<- Homepage: Our place names: Ngāti Maniapoto stories
Experts and web conferences
Meet Shane Te Ruki
Shane Te Ruki is an historian, a story teller, an advisor for local council and member of Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa NZ Geographic Board.
Meet Wendy from Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board
Wendy is Hēkeretari/Secretary, Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board at Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, the government’s lead agency for property and location information.
Web conference 1
The following questions and others from schools are answered by Shane in web conference 1:
- Shane, why do you think it is important to know the stories behind our place names?
- In Ngāti Manaiapoto, are there many people who know the stories about places in your area?
- How would a school find out more about the stories behind indigenous place names where they live?
- Do you have a favourite story about a place in Aotearoa?
Web conference 2
The following questions from schools are answered by Wendy in web conference 2:
- What is the role of the NZ Geographic Board in recording and preserving the place names of Aotearoa New Zealand?
- Do you have a current example of a place name that is going through a process to be changed?
- Do the local councils get involved and do they send leaflets out via their general information bailouts?
- How difficult is it to produce maps when there are an increasing number of dual place names?
- If a name is inappropriate, how did the place get that name to start with?
- Do inappropriate names also include names of people who caused harm in the area?
- Does it cost a lot of money to change a place name?
- How long does a place keep its name for?
- What are the best tools and resources for learners to find out about place names of Aotearoa?