Te Wiki or Te Reo Māori: New Zealand’s Most Mispronounced Places and What to Do About It

Kurow, the birthplace of All Blacks legend Richie McCaw, may sound like a Maori name, but it definitely isn’t.

The word comes from the mispronunciation of the original name, Te Kohurau, a large rangatira (chief) who became a mountain in the Waitaki Valley.

And the city of the South Island is not alone, the country is riddled with mispronounced and completely altered Maori place names.

The affluent Wellington suburb of Karori was once Kaharore, from “te kaha o ngā rore”, or the site of many bird traps.

Sonny Ngatai has been on a mission to ensure that these names, and his whakapapa, are not only not forgotten, but celebrated.

“The main reason is to promote the correct pronunciation of te reo, but also that if we do not pronounce it correctly we lose the whakapapa, the story behind it.

“If you are a citizen of that community, I think it is invaluable to know what it means.”

Ngatai, who currently works as a social media consultant for Te Māngai Pāho, previously produced a television series with Nickelodeon called Tiki Towns, which described 50 locations in Aotearoa.

“We wanted to do something that explained Maori place names, but was fun for the kids.”

Recently, he has been using that content on social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, sharing short and funny video clips with the correct pronunciation and whakapapa of each.

He received a great response, even from some “grown children”, and many begged him to make their cities.

The most mispronounced on the motu by far was Tauranga, Ngatai said.

It is often spoiled with a variation of “Towel-wrong-ah”, when in fact it should be “Toe-rung-ah”.

But instead of just telling people how to say a Maori word (kupu), Ngatai said that it was important to tell the story behind it.

For example, Tauranga referred to the port as a “resting place for waka,” as a “parking lot for canoes,” Ngatai said.

“I don’t want people to feel condescending, so instead of just saying, ‘Say it like this,’ I want to give the whakapapa back so that people understand why it is important to do it correctly.

“When they are mispronounced, they mean nothing, but when they are said correctly, they tell a rich story.”

The Maori name for Auckland is Tāmaki Makaurau, which means “place of a hundred lovers”, among variations.

It refers to the desirable and fertile place in the center of a network of waterways that carry travelers north, south, east, or west.

Meanwhile, the English name, Auckland, is named after Lord Auckland, who never visited the area.

Inside Tāmaki Makaurau, too, the place names spoke of incredible stories.

Manukau, meaning passing birds, is believed to have come from Hoturoa rangatira traveling through the port on the Tainui waka.

Another name in danger was Te Kauwhata – commonly mispronounced as “Te Koh-what-ah”, rather than the correct “Te Koh-fah-tu”.

The term actually refers to an ancient settlement in the middle of a lake in the area, Lake Waikare.

Te Kauwhata (originally called Tā Kauwhata) refers to the empty warehouses that were in this settlement, protecting food from pests on the mainland.

Ngatai said they discovered this story while filming their series after talking to a kaumatua at the local marae.

“It just showed how unless we record and share these stories, they risk getting lost.”

Ngatai was born in Rotorua, which means “second lake”.

Ngatai’s parents were part of the generation that did not dare to learn their inmate, with his own parents in the generation beaten by teachers in public schools for speaking their mother tongue.

“But my parents wanted us to talk about it, so we were very lucky and went to kohanga reo and te kura kaupapa Māori.”

She had always wanted to work in television, practicing her closing of Te Karerere since she was tamariki.

He started on Māori TV at age 18 and later worked on Tiki Towns for Nickelodeon.

Now he works for Te Māngai Pāho helping government departments and agencies with content on social media around te reo.

“Te reo Māori has made my dreams come true and it is the only reason I am where I am.

“I wholeheartedly believe, not just for Maori, that it helps to know more about the identity of New Zealand and more about who we are – it’s like a little secret door to another world.”

TikTok’s pronunciation videos are “just for fun,” he says, but also to help those who might struggle with their pronunciation.

“It’s a really tricky situation. To anyone struggling, my advice is to keep going.

“And if you hear someone struggling, try to understand that it is a difficult process for some, recognize that they are trying and encourage them.”

The whakapapa of Aotearoa place names, as told by Sonny Ngatai

• Aoteaora / New Zealand – The most famous story is that Kupe discovered Aotearoa, but it was his wife who named her. Once she saw the land for the first time, she cried out, “She Ao She Ao, she Aotearoa – land of a long white cloud.”

• Auckland – Tāmaki Makaurau which means, among variations, “place of a hundred lovers”. It refers to the desirable and fertile site in the center of a network of waterways that carry travelers north, south, east, or west. Meanwhile, the English name, Auckland, is named after Lord Auckland, who never visited the area.

• Paeroa – A household name among many kiwis and world famous in New Zealand for L&P. The full name is Te Paeroa or Toi te Huatahi, which means the long range of Toi te Huatahi. Toi te Huatahi was a famous explorer who named many places. In recognition of his incredible fearless ability, Paeroa was named after him.

• Tauranga – Long ago Tauranga was used as a resting place for travelers in the area, a “waka parking lot”.

• Rotorua – Although it often means “two lakes”, Rotorua actually means “second lake”. The full name is Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, but over time it has been shortened to Rotorua. It was discovered by the great explorer Ihenga, and was named after first discovering Rotoiti, the small lake.

• Kaikōura – Kaikōura tells the story of Tama ki te Raki, a Maori explorer known for cooking crayfish in the area. Kaikōura’s full name is Te Ahi Kaikōura a Tama ki te Raki. Te ahi, which means fire, kaikōura, to eat crayfish, and Tama ki te Raki, the great explorer.

• Taupō – Full name: Taupō nui-a-Tia, which means Tia’s great mantle. Long time ago, a great chief named Tia was on a cliff, which looked like a cape he was wearing, hence the name.