Wakanui or Whakanui, or both?

Is it Wakanui or Whakanui?

Formally the agricultural Canterbury space is Wakanui, however the ‘Wh’ spelling has been creeping into Ashburton District Council’s utilization, elevating questions on its spelling.

Native rūnanga say ‘Whakanui’ is right – however each spellings are acceptable.

Te Wera King, Upoko o Te Rūnaka o Arowhenua, stated the inaccurate use of ‘Wa’ is a standard mistake for conventional place names.

This was brought on by early settlers mishearing the proper pronunciation when translating from te reo Māori.

“We’re snug with both Whakanui or Wakanui getting used, however Whakanui is the proper spelling.

“Whakanui has additionally been incorrectly recorded as Hakanui, Wanganui, and Whanganui.”

The completely different spellings have been brought on by how the place title had been heard and written down, he stated.

“The tender pronunciation of ‘wh’ was mistakenly heard as an ‘h’, and subsequently the creek was spelt Wakanui.

“Within the Kāi Tahu dialect, ‘okay’ replaces ‘ng’, which signifies that ‘Whakanui’ is spelt as ‘Whanganui’ in Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island).”

The Ashburton District Council acknowledged the normal Māori pronunciation utilizing the ‘Wh’, democracy and engagement group supervisor Toni Durham stated.

“Council will proceed to spell Wakanui with out the ‘h’ till we’re suggested in any other case by mana whenua.”

The council has since modified all spelling to Wakanui on its web site.

The title Wakanui is a rural space close to the ocean, creek, a bit of seashore, faculty, a number of roads.

The title was tailored by the settlers within the 1850s.

“Whakanui was the normal place title utilized by our tīpuna (ancestors) and is referenced in lots of paperwork and historic information,” King stated.

“Most notably, quite a few Kāi Tahu kaumātua recorded the spelling Whakanui within the proof gathered by Hori Kerei Taiaroa for the 1879 Smith-Nairn Royal Fee of Inquiry into the Kāi Tahu land claims.

“Our tīpuna described Whakanui as a kāika nohoanga (settlement) and kāika mahinga kai (food-gathering web site) for gathering tuna (eels), aruhe (fernroot), kiore (native Polynesian rat), paraki (smelt) and quite a lot of birds.”

The title Whakanui will be seen on one of many earliest maps on show on the Ashburton Museum, King stated.

Though some locals say it has at all times been “Wa”.

The Butterick household have farmed at Wakanui for over 150 years. Household historian Sue Butterick-Kent stated she has by no means seen a neighborhood map with the ‘Wh’ spelling.

The locals have at all times recognized it as Wakanui, apart from Amos’ farm which had the ‘H’ at their gate, she stated.

“And I didn’t ever recall listening to a proof as to why they did that.”

Butterick-Kent stated she was advised Wakanui meant ‘massive canoe’, referring to the landmark on the coast.

There’s a “distinctive giant lengthy slim” cliff jutting out on the coast, which locals name the ‘bull’s tongue’, she stated.

Others have stated it means the boat of the ocean.

Whereas there are a number of completely different doable meanings of Wakanui, the title doesn’t confer with a ‘massive canoe’, King stated.

“We have now seen no proof of this inside our conventional sources.

“The follow of translating Māori place names with out the complete context of native Māori historical past has resulted in lots of inaccurate translations.”

There have been no formal requests to think about altering the spelling of Wakanui, but it surely has been mentioned.

Principal Trena Watt of Wakanui College, which opened in 1876, stated it was not a easy factor to alter.

“It was really one of many first issues I used to be requested after I grew to become principal.

“We have gotten extra immersed in te reo use in faculties.

“We’re evolving and we have now to evolve on the proper velocity.”

One thing as important as altering the spelling of Wakanui may finally be a part of that evolution, “but it surely’s not the time but”, she stated.

The spelling of Wakanui has additionally been mentioned locally, however not in any formal setting, she stated.

Molly Blain, who has lived on the Wakanui Huts settlement at Wakanui Seaside for 20 years, advocated for a spelling change whereas on the district’s biodiversity working group.

Blain stated it ought to be corrected to incorporate the ‘H’ as a result of “it’s a typo from the 1800s”.

Nonetheless, she stated some native grew to become indignant concerning the change when it was beforehand mentioned.

Wakanui Historical past

In keeping with Kā Huru Manu, the Ngāi Tahu cultural mapping challenge, Whakanui is the proper spelling.

Te Wera King stated that strategically, Whakanui was a big kāika positioned on the ara tawhito (conventional journey route) that runs alongside the Canterbury shoreline.

“As Whakanui is the primary supply of freshwater south of the Rakaia, it was a preferred resting place for travellers.”

In 1843–44, Tarawhata (Kāti Huirapa) guided Edward Shortland (Protector of Aborigines) by South Canterbury to Akaroa throughout Shortland’s census of the southern Māori inhabitants of New Zealand.

On reaching Whakanui, they crammed water bottles left purposely on the banks for travellers.

Whakanui was a significant space of occupation which will be seen by the quite a few taoka (treasures) and different archaeological stays recovered there, he stated.

Whakanui was partly excavated in 1971 and 1972 by the Canterbury Museum Archaeological Society and area people members related to the close by Wakanui College.

A collection of taoka from the excavations can also be on show within the Ashburton Museum.

A reserve was created there in 1907 and a brick shelter was constructed, with the constructing now a personal bach.

By Jonathan Leask