Latest news with #TūporeInfrastructure
Scoop
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Ngāti Kahungunu Appalled By Pulling Of Te Reo Signage
Press Release – Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc Ngti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahis rulebook so that this never happens again. Ngāti Kahungunu is appalled by the Minister of Transport and Waka Kotahi's decision to pull the use of Reo Māori traffic signs and stands unapologetically in defence of te reo Māori 'Taihoa' 'Haere' stop-go signs in Te Matau a Māui. Says Ngāti Kahungunu Chair, Bayden Barber, 'This is not about rules – it's about racism. Te reo Māori is not a translation, a novelty, or a risk. It is official. It is sacred. It is ours. It belongs on our roads just as it does in our wharenui, classrooms, homes, and workplaces.' He adds, 'I loved seeing the use of Te Reo in these contexts. It's only two words surrounded by green or red, which most people understand as go or stop. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce te reo to the masses.' Ngāti Kahungunu has been on a 25-year journey to reclaim and restore the use of te reo amongst its 100,000 people, 96 marae and over 150 hapū with the recent review of its language strategy, Kahungunu kia Eke. Last year the Toitū Te Reo Language Festival in Hastings attracted over 7000 people from all walks of life, Māori and non-Māori alike. Te reo Māori is thriving in parts of the community and Ngāti Kahungunu was to see te reo continue to flourish. Barber again comments, 'As part of our language strategy, Ngāti Kahungunu has worked closely with workplaces and organisations within our rohe to support our language aspirations. Hastings District Council has bilingual signage on all its main roadways. The iwi has a good relationship with Tūpore Infrastructure who have over 90% Māori workforce and commends the use of te reo on its stop-go signs.' Ngāti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahi's rulebook so that this never happens again. In addition to this Ngāti Kahungunu is ready to meet with Waka Kotahi, the Minister of Transport, and TMNZ. But we do not come to negotiate our identity – we come with clear demands: restore the language, revise the rules, and acknowledge the damage done. Te reo Māori is a language of this land. It must be seen, spoken, and protected – not paused, not questioned and not erased.
Scoop
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Ngāti Kahungunu Appalled By Pulling Of Te Reo Signage
Press Release – Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc Ngti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahis rulebook so that this never happens again. Ngāti Kahungunu is appalled by the Minister of Transport and Waka Kotahi's decision to pull the use of Reo Māori traffic signs and stands unapologetically in defence of te reo Māori 'Taihoa' 'Haere' stop-go signs in Te Matau a Māui. Says Ngāti Kahungunu Chair, Bayden Barber, 'This is not about rules – it's about racism. Te reo Māori is not a translation, a novelty, or a risk. It is official. It is sacred. It is ours. It belongs on our roads just as it does in our wharenui, classrooms, homes, and workplaces.' He adds, 'I loved seeing the use of Te Reo in these contexts. It's only two words surrounded by green or red, which most people understand as go or stop. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce te reo to the masses.' Ngāti Kahungunu has been on a 25-year journey to reclaim and restore the use of te reo amongst its 100,000 people, 96 marae and over 150 hapū with the recent review of its language strategy, Kahungunu kia Eke. Last year the Toitū Te Reo Language Festival in Hastings attracted over 7000 people from all walks of life, Māori and non-Māori alike. Te reo Māori is thriving in parts of the community and Ngāti Kahungunu was to see te reo continue to flourish. Barber again comments, 'As part of our language strategy, Ngāti Kahungunu has worked closely with workplaces and organisations within our rohe to support our language aspirations. Hastings District Council has bilingual signage on all its main roadways. The iwi has a good relationship with Tūpore Infrastructure who have over 90% Māori workforce and commends the use of te reo on its stop-go signs.' Ngāti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahi's rulebook so that this never happens again. In addition to this Ngāti Kahungunu is ready to meet with Waka Kotahi, the Minister of Transport, and TMNZ. But we do not come to negotiate our identity – we come with clear demands: restore the language, revise the rules, and acknowledge the damage done. Te reo Māori is a language of this land. It must be seen, spoken, and protected – not paused, not questioned and not erased.
Scoop
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Ngāti Kahungunu Appalled By Pulling Of Te Reo Signage
Ngāti Kahungunu is appalled by the Minister of Transport and Waka Kotahi's decision to pull the use of Reo Māori traffic signs and stands unapologetically in defence of te reo Māori 'Taihoa' 'Haere' stop-go signs in Te Matau a Māui. Says Ngāti Kahungunu Chair, Bayden Barber, 'This is not about rules - it's about racism. Te reo Māori is not a translation, a novelty, or a risk. It is official. It is sacred. It is ours. It belongs on our roads just as it does in our wharenui, classrooms, homes, and workplaces.' He adds, 'I loved seeing the use of Te Reo in these contexts. It's only two words surrounded by green or red, which most people understand as go or stop. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce te reo to the masses.' Ngāti Kahungunu has been on a 25-year journey to reclaim and restore the use of te reo amongst its 100,000 people, 96 marae and over 150 hapū with the recent review of its language strategy, Kahungunu kia Eke. Last year the Toitū Te Reo Language Festival in Hastings attracted over 7000 people from all walks of life, Māori and non-Māori alike. Te reo Māori is thriving in parts of the community and Ngāti Kahungunu was to see te reo continue to flourish. Barber again comments, 'As part of our language strategy, Ngāti Kahungunu has worked closely with workplaces and organisations within our rohe to support our language aspirations. Hastings District Council has bilingual signage on all its main roadways. The iwi has a good relationship with Tūpore Infrastructure who have over 90% Māori workforce and commends the use of te reo on its stop-go signs.' Ngāti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahi's rulebook so that this never happens again. In addition to this Ngāti Kahungunu is ready to meet with Waka Kotahi, the Minister of Transport, and TMNZ. But we do not come to negotiate our identity - we come with clear demands: restore the language, revise the rules, and acknowledge the damage done. Te reo Māori is a language of this land. It must be seen, spoken, and protected - not paused, not questioned and not erased.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Te reo Māori stop-go signs: Roadworks company hits pause on use of ‘taihoa' as legality questioned
In May 2023, then Leader of the Opposition Christopher Luxon said he was 'not opposed per se' to bilingual road signs, but said at the time the priority should be given to fixing potholes, after his then transport spokesman Simeon Brown questioned the logic of bilingual signs. According to Te Aka Māori Dictionary, taihoa is an interjection which can mean: wait, wait a second, later, don't ... yet. Haere as a verb means to go, depart, travel, walk and continue. Chambers said the Oxford Dictionary also had an interpretation of taihoa as meaning 'to proceed carefully'. He said the word shouldn't be used as a replacement for the word 'stop' and argued the sign was illegal and unsafe. Chambers said most countries, whether they spoke English or not, used the word 'stop' as it was internationally known. 'If a foreign tourist goes past that sign and has an accident, then the Government should be held liable,' he said. The roadworks contract on Matapiro Rd is being carried out by Tūpore Infrastructure. When Hawke's Bay Today visited the Matapiro Rd roadworks on Tuesday afternoon the te reo taihoa-haere sign was in use. A spokesman from the company said the sign in question was left by a sub-contractor and inadvertently utilised by their on-site team. 'We are unsure of the legal compliance standing of these signs and as such, once we were made aware of the signage, we have replaced them with traditional stop-go signage,' the spokesman said late on Tuesday afternoon. The spokesman said no Government agency had been in touch with the company about the use of the te reo sign. The company does not have any other te reo-only signage in its inventory. Tūpore would 'certainly consider this in the future if they were approved for use', the spokesman said.
