Napier People and Places Committee - 04 February 2021 - Open Agenda Item 1
1. Implementation of Dual Place-names and Bilingual Signage in Council Parks, Reserves and Facilities
|
Type of Report: |
Operational and Procedural |
|
Legal Reference: |
Māori Language Act 2016 |
|
Document ID: |
1268926 |
|
Reporting Officer/s & Unit: |
Charles Ropitini, Strategic Maori Advisor |
11.1 Purpose of Report
The purpose of this report is to update Council of te reo Māori touchpoints implemented across Napier City Council reserves and facilities in the 2017-2019 Triennium.
The report provides an overview of dual place-names in public parks and reserves, and bilingual signage applied to Council facilities. The report recommends the formal adoption of the national Māori-English Bilingual Signage Guidelines.
The report supports the need for Council to consider a Te Reo Māori Policy for Napier City Council as a framework for continued implementation of bilingualism across Council projects and documents.
|
The Napier People and Places Committee: a. Endorse the report as a consolidation of bilingual signage and dual place-names applied to Council projects over the 2017-2019 Triennium. b. Approve the Principal Māori Advisor to engage mana whenua to capture stories relating to Māori place-names reinstated to parks and reserves, with an agreed level of cultural intellectual property made available to the public domain. c. Approve the adoption of the national ‘Māori-English Bilingual Signage – A Guide For Best Practice’ as the guide for bilingual signage and dual place-names. d. Approve the use of national te reo Māori lexicons for Libraries and Para Kore Zero Waste, with a process developed for accepting national lexicons for future bilingual projects.
|
Bilingual signage is the representation of texts in two languages; in this case, Māori and English. It includes physical signs, but it can be much wider and includes electronic media, such as the headings within websites and email signatures; and information and publicity material.
An approach to bilingual signage was developed by request of the Māori Committee in September 2018 following a presentation by officer’s regarding re-branding and signage renewal of McLean Park.
Acknowledging that Council officers incorporated some te reo Māori within the proposed suite of signage, the Māori Committee identified the opportunity for increased use of te reo Māori across McLean Park. The outcome of the presentation was a request to extend the scope to demonstrate equality of language use in all signage across McLean Park.
In partnership with the Principal Māori Advisor, Council’s marketing team applied the national guidelines for Māori-English Bilingual Signage published by Te Puni Kōkiri The Ministry for Māori Development and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori The Māori Language Commission.
The Māori-English Bilingual Signage Guidelines inform all bilingual touchpoints, paving the way for developing further bilingual signage across Council facilities.
Simultaneous to the development of bilingual signage for McLean Park, was the development of signage guidelines for parks and reserves, with a phased signage renewal project commencing in September 2018. The renewal of signage provided a further opportunity for the Māori Committee to realise a long-held aspiration of Te Whanganui-a-Orotū kaumātua to see the reinstatement of Māori place-names as a mechanism for maintaining memory of the past in a highly modified landscape.
Interviews with Te Whanganui-a-Orotū kaumātua in 2007 determined that:
‘Reinstating the original Māori names for significant sites within Te Whanga so that the history could ‘be brought back’ was a common theme expressed by interviewees. They suggested that some sites could be signposted with the original Māori name, a short whakamārama (explanation) about the history, and more plantings of indigenous species, particularly on wāhi tapu (sacred) sites.[1]
Bilingual signage and reinstatement of Māori place-names acknowledges te reo Māori as a taonga treasure under Article II of the Treaty of Waitangi and recognises the Māori Language Act 1987, which made te reo Māori an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand.
1.3 Māori Committee feedback
The Māori Committee acknowledged the achievements made through implementation of te reo Māori across Council facilities. The Māori Committee congratulated those involved with implementation of te reo Māori.
Questions were asked of the process for engaging mana whenua to capture the stories of Māori placenames being reinstated to public parks and reserves.
In response to questions it was clarified that a timeframe has not been agreed with mana whenua, and that a process needs to be developed about how stories and cultural intellectual property would be captured and presented.
The Māori Committee recommendations to Council were passed by Mr Chad Tareha and seconded by Mayor Wise.
1.4 Bilingual signage projects
Bilingual signage is incorporated into existing renewal projects, with all new signage in Council facilities to include te reo Māori. National bilingual signage guidelines inform Council’s Signage Guidelines.
McLean Park
With the exception of the name ‘McLean Park’, which is protected by an Act of Parliament, the park now has a bilingual set of signage.
Officers were keen to understand how best to meet the challenge set by the Māori Committee to demonstrate equality of language use at McLean Park. In working through the options for presenting bilingual signage, officers were able to simplify the use of English to allow for the inclusion of te reo Māori, with the positive outcome of a cleaner, more direct, and less cluttered set of signage.
While the use of te reo Māori is predominantly directional language, McLean Park is now fully bilingual, with English and Māori alternating in a way that both languages are presented side-by-side.
Napier Libraries
The need to move the central library to MTG Tai Ahuriri following seismic assessment of the library building provided an opportunity to extend the existing bilingual signage of MTG Tai Ahuriri into the space occupied by the library.
The language used within the library signage follows a national glossary of library terminology set by Te Rōpū Whakahau The National Association for Māori Engaged in Libraries, Culture, Knowledge, Information, Communication and Systems Technology in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Waste Minimisation Project
Council’s waste minimisation projects have delivered 75,000 bilingual recycling crates to Napier households. The language used across the suite of recycling crates follows a national glossary of waste terminology set by Para Kore Zero Waste. Deference to a nationally accepted glossary allows for consistency of te reo Māori use relating to Para Kore Zero Waste, and supports educating and advocating for waste reduction and use of te reo Māori.
The crates follow national guidelines for bilingual signage with placement of Māori above the English.
Napier City Council Customer Service Centre
The temporary Customer Services Centre at Dunvegan House, Hastings Street, has internal bilingual directional signage, following national guidelines with te reo Māori above the English.
Napier City Council Website
A Napier City Council led project for inclusion of te reo Māori in local government websites for Hawke’s Bay has seen the implementation of bilingual headings and webpage greetings.
Each website allows for the choice of te reo Māori and English. This project was in partnership with Jeremy Tātere McLeod, Director Te Reo Māori, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc.
1.5 Dual place-names for parks and reserves
Consideration for dual place-naming for Council parks and reserves stems from a review of Council’s signage guidelines and renewal of signage across Council parks and reserves commencing in September 2018.
Dual place-naming for parks and reserves is not a bilingual approach to translating English names, but reinstates the existing Māori name alongside its English name, respecting that the implementation of dual place-naming does not remove existing English names.
In cases where there is a Māori name only, there is no change to the signage.
National Māori-English Bilingual Signage Guidelines underpin Council’s Signage Guidelines for implementation of dual place-names in parks and reserves, with the Māori name to the left and the English name to the right; or, with the Māori name above and the English name below.
Te Taha Westshore Beach Reserve
Te Taha Westshore Beach Reserve is the first Council reserve to lead dual place-naming. Te Taha is listed on historical maps and is identified within Council’s ‘Sites of Significance to Māori Report’ with a reference from Heitia Hiha:
“This is an area where fish processing used to occur. It is the name of the shingle spit enclosing Te Whanganui-a-Orotū and northern side of Ahuriri heads.”
Dual place-names that have been implemented to date are:
· Marewa - Marewa Park
· Onekawa - Roberts Terrace Reserve
· Te Whanga - Aspiring Drive Reserve
· Tūhinapō - Centennial Gardens
· Karetoki Whare - Sturm’s Gully
11.6 Issues
Key issues relating to the implementation of bilingual signage and dual place-names are:
1. Need for a Te Reo Māori Policy
2. Process for unknown or unclear place-names
3. Process for inclusion of cultural intellectual property relating to place-names i.e. ‘their stories’.
Te Reo Māori Policy
Bilingual implementation to date has been action orientated without a Te Reo Māori Policy in place. However, as bilingual projects become more complex, there is a need for a policy to guide officers’ decision making in language use, and process for sign-off by the Māori Committee.
Place-name Clarity and Confirmation
In the case of dual place-names there is a need to engage the Māori Committee and mana whenua for confirmation of unknown, unclear or misspelt place-names. In cases where early maps exist, the spelling of Māori place-names is not always correct, and a process is required with resourcing to enable correct place-names to be attached to their respective locations.
Cultural Intellectual Property
The implementation of dual place-names has not seen the inclusion of their associated stories; however, it is a recommendation that an agreed level of cultural intellectual property is available to the public. Inclusion and promotion of cultural intellectual property is important to uplifting knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Māori place-names and their relevance to the area.
11.7 Significance and Engagement
The Māori Language Act 2016 affirms the Māori language as:
· The indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand
· A taonga of iwi and Māori
· A language valued by the nation
· An official language of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Council acknowledges its role in supporting and revitalising te reo Māori in line with the principles of the Māori Language Act 2016.
Adoption of national Māori-English Bilingual Guidelines informs best practice placement of the two languages side-by-side, however does not inform types of language to be used, nor do they inform processes for engagement with Māori.
In line with guidance from the Māori Language Act 2016, mana whenua and Māori should be consulted on matters relating to the Māori language, including the promotion of the use of the language. This guidance further supports the need for Council to have a Te Reo Māori Policy in place.
11.8 Implications
Financial
There is no cost to formally adopting the national Māori-English Bilingual Signage Guidelines.
Financial contribution to implementation of bilingual signage and dual place-names is included in existing signage renewal projects, without the need for additional budget. From time-to-time it is expected that Council will need to resource hui and/or wānanga where a place-name requires further clarification and engagement with mana whenua and the Māori Committee.
There is no separate budget for te reo Māori initiatives outside of bilingual signage and dual place-names. Projects and initiatives requiring te reo Māori are required to factor translation services into their project costings.
Social & Policy
National Māori-English Bilingual Signage Guidelines provide an approach for how to use te reo Māori in the best way when developing public signage. However, they do not inform use of te reo outside of signage, nor do these guidelines inform iwi dialectal preferences or local lexicons.
Therefore, alongside adoption of the national Māori-English Bilingual Signage Guidelines, a Te Reo Māori Policy is required to formalise processes of engagement and sign-off with the Māori Committee.
To ensure consistency across the region, and nationally, the development of a Te Reo Māori Policy should be inclusive of guidelines and nationally accepted glossaries:
· Māori-English Bilingual Signage – A Guide For Best Practice.
· Te Rōpū Whakahau The National Association for Māori Engaged in Libraries, Culture, Knowledge, Information, Communication and Systems Technology in Aotearoa New Zealand.
· Para Kore Zero Waste.
Risk
While there is an appreciation for national identification of particular language use, such as Para Kore Zero Waste, the adoption of national te reo Māori lexicons may raise issues with local dialectal norms.
For dual place-names there is a risk that the names may be perceived as direct translations of their existing English names. Telling the stories of the place-names is critical to understanding and accepting reinstatement of Māori place-names by the general public and all residents of Ahuriri-Napier.
11.9 Options
The options available to Council are as follows:
a. Bilingual Signage and Dual Place-names
i. Option One – Approve the adoption of the national ‘Māori-English Bilingual Signage – A Guide For Best Practice’ as the guide for bilingual signage and dual place-names.
ii. Option Two – Decline the adoption of the national ‘Māori-English Bilingual Signage – A Guide For Best Practice’ and direct the Principal Māori Advisor to consider other options for presentation of bilingual signage.
b. National Lexicons
i. Option One – Approve the use of national te reo Māori lexicons for Libraries and Para Kore Zero Waste.
ii. Option Two – Decline the use of national te reo Māori lexicons for Libraries and Para Kore Zero Waste and direct the Principal Māori Advisor to consider local alternatives to national lexicons.
iii. Option Three – Approve option one with the inclusion of a clear process for assessing national lexicons within a Te Reo Māori Policy.
11.10 Development of Preferred Option
Bilingual Signage and Dual Place-names – Option One Approve the adoption of the national ‘Māori-English Bilingual Signage – A Guide For Best Practice’ as the guide for bilingual signage and dual place-names.
The recommendation acknowledges that this guide is developed by Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori, The Māori Language Commission, and sets a national standard for appropriate display for Māori and English languages side-by-side. As a best practice guide informed by international norms, it would be difficult to create a localised version that holds differences to the national guide.
National Lexicons – Option Three Approve option one: Approve the adoption of the national ‘Māori-English Bilingual Signage – A Guide For Best Practice’ as the guide for bilingual signage and dual place-names with the inclusion of a clear process for assessing national lexicons within a Te Reo Māori Policy.
The recommendation acknowledges the need for a process to assess and accept national lexicons and suggests that this is included in the development of a Te Reo Māori Policy. The recommendation also supports the adoption of national lexicons for Para Kore Zero Waste and Libraries as consistent national language use for these two areas.