I was in Ranfurly last week and got bailed up a couple of times about the decision of the council CEO a couple of months back that the way iwi would prefer Maniototo to be spelt and pronounced (Māniatoto) would apply to any council usage from then on.

That means any emails sent within and outside council, any documents council produces etc will use ‘Māniatoto’.

It doesn’t mean, at all, that the Maniototo Community Board, the school, any businesses or anyone else has to spell and/or pronounce the word this way; unless they choose to do so of course.

Despite that, there has been quite a reaction from some in the community, including some fairly intense letters being written to the local paper.

I’ve got to admit, I really don’t understand why people are so heated up about what is a minor change limited to within council. 

For me, it is really simple, if you want to keep using ‘Maniototo’, do so. If you would prefer to use ‘Māniatoto’ then you should be free to do that too.

I have a particular view on trying to use the right words and the right pronunciation of te reo, and that’s based on how my whānau pronounce Cadogan. 

Generally speaking, the emphasis that we use on the “o” isn’t the common usage. There are two guys in particular that insist, despite knowing damn well that it’s not the way I pronounce my own name, on using ‘Cadigen’. In doing this, they are implying that their view of how my name should be pronounced is the correct one, and that my way of pronouncing my own name is wrong.

I have been making efforts over the last few years to pronounce our place names in Central using proper Māori pronunciation. I’ve never once corrected anyone who doesn’t use te reo pronunciation, but it is quite amazing to me how often I have been told I was wrong, and how often I’ve been told off for trying.

Sometimes people have got quite cross about it, which again, I don’t really understand.

Surely it is as much the right of those who want to use the Māori pronunciation or spelling to do that as it is the right of those who want to use the more localised vernacular?  

That’s how I see it anyway, for what it’s worth.