Do you know where Te Rahui a Ngana and Te Pae a Ngana are? They are the Maori names for Silverwood Reserve and Silverwood lookout site respectively, adopted by Porirua City Council at their meeting last month.
Chief Operating Officer Tamsin Evans told the council that the reserve names were selected as working names to be included in the Reserves Management Plan and were intended to be changed as part of their formal classification.
“The similarity in names has caused confusion for staff and the public. During recent consultation
on reserve names with Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, alternatives were sought as a way of clarifying
the situation,” she said.
“The recommendation from Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira is to rename “Silverwood Reserve” as “Te
Rahui a Ngana” and Silverwood Lookout as “Te Pae a Ngana”. Ngana was a tapu bird (Kaka) that
was located near that area. The bird was trained to speak Te Reo Maori. It was believed that a
war party was going to attack Mataitaua Pa when Ngana screeched a warning and the attacking
party became frozen in their tracks by this bird that could speak.
She said that the name is consistent with the naming policies in the Reserves Management Plan as it reflects the culture and history of the site.
In the same report, it was recommended that “Duck Creek Esplanade Reserve” be known as “Duck Creek (Wai-O-Hata) Reserve”
“As a result of the subdivisions at Duck Creek south ( now The Banks), three parcels have been vested as
a local purpose reserve (ecology, drainage and pathway). This land is currently referred to as Duck
Creek Reserve. We anticipate four more parcels of reserve land will be vested (one lot in The
Banks and three in Brookside/Duck Creek north),” she said.
“The name Duck Creek (Wai-O-Hata) Reserve has been suggested for all parcels of land along the
stream bank. The dual name has been confirmed as appropriate after consultation with Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira.”
Ms Evans reported that the spelling of “Ngatitoa Domain” was also incorrect. The correct
spelling is “Ngāti Toa Domain”. Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira has asked PCC to correct this error, and the council agreed to correct the spelling of the gazetted name for Ngatitoa Domain to “Ngāti Toa Domain”.