Letters to the Editor

 

Te Reo English
Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell announced, “We must normalise Te Reo Maori so that New Zealanders can... start their Te Reo Maori journey.”

Perhaps the Minister is unaware that not only have non-Maori started their journey but are major contributors to what is now called the Maori language.

When the early colonists arrived the Maori vocabulary consisted of approximately 40,000 words.

It is now probably more than 150,00 words, with the additional 110,000 being variations of the English language, dropping consonants for which Maori had no equivalent and adding vowels at the end.

For example let us consider the very English name John Hadfield. No letter J in the Maori alphabet, so substitute H. Since all Maori names end in a vowel let’s add an E. Result, John equals Hone.

Now for Hadfield. HA is okay but no D, so replace with RA; no F so use W; the letters IE become I, and as there is no L or D replace with RA so it ends in a vowel.

So now what do we have? Surprise, surprise, Hone Harawira, whose given name at birth was John Hadfield.

The same applies to many “Maori” names and variations on words borrowed from the English language.

A few years ago two (no doubt well paid) Maori scholars proudly announced that they had invented ten thousand new Maori words in the preceding year, those words all being “converted” from the English language.

So far from preserving the original Maori tongue we are being fed a conglomeration of two languages rolled into one.

Perhaps part-Maori children attending total immersion schools would better understand the origins of Te Reo if they learnt the English language first.

Mitch Morgan
Kaipara


We need developers
It is understandable that developers want to pay as little as possible to create their subdivisions and when they do have to pay they strongly prefer to pay for things that directly increase the value of the property, and therefore their return on investment.

But, taken together, all the new subdivisions create a need for new infrastructure in the whole town. For example, increasing traffic results in demand for new footpaths, parking areas, bicycle lanes and other pathways, so that we can still

move about in safety. Increasing population generates pressure for new and expanded recreational facilities, and the changing demographics will lead to a need for a local high school, and much more, if we are to maintain the quality of life that we have enjoyed in the past.

No one subdivision or development is going to fund all the necessary new infrastructure, but in the aggregate developers (and ultimately the new residents) must fund this. It is NOT the responsibility of existing residents to underwrite the infrastructure needed for new residents.

It will be interesting to discover how much the Commissioners have put by for all these new investments, and we will all be very interested to watch the new council collect the right amount of development contributions for all the future needs.

If we are not careful we could end up with all the developers gone and the whole Kaipara District again having to underwrite Mangawhai’s infrastructure. Remember the Waste Water Treatment Plant? It will repeat itself unless the lessons are learned.

Do you have views and opinions about what is needed and how we should use the Development Contribution Fee? Join the discussion at mangawhailongterm.org.nz.

Christian Simon
Mangawhai