Balanced News: ‘Word bank’ of rejected te reo Māori street names not seen as helpful

An idea to create a “word bank” of rejected te reo Māori street names for developers has been criticized by an iwi (Māori tribe) in New Zealand. The iwi, Rangitāne o Wairau, believes that naming streets in te reo Māori should be more thoughtful and considerate of the area’s history and culture, rather than simply choosing names from a list. The idea of a word bank was discussed by the Marlborough District Council’s road naming committee, but the iwi representative seat was empty during the meeting. The council is still in discussions with iwi about the possibility of creating a road name list.