CORRECT SPELLING OF PLACE NAMES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1929, Page 10

CORRECT SPELLING OF PLACE NAMES

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—As the person responsible for the alteration of the spelling of Wahvetu to the correct one of Wuiwhetu for our school of that name, I would like to give ■.Resident" the explanation. When the Wanvlietu School was opened two and a quarter years ago, I, knowing no better, used to sign correspondence, "Secretary, VVaiwetu School Committee," till after repeated chaffing that the school authorities, above all, should set an example in correct spelling of Maori place names I asked several of our educated Maoris in. the d^trict to give me the correct spelling. .They all gave me Waiwhetu, and the beautiful meaning of the name, "Star shining on the water."

Archdeacon Hansell also said when tlio matter w;;s mentioned to him that old registers gave Waiwhetu. Knowing that, as. is usual, the word o£ someone outside the district often lias more weight than that of those who really do know, I referred the matter to the Education Board for final decision. They sent the matter on to the authorities suggested by "Resident, who gave the spelling of Waiwhetu as correct. We accepted it as final, though the word of the Maoris of our district was really enough for us, thougli not for others who had not any knowledge either way. In any case, if it matters_ so little, why does "Resident" was so indignant over the word having an "'h" in it?

Resident" will see from the above that the Education Board did not "sanction" TVaiwhetu; it had not been given that name by the School Committee, consequently it could not be "sanctioned"; tlia Education Board merely desired rightly; to '. ach the children correct spelling. As to simplicity and brevity, there are many English names in Wellington streets and districts which would be pronounced the same if spelt quite differently, and abbreviated, one street being Majoribanka street, which is named after the illustrious family of that name, I presume, and should be pronounced "Marchbanks," so why not kick up a fuss about that? One would think "Resident" would be glad to have the correct spelling of his beautiful district, which truly deserves the full spelling. Besides, see how much . more truly New Zealand it looks* on one's letters. If the spelling of a name means not Jose its meaning if mis-speit? We do not lose it's meaning if mis-spelt? We do not jib at the unnecessary letters which are never sounded when learning French, as we are taught that each has a meaning, so let us hang on to everything typically New Zealand, not be so given to anglicising everything. We have left dear old England behind, and the quicker we interest ourselves in things Maori and New. Zealand, the quicker our love of the beautiful legends and meaning oE names will grow, aud make an absorbing interest to take the place of what we left behind us. As to the pronunciation of Ava, I asked an authority about that, and also one of our highly-placed railway officers. Both gave the long "a" as in banana, one jokingly remarking that it was easily remembered if one thoughi of the old son?, "ava banana."

The really old speliing gives the "V' in Waiwhetu, but the later colonists whoi perhaps did not take such a keen interest in matters Maori as the early ones, seeni* ed to spell phonetically whenever pos« sible.

.'"Resident" says that for all practical purposes it would not matter if it wera called Waiwhetu or Zedwhatu. Well, it would have mattered to the Maori who gave it that name, they had not any railways or guide books to tell them where places were, and had to rely on a descriptive name to enable tribes to locate each, other's districts, and I ant told that thid built on valley was for* merly water, so that the Waiwhetu was really the hills, and when the stars shone? above them at night, they shone on the! water, hence the name. I am glad toj live in a district with so euphonious a, name —I might easily have struck, ah!] no; perhaps those people with secondhand English names like them as we love Waiwhetu (with the "h"), so I will not say.—l am, etc.,

FANNY E. JOYCE, Secretary, Waiwhetu School Committee,