More than 40 Māori place names in Hawke's Bay given official recognition

Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateapōkaiwhenuakitānatahu, New Zealand's longest place name, has had macrons added to its name. Photo / File

More than 40 Māori place names in Hawke's Bay have been made official by the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB).

The board has made official 824 Māori place names around the country, of which 48 are in Hawke's Bay.

These place names are all in common use. More than 300, including 17 in Hawke's Bay, now include macrons as part of their official names.

"Applying macrons correctly in written Māori provides the meaning of a name and assists with pronunciation. This is important for all New Zealanders," said Anselm Haanen, acting chair of the NZGB.

"Many Māori place names have important stories behind them, so ensuring the correct spelling will help keep those stories alive."

New Zealand's longest place name, Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateapōkaiwhenuakitānatahu, in southern Hawke's Bay is one of the places to have had macrons instituted.

"The name tells the story of the hill where Tamatea played his flute to his loved one."

Many of the names have resulted from a collaborative project with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to officially recognise their traditional tūturu names from their online cultural heritage atlas, Kā Huru Manu.

The remaining names were made official to support the Say it Tika campaign.

Common Hawke's Bay names made official include Kahurānaki, Pōrangahau, Te Awanga, Tikokino, Puketapu, Haumoana and Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateapōkaiwhenuakitānatahu.