New te reo Māori names for Hamilton street and park

November 29, 2022

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said "it's important that we acknowledge all of our history".

A Hamilton street and nearby park have been given new te reo Māori names, to replace their previous colonial names.

The new names were blessed this morning and new signs were unveiled, officially changing Von Tempsky St to Puutikitiki St and nearby Dawson Park to Te Wehenga Park.

It comes after growing debate in recent years for the city to revisit street names honouring colonial figures who had played a role in land confiscations from Māori.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said "it's not often streets are renamed in the city so it's a special day made more meaningful by the new names that are linked to the area and speak to its unique history.

"Our history is complex so it's important that we acknowledge all of our history, from the light to the dark parts and everything in between."

Hamilton City Council received the two renaming applications from resident Ian McMichael in November last year.

Following consultation with tangata whenua, property owners, local businesses and residents, the council voted for change in April.

"It's about time, it's a long time coming," Taitimu Maipi, a Waikato Tainui elder, said when the new names were approved.

Historical context

Von Tempsky St had been named after Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky, a Prussian who was part of British colonial forces that fought in Waikato during the land wars there. Dawson Park was named after British soldier Captain Thomas Dawson.

The name Puutikitiki refers to an area behind Hamilton East School which was part of the Puutikitiki block that Ngaati Parekirangi, a sub-tribe of Ngaati Wairere, occupied prior to 1864.

The spelling of Puutikitiki was changed from the original renaming application to include double vowels (uu) instead of a vowel with a macron (ū), to reflect the preference of tangata whenua in Hamilton Kirikiriroa and WaikatoTainui iwi, the council said.

Te Wehenga meanwhile, is the historic Ngaati Parekirangi – Ngaati Haanui urupā (burial ground) which the council said was destroyed following a road cutting.

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