Names connect people with place

Rōpata Taylor, General Manager, Manaaki, shares the stories behind the names of some of the Wakatū subdivisions and streets.

‘As kaitiaki of our whenua and our legacy, a lot of care goes into the naming of our subdivisions and their street names. It is important to us to keep the old names alive, to ensure they are not lost and they continue to be part of the living landscape. Reclaiming the original names is about honouring the past.’

Puketūtū, a subdivision near Port Motueka, is the traditional Māori name for the area, and for the pā site which was on beachfront land near presentday Trewavas Street. Puketūtū translates to ‘hill of the tutu tree’. The native tutu tree, often found in coastal areas, is notorious for being highly poisonous, but the carefully strained juice of the berries was used in rongoā Māori.

‘Puketūtū reflects one of the Māori naming traditions that is focused on the land form – the mountain, the river, the lake. Other times, names commemorate an event or an activity that took place at that location. There is also a tradition of recognising significant people, which is the case for another Motueka subdivision, Tana Pukekōhatu. One of the original chiefs associated with the heke (great migration), Tana Pukekōhatu was a chief of Ngāti Rārua, and the leader of a Motueka-based hapū called Ngāti Pareteata.

‘This hapū emphasises the relationship between Ngāti Rārua and Te Ātiawa. Many of the people associated with Wakatū today have Tana Pukekōhatu as their tūpuna,’ Rōpata says.

Other names associated with Tana Pukekōhatu are woven through nearby streets. His son, Kerei Pukekōhatu, is recognised in the naming of both Kerei and Grey streets. Rore Street is named after another son, Rore. Close by, Paretōna Street is named after another hapū which Tana Pukekōhatu led. Paretōna hapū was based over in the Wairau and emphasises the links between Ngāti Rārua and Ngāti Toa Rangitira.

‘And it’s not just people from our early history we recognise. Another, Kuini Street, is named after our beloved aunty, Kuini Kātene (née Rōpata). Kuini Kātene lived all her life on the lands just near to this subdivision.’

‘One of the impacts of colonisation is that traditional place names can disappear from use and, as a result, history and stories of tangata whenua, the people of the land, can be lost. All of these names ensure that the footsteps of our families continue to resonate throughout Te Tauihu.

‘In his lifetime, Tana Pukekōhatu was a connector, between the North and South islands, between Tasman and Marlborough, between iwi, and between Māori and the new Pākehā settlers of the late 1800s. Naming one of our prominent subdivisions after him ensures an ongoing connection to the deep history of our lands,’ Rōpata says.