Te reo rightfully in our welcome

KIA ORA, tena koutou, haere mai are everyday phrases heard often.

So you have to wonder at why the emotive response to the decision to include a welcome in te reo Maori alongside its English language counterpart on new signs welcoming people to our city.

It's not as though the phrases used are little used. Pick up the phone and dial many a business or individual and a good number of respondents will answer with an affable, "Kia ora". This is, after all, the official language of New Zealand's tangata whenua. It is recognised in the laws of our land.

Almost one-quarter of all Maori (24 per cent, or 131,600 people) reported in the 2006 Census they could hold a conversation in Maori about everyday things. Of the 157,100 people (or 4 per cent of the total New Zealand population) who could speak Maori in 2006, 84 per cent were Maori.

But this is not a matter of fluency. These are common terms used by many of us every day. They are heard and written often enough, so it is not unexpected to see them used in an official sign welcoming people to our city.

Objections from councillors over the signs at Monday's council meeting were contradictory on why they didn't approve of the wording or how it was displayed.

They don't "mind" the wording? Really, so why the objection?

If it isn't objectionable to you, then you would have no reason to insist that the English version come first and the Maori be relegated to a lesser position and smaller print.

It doesn't matter that government departments do that - they also spell Wanganui with an H.

Some complained the signs are too wordy and therefore confusing. Nonsense. The signs are bright and feature a stunning image of the river that captures the raw beauty of the area.

It is a curious thing that whenever dignitaries or sports teams visit, one of the first things that happens is they are treated to a powhiri. Yet here, welcoming people in unison and on equal terms is so abhorrent. Why do we celebrate our culture on the one hand and deny it its rightful place on the other?

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