TWO STATIONS WITH THE SAME NAME

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 65, 8 June 1927, Page 9

TWO STATIONS WITH THE SAME NAME

PUKANUI NOW PUNGANUI Confusion between the names of two railway stations, Pukanui, near Helensville, and Puhinui, south of Auckland, has caused considerable inconvenience to both consignors and consignees in the past. Goods have frequently gone astray, and there often has been delay before they reached their proper destination. Recently the Auckland Chamber of Commerce took the matter in hand with the Railway Department and asked for a change of name. A reply has now been received to the effect that Pukanui will be spelt in future “Punganui,” thus getting over the difficulty of the written addresses being conflicted while pronunciation remains almost unchanged. The “ng” is, in fact, the correct North Island spelling of the word. According to Elsdon Best, noted Maori authority, the dialectical difference in Maori is the change of the nasal “ng” of the North to the “k” in the South. Thus, tangata in the North becomes takata in the South. The change of spelling in Pukanui station takes effect from June 26.