from mandatory Māori street names
Hamilton is embracing te reo Māori when it comes to naming new city streets but making its use mandatory looks like a political dead end.
Since 2016, more than a third of new city streets have received a te reo Māori name. City-wide, about 10 per cent of street names are in te reo.
Hamilton street names have become a fertile area of debate in recent years, with growing calls for the city to revisit street names honouring colonial figures such as Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky, Sir George Grey and John Bryce.
And in June last year, a life-sized bronze statue of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton was removed from public display following threats by Tainui, kaumātua Taitimu Maipi to tear it down. Maipi labelled Hamilton a “murderous a..hole.”
Link to article: Hamilton politicans shy away from mandatory Māori street names | Stuff.co.nz
