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The Northland suburb of Kamo will have its original name Te Kamo restored, which has upset some locals.
A Northland suburb will have its official name restored, which will correct a spelling mistake and better honour the tupuna it was named after, but the change has upset some locals.
The Whangārei suburb of Kamo will now be known as ‘Te Kamo’, the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pau Taunaha o Aotearoa announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Board chair Anselm Haanen said the proposal to correct the error and restore the original name Te Kamo was made by Ngāti Kahu-o-Torongare and several local hapū.
Their historical narratives refer to Te Kamo as a notable leader and ancestor in the area, who worked hard to ensure his people living in Te Kamo were safe and prosperous.
“The original name of the land and kāinga [village] was Te Kamo, and we can see this reflected in the record of the Crown’s purchase of the ‘Te Kamo’ block in 1858,” Haanen said.
“In the years since, the name has been unofficially shortened to ‘Kamo’. So this decision restores and raises awareness of the history of the name and corrects a grievance of mana whenua that the name is spelled incorrectly.”
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The suburb now known as Te Kamo has a population of about 6700. (File photo)
The geographic board invited public submissions on the name change over a three-month period earlier this year.
Of the approximately 6700 Te Kamo residents, 651 gave submissions; 535 were opposed to the change, while 116 were in support.
Those opposed raised concerns about the cost of the change, long-term use of the name Kamo and their strong personal associations.
However, the board decided these did not outweigh its reasons to support the change.
“In te reo Maōri, the word ‘Te’ is often used to elevate the status and mana of a person,” Haanen explained.
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Nicki Wakefield, Ngati Kahu o Torongare representative, says the name restoration of Te Kamo has been a long time coming. (File photo)
“It is just as an important part of a name as the Scottish ‘Mac’ in ‘MacDonald’, for example.”
Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor confirmed the board’s decision to alter the name.
Ngā Hapū o Whangārei spokesperson Nicki Wakefield said while there are many different understandings of the name, hapū supported Te Kamo because it was given by their tupuna in the 1850s.
The restoration of the original name has been a “long time coming” and was first proposed two years ago, she said.
The restoration of an original te reo Māori name is also proposed in the Northland town of Russell, which local hapū want changed back to Kororāreka.
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The Bay of Islands town of Russell could change back to its Māori name, Kororāreka. (Video first published April 19, 2023.)
The name came from the British politician Lord John Russell – who never visited New Zealand – and was first given to Okiato, the site of the country’s first capital, about 7km south of the current town.
The name Kororāreka refers to a sweet penguin broth, which helped restore the health of an unwell chief.
In the instance of Russell, the Geographic Board could not decide and has referred the decision to O’Connor.
In relation to Kamo, the board said official documents will now need to use Te Kamo.
This includes road signs referring to ‘Kamo’, which can be updated with ‘Te Kamo’ as they age and are replaced as part of regular maintenance.
