Time to kia tau

In the course of a (particularly busy) day one might pop into Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa (National Library of New Zealand) to do some research, then travel home over roads which are the responsibility of Ararau Aotearoa (Transit New Zealand) or perhaps fly, secure in the knowledge that Te Mana Rererangi Tumatanui o Aotearoa (Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand) is regulating the skies.

Waiting in the mailbox might be prospectuses from Te Kuratini O Waikato (Waikato Institute of Technology), Te Kura Akau Taitoka (Dunedin College of Education) and Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui (Victoria University of Wellington) and some information on your benefit from Te Manatu Whakahiato Ora (Income Support).

Sadly, there might also be a bill from Te Tari Taake (Inland Revenue Department) and Te Awa Mana Nui (Mighty River Power Limited) .

Pondering your bank balance might lead you to wish you were amongst the chosen few to whom Te Ratonga Whare Paremata (Parliamentary Service) pay a handsome pension.

Things could always be worse, of course. Nga Pirihimana O Aotearoa (New Zealand Police) or Tahu o te Ture (Ministry of Justice) might be taking an interest in you. Or even Tumuaki o te Mana Arotake Audit Office) or Te Tari Hara Taware (Serious Fraud Office).

So settle back, pour a drink - making sure it's within the limit recommended by Te Kaunihera Whakatupato Waipiro O Aotearoa (Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand) and switch on Te Reo Tataki o Aotearoa (TVNZ) or Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa (Radio NZ). If you don't like what you see or hear, there's always Te Mana Whanonga Kaipaho (Broadcasting Standards Authority).

Yes, Watchers, many New Zealand organisations have acknowledged the importance of Te Reo to New Zealanders of Maori descent and those many Pakeha who care about such things by way of compromise. They've honoured and acknowledged the place of Maori culture in New Zealand society whilst retaining the names by which the majority of the population recognised and identified them.

That possibly has something to do with the fact that successive governments, both National and Labour, were led by people who realised that generating divisiveness cannot possibly have a positive outcome.

There's some validity in the practical argument that abruptly inserting an "h" into a longstanding name would cause some confusion in terms of what marketers would call "brand recognition". And it's debateable it would have the desired effect of causing the traditional name to be pronounced correctly - just ask the residents of Whangarei and Whakatane.

(Though we doubt such logical arguments were in the forefront of the minds of those who voted 'no' to the 'h' in the refereendumb).

There's certainly validity in the feeling of local iwi that allowing a "bastardised" version of a Maori word to stand as a place name is insulting and creates disunity, and feel disrespected by the fact that such a decision was subject to a referendum at all.

Mindful of these conflicting needs, a responsible and inclusive leader would look for a compromise which reflected the outcome of the referendum and took account of the practical issues whilst acknowledging the importance of the Tangata Whenua and New Zealand's history.

He certainly wouldn't splutter forth with bile suggesting that it's arrogant of independent organisations who've chosen to adopt the Maori spelling to insist on retaining their names - especially when they'd face exactly the same branding issues as the town if they were to change to a non-'h' name.

But that's a responsible and inclusive leader. W(h)anganui, alas, has the Diva.

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