Taituarā o Pou Taunaha.

Ka taea te toro ngā kōrero mō te ingoa mana me te ingoa kua takoto i te New Zealand Gazetteer.