My Account
The Matakana link road will be called Te Honohono ki Tai Road, despite further objections at this month’s Rodney Local Board meeting.
The name, which was gifted to Auckland Transport (AT) by Ngāti Manuhiri, was recommended for adoption by the board at its November meeting, but Wellsford member Colin Smith succeeded in taking the proposal back to a workshop for further discussion.
He said at the time that more people should have input to the name Te Honohono ki Tai Road, which means pathway to the sea, as it was an important road and he felt it could be confusing for drivers (MM, Nov 21).
At the December 7 Board meeting, Smith again tried to persuade members that the new name should be rejected.
“I would like to move that the road name stays the same – Matakana link road,” he said. “The tupuna are the ancestors and the ancestors are being disrespected.
“The Matakana link road goes to the Matakana highway, then it goes to Matakana, then out to Omaha, Leigh and Tawharanui, and over the Matakana Hill.
“There’s been no communication with wider community and this is wrong. AT has not followed protocol – treaty partners have been forgotten.”
Smith was referring to the fact that normally, when names for new roads or subdivisions are put forward, all local mana whenua are given the opportunity to provide feedback. However, Auckland Council subdivision adviser Bruce Angove said in his report that, as Ngāti Manuhiri had gifted Te Honohono ki Tai as a name for the link road, no further consultation had taken place.
“The gifting from iwi carries with it an important level of respect to the recipient and as such should be considered a taonga (treasure). As a result, and in this instance, no consultation has been undertaken with other iwi. For the same reason, no alternative names have been provided.”
Board member Tim Holdgate said he thought the road needed “a simple, logical name” so motorists could easily identify it and said he had received a letter from a Matakana resident who was “violently opposed to a Māori name”.
“We’re a country of many people and Māori are no more important than anyone else,” the letter said. “For once, a new road must not follow this trend.”
Michelle Carmichael thought AT should have adopted and started using the new name when it was first gifted four years ago.
“I think AT has dropped the ball on this,” she said. “The road should have been given this name then and then we wouldn’t have any confusion now.”
Geoff Upson wanted to ask the public present what they thought, but was told this was not allowed.
Two members, Mark Denniss and Louise Johnston, then said they found any objections to the gifted name embarrassing.
“I can’t understand what you guys are saying,” Johnston said. “We’ve been gifted this name and it’s our role to accept it or reject it.”
Members voted by six votes to three to accept the new name, with Smith voting against it and Holdgate and Geoff Upson abstaining.
Te Honohono ki Tai
Toitū te Marae a Tāne, Toitū te Marae a Tangaroa, Toitū te Iwi.
Protect and strengthen the land and the sea and they will protect and strengthen the people.
This project has been gifted the name ‘Te Honohono ki Tai’, which refers to the connection between the land and the sea.
In Te Ao Māori, or the Māori world, it is acknowledged that the balanced natural order of ecosystems and ecological thinking is characterised in the expression ‘Ki Uta Ki Tai’, which refers to the journey of wai (water) as it falls from the sky, flows over the land and out to sea. This view describes a Māori understanding of sustainable land management. Within this approach, all parts of the system have a relationship with each other, and nothing can be separated.
In July 2020, a takutaku (pre-European prayer) was placed by kaumatua and the intentions in the takutaku were for the project team to construct and deliver a new road that has zero injuries, minimal impact to the natural built environment and its inhabitants, while also alleviating motor vehicle pressure on the surrounding roads and therefore, increasing road safety and reducing accidents.
Context regarding Te Honohono ki Tai from Ngāti Manuhiri.
