Call to return the missing 'wh' to South Island Māori place names
The misspelling of Whakaroa as Akaroa is one of many errors made by early South Island surveyors unable to hear the soft “wh” in Māori place names, says Sir Tipene O’Regan.
Akaroa's original name Whakaroa means “long harbour”. Ngāi Tahu kaumatua O’Regan said correct Māori pronunciation of the “wh” sound was very soft and often indistinguishable to the ears of early English settlers in New Zealand.
He would like to see the official spelling corrected for the place names, which required an application to Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB), a public submission process and approval by the minister for land information.
Read the full story here.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.6% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).
House fire causing road closures
Pages Road is closed this afternoon from Breezes Road, this is due to a house that has caught fire in the area.
Coastal Ward Community Board member, Alex Hewison, shared the closure on a local Facebook page.
Fire and Emergency are at the scene but further details have not been shared at this stage.
Avoid the area where possible.
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