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Kapiti-based Green candidate Jack McDonald is commending Kapiti Coast District Council for proposing Maori names for stretches of the former State Highway One – and says it’s not too much to ask people to pronounce them correctly.
The naming opportunity came about because with the building of the Kapiti Expressway means about 18 kilometres of state highway become local roads.
Some critics say the names are too hard to pronounce.
But Mr McDonald, who used to chair the Paekakariki local board, says all New Zealanders have a responsibility to make the effort to pronounce Maori names correctly, and there are huge benefits in learning about local history and bridging cultures.
"One of the names, Kakakura, was after Wi Parata Te Kakakura, who gifted local land to the government and Pakeha. Another name is Rauoterangi after Kahu Rauoterangi who swam from Kapiti Island with a baby on her back, which is quite a famous story, so this is rich local history which should be more widely known and understood,"
FULL INTERVIEW WITH JACK MCDONALD
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