Moetu Tuuta would like to see Emano Street renamed to properly honour his direct ancestor Te Manu whom the street was named after. Photo: Nelson Weekly / Max Frethey
A spelling mistake made more than 180 years ago is causing a stir with many in the community now pushing for a Nelson street's name change.
Toi Toi's Emano Street was named after Te Manu, the Ngāti Tama chief of Wakapuaka.
The name, then recorded as E Manu, was approved by Nelson Whakatū's street naming committee in 1842 but got altered to Emano somewhere along the way.
This mistake has already been righted once before. Emano East Reserve was officially renamed to Te Manu Reserve in 2018 after a community-led effort to preserve the land rather than see it become housing succeeded.
Moetu Tuuta (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Rārua) is one of Te Manu's direct descendants and lives just around the corner from Emano Street.
He believed after the reserve was renamed, it was only a matter of time before the same would happen to the street.
"It's going to give me a nice warm feeling [if the street is renamed]," Tuuta said. "How would you feel if it was your family and the name had been wrong for all these years?"
He had seen a lot of support for the change and did not think renaming the street would be a significant adjustment, he said.
"It's just a little spelling mistake."
Former Nelson City councillor Matt Lawrey is also advocating for a name change.
"I'm sure the people who named the street did it with the best of intentions," he said. "I think we should honour those intentions by getting Te Manu's name right."
Like Tuuta, Lawrey did not believe the correction should be classified as a renaming of the street.
"We're not really advocating for a change of name; we just want to get the spelling right."
Te Manu was born Wī Kātene Te Pūoho and earned his nickname Te Manu, which means 'The Bird,' from his renowned singing voice.
He was the son of Te Pūoho ki te Rangi, Ngāti Tama ariki (paramount chief) and warrior, and the father of Hūria Mātenga who was involved in the rescue of the crew of the shipwrecked Delaware.
Te Manu was born Wī Kātene Te Pūoho and earned his nickname Te Manu, which means 'The Bird', from his renowned singing voice. Photo: Supplied via LDR
Archdeacon Harvey Ruru (Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira Manawhenua Te Tau Ihu) has lived on Emano Street since 1991 and is also in support of correcting the name.
"Emano doesn't recognise the mana or heritage of the chief it was named after," he said.
By correcting the street name, Ruru thought Nelson City Council would help "ensure the truthful heritage significance of our city is upheld."
Some of the children at Victory Primary School also think the name should be changed to Te Manu Street.
Miranda and Regan Joass are the kaiako for the school's Whānau Koromiko class.
Inspired by the television show Get the Name Right on Three which explores the origins of place names around the motu, the class eventually learned about some local Māori place names, like the mistake in Emano Street's name.
When their students learned that Emano was a misspelling of Te Manu, they resolved to create a solution, albeit a temporary one.
"They know that Emano is not the right name, they wanted to right that wrong," Miranda (Te Ātiawa) said.
The class created a cardboard sign that read 'Te Ara o Te Manu' (the Lane of Te Manu) and took a trip down to the street where the kids attached it the signpost.
Miranda and Regan's son Kupa, 6, is in their class and was one of the students to put the sign up.
Victory Primary School students Ardie Hart, 5, and Kupa Joass, 6, put up a sign that more accurately honours Te Manu. Photo: Supplied via LDR
His reasoning for why he supported the correction was straightforward: "it's not the right name."
Regan (Ngāi Takoto) said the connection Māori have with their names was important and the name Emano did not properly recognise Te Manu.
"How is that honouring him?"
Environmental management acting group manager Dennis Bush-King confirmed council had received a request to change the name of Emano Street to Te Manu Street.
"Our newly appointed development and naming advisor will be working through the process of consultation, including consulting with iwi," he said.
Council's Hearing Panel, made up of three elected members on rotation, has the power to name all features within the city, including roads and streets, as a delegated authority under the Local Government Act 1974.
Late historian Dr John Mitchell (Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa, Taranaki Tūturu) highlighted Te Manu's history and the spelling mistake during the initiative to protect the then-named Emano East Reserve.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
