May 24, 2019
Historic slip sparks Maniapoto name change bid
The Maniapoto Māori Trust Board wants to restore names in its rohe to share a wider appreciation of its history.
It has asked the New Zealand Geographic Board to give Benneydale the dual name of Maniaiti.
Maniapoto deputy chair Keith Ikin says Benneydale, which was put on the town when coal was mined from the area in the 1940s, does not reflect the significance of the area for Maniapoto, Ngāti Rereahu and Rereahu’s oldest son Ihingarangi.
"When Ihingarangi passed he was brought back home by his people. As he was being carried back through the rohe, mania is to slip and the group slipped slightly on their way home, and that's where the name Maniaiti comes from," he says.
Maniapoto has also asked for macrons to be added to names like Ōtorohanga and Kāwhia, and also to restore the name Te Ara o Puronga for the main trunk rail line running through the King Country.
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com