A summary of Māori membership on the Board
The Honorary Geographic Board 1924-1946
The Minister of Lands established the Honorary Geographic Board of New Zealand in August 1924 and its duties were to:
- adopt rules for the orthography of geographic names
- examine cases of doubtful geographical spelling and nomenclature
- investigate and decide the priority of the discovery of any geographical feature and recommend the name to be retained
- collect original Māori place names
- consider the desirability of substituting British for Alien names appearing on the maps
- investigate and decide upon any proposed alteration of a geographical name.
The Board’s seven foundational members included three who were recognised scholars in aspects of te ao Māori or te reo Māori: Dominion Museum ethnologist Elsdon Best, Turnbull Librarian Johannes Andersen and the Venerable Archdeacon (later Bishop) Herbert Williams. While Andersen had a more limited understanding of te reo Māori, Best was a fluent te reo Māori speaker and Williams was a distinguished scholar of te reo Māori, responsible for editing the greatly revised fifth edition of Williams’s Māori Dictionary (1917).
It wasn’t until 1932 that Tā Apirana Turupa Ngata was appointed as the Board’s first Māori member, succeeding Elsdon Best who died in office. Tā Apirana, who was Minister of Native Affairs at the time of his appointment, made an immense contribution to the Honorary Board, particularly in matters of Māori orthography as a native te reo Māori speaker. In 1938, Māori scholar and skilled translator Pei Te Hurinui Jones joined the Honorary Board, having been recommended by Tā Apirana who held him in great esteem.
The New Zealand Geographic Board Act 1946
Both Tā Apirana Ngata and Pei Te Hurinui Jones became members of the New Zealand Geographic Board established under the New Zealand Geographic Board Act 1946. The 1946 Act provided for the Board to include ‘two persons to be appointed as representatives of the Māori race on the recommendation of the Minister of Native Affairs’.[1] Both men died in office in 1950 and 1976 respectively, with Pei Te Hurinui Jones remaining the Board’s longest-serving member to date, completing successive terms totalling 37 years and two months. Tā Apirana Ngata was succeeded by Tā John Te Herekiekie Grace, and Pei Te Hurinui Jones was succeeded by Tilly Te Koingo Reedy, the Board’s first female member.[2]
Subsequent Board appointments on the recommendation of the Minister of Māori Affairs were Tā James Clendon Tau Hēnare, Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa, Charles Tohara Mohi, Tā Tipene O’Regan, Tā Sidney (Hirini) Moko Mead, Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy and Dr Apirana Tuahae Mahuika. Dr Apirana Mahuika filled the position that had been left vacant after Tā Tipene became the Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu nomination on the Board. This was a new statutory appointment established under the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, requiring a consequential amendment to the Board’s 1946 Act.
The New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008
The requirement for the Board to include two members recommended by the Minister of Māori Affairs continued under the New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008 (NZGB Act 2008) as did the Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu nomination. The 2008 Act states that the persons recommended by the Minister of Māori Affairs (now Minister for Māori Development) must have a knowledge of tikanga Māori and te reo Māori and be able to ‘….provide advice in relation to the naming of geographic features and Crown protected areas for which tikanga Māori or te reo Māori is relevant’. Tā Tipene O’Regan, Dr Apirana Mahuika and Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy continued in their roles. Tā Tipene O’Regan remained on the Board until July 2013 and was succeeded by Professor Rawiri Te Maire Tau. Current Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu appointment Paulette Tamati-Elliffe joined the Board in December 2016. Dr Apirana Mahuika and Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy were succeeded by Rikirangi Gage and Archie Tairoa respectively, with subsequent Minister of Māori Affairs recommendations being:
- Chanel Clarke
- Shane Te Ruki
- Matanuku Mahuika
- Mahana Toka
- Dr Cadence Kaumoana
Recent Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and Minister for Land Information nominations/appointments have also represented Māori interests on the Board, namely current members Iaean Cranwell and Dr Merata Kawharu, and former LGNZ member Bonita Bigham.
A rich legacy
The Board’s former Māori members were instrumental to the Board’s mahi, with their contributions helping to promote the importance of original Māori place names, leading to a greater recognition for the need to restore and preserve our tūturu place names. They also brought scholarship and rigour to the Board’s work, highlighting the need for careful research to ratify the authenticity of Māori place names and their stories, as Tā Tipene would often emphasis at Board meetings.
The Board’s former Māori members also played pivotal roles in the production of the Board’s Māori place naming publications. For example, Tā Apirana Ngata and Pei Te Hurinui Jones were heavily involved in the drafting of the (not published) Centennial Atlas in the late 1930s and Tā Tipene O’Regan was a driving force behind the publication of the Board’s Māori Oral History Atlas and Survey Pegs of the Past for Aotearoa New Zealand’s sesquicentenary commemorations in 1990. He and Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy were also closely involved in the publication of the first edition Tangata Whenua Place Name Maps in 1995, ‘making major contributions to ensuring the accuracy of the names’ alongside another Board member Dame Evelyn Stokes.[3] Those two Board publications, first edition maps and the beginning of the Board’s te reo Māori geographic generic terms glossary received in-depth research and consultation by Te Aue Davis. While not a Board member, Te Aue Davis was engaged by the Board for many years for her scholarship, esteem and knowledge of te ao Māori and te reo Māori.
The Board’s Māori Names Committee/Komiti Taunahatanga Māori
Call for a specialist Māori Names Committee
At its hui on 16 November 2009, the Board discussed the establishment of a ‘Māori Interest Group’, to include Māori Board members Tā Tipene O’Regan and Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy (if available) and Board observers from Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. The Board had recognised the need for such a group for some time, to advise on Māori place names and focus on specific Māori place naming related tasks.
The group held its inaugural hui on 26 February 2010 in Wellington. Attending Board members were Tā Tipene O’Regan and Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy, with Te Haumihiata Mason and Kylie Brown representing Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
At the hui, Board Chairperson Dr Don Grant advised that the group had been formally set up as a committee under the Board in terms of Schedule 1, Clause 5(b) of the NZGB Act 2008. Tā Tipene O’Regan was appointed as Chair and suggested that Professor Te Wharehuia Milroy and Te Haumihiata Mason consider an appropriate Māori name for the committee, known initially as the ‘Māori Names Committee’ for consistency with the Board’s other existing committees. The Committee then discussed and agreed its proposed Terms of Reference which revealed a wide range of Māori place naming objectives such as to:
- consider collected original Māori names and make recommendations to the Board
- consider how the Board might engage more effectively with iwi (possibly by considering the development of an educational initiative)
- complete the Generic Geographic Features listing[4] and publish it
- review existing Board publications relating to Māori place names and consider new ones
- arrange for the Board’s proposal forms to be available in te reo Māori
- oversee Board agreements relating to Māori place names and provide comment to the Board.
The Ensuing Years 2009-present
The Committee has regularly met since its inaugural hui, with meetings generally timed just before Board hui. Tā Tipene O’Regan remained as Committee Chair until mid-2018, having continued in the role after finishing as a Board member in July 2013. In December 2018, Matanuku Mahuika was appointed as the new Chair and he has co-chaired the Committee with Paulette Tamati-Elliffe since November 2020.
On 19 April 2021 the Committee unanimously agreed to change its name to Komiti Taunahatanga Māori, being a translation of its name provided by licensed translator Dr Wayne Ngata as part of broader translation work to incorporate more te reo Māori into the Board’s documents.
The following year the Komiti agreed to update its Terms of Reference to remove the requirement for it to approve any collected original Māori names. The consideration of original Māori names for collection had always been a focus of the Komiti, but with changes to the process of collecting original Māori names, including consultation with mana whenua and the seeking of orthographic advice, this was agreed to be a Secretariat function. The Komiti also updated its Terms of Reference to record that it ‘fully supports mana whenua having the final say about place names to be collected’, and added a requirement for the Secretariat to advise the Komiti of any newly collected original Māori names.
The Committee/Komiti – impact, legacy and value
The Komiti has made a significant contribution to the Board’s Māori place naming mahi, continuing the legacy of the Board’s Māori members which started with Tā Apirana Ngata in 1932. In its early years, the Komiti approved numerous original Māori place names for collection and provided expert advice and recommendations to the Board on a wide range of Māori place name proposals such as Wanganui/Whanganui, Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu. The Komiti has also debated the issue of appropriate Māori names for undersea features and played a key role in the Board’s promotion of te reo Māori, as demonstrated by its early initiative to translate the Board’s proposal forms into te reo Māori. Furthermore, it has provided considerable input into Board resources and publications such as the New Zealand Geographic Features website and more recently, the second edition of the Tangata Whenua Place Names maps (2023). Perhaps most importantly, the Komiti has provided a space for its members to discuss and share ideas prior to each Board hui. As noted at the Komiti hui on 10 October 2024, while the Komiti has evolved and the Board’s approach to Māori names has changed over time, ‘its very existence sends an important message, especially in terms of the significance of Māori place names.’
Footnotes
1 Later amended to the Minister of Māori Affairs by section 9(2) of the Maori Purposes Act 1947. [Back to footnote reference 1]
2 Refer to the timeline of Board membership for further details. [Back to footnote reference 2]
3 Minister of Survey and Land Information’s speech from the launch of the maps at Te Papa Tongawera. [Back to footnote reference 3]
4 Known today as the New Zealand Geographic Features website: https://geographicfeatures.linz.govt.nz/. [Back to footnote reference 4]