Ka haere tātou mā runga rori, ka whakawhiti awa, ka titiro ki ngā maunga. He maha ngā wā ka whakahua noa i te ingoa, kāore e pātai nō hea taua ingoa, ko wai i tapa, he aha hoki te kōrero e mau tonu ana i roto. Engari ehara te ingoa wāhi i te tohu mō te kimi huarahi anake. He ipu mahara.
Kei roto i ētahi ingoa te āhua o te whenua, tētahi tupuna, tētahi haerenga, tētahi mahinga kai, tētahi parekura rānei. Ina tika te whakahua, ina rapua hoki te kōrero, ka tīmata anō te hononga ki waenga i te reo me te whenua.
He tohu nō te taiao
Ka whakaatu pea te ingoa i te awa, te repo, te hau, te manu, te rākau, te ara tawhito rānei. He mātauranga tēnei i kohia e ngā whakatupuranga. Ki te ngaro te ingoa, ka ngaro pea tētahi tohu mō te āhua o taua wāhi i mua.
Nō reira, kaua e whakaarohia he mea tawhito noa iho ngā ingoa. Ka āwhina pea i a tātou ki te mārama ki ngā panonitanga o te taiao me ngā kawenga tiaki o nāianei.
Me rapu i te puna tika
Kāore e tika kia hanga noa he whakamāramatanga nā te mea he āhua rite ngā kupu. He kōrero motuhake tō ia iwi, tō ia hapū, ā, he rerekē pea ngā ingoa mō te wāhi kotahi. Me whakarongo ki ngā mana whenua me ngā kaumātua, me whakamahi hoki i ngā puna whaimana.
Kei te New Zealand Gazetteer ngā ingoa whaimana me ngā ingoa kua tuhia, engari e kī ana a Toitū Te Whenua kāore anō kia arotakengia te tika o ngā ingoa Māori katoa. He tīmatanga te rārangi raraunga, ehara i te mutunga o te kōrero.
Ko te tohutō he wāhanga o te kupu
Ka huri pea te tikanga me te whakahua ina ngaro te tohutō. Me tuhi tika i ngā ingoa whaimana, ā, me āta ako i te mita o te rohe. I ētahi wā ka kitea te “ng”; i ētahi rohe o Te Waipounamu ka rangona, ka tuhia rānei te “k” e hāngai ana ki te mita o Kāi Tahu.
Ko te tika ehara i te mahi whakaiti tangata. Me whakatika mā te aroha, mā te whakahoki anō i te kupu kia rangona ai te āhua tika.
He mahi mā te whānau
Kōwhiria tētahi ingoa e tata ana ki tō kāinga. Rapua i te Gazetteer, pātai atu ki te whare pukapuka, ki te marae, ki ngā rauemi a te mana whenua. Tuhia te whakahua, te hītori me ngā pātai kāore anō kia whakautua.
Ka haere ana te whānau ki taua wāhi, kōrerotia te ingoa. Kaua e waiho mā te kura anake e whakaako. Mā te whakamahi i te reo i runga i te whenua e tupu ai te māia.
Kaua te ingoa e waiho hei whakapaipai
He pai ngā ingoa takirua me ngā ingoa Māori ki runga mahere, tohu me ngā pānui. Engari me whai hononga te whakahaere ki te kōrero: me tika te tuhi, me whai whakaaetanga, me tautoko hoki i te reo i roto i ngā ratonga me te mātauranga.
Ki te whakamahia te ingoa hei tohu hou, engari kāore e rangona te mana whenua, ka noho pāpaku te mahi. Ko te whakahoki ingoa he whakahoki kōrero, he whakahoki hononga, he whakahoki kawenga.
Kia rangona te whenua
E kore e taea e tētahi tuhinga poto te pupuri i ngā kōrero katoa. Ko te mea nui, kia tīmata te pātai, kia mārire te whakarongo, kia tika te whakahua.
Ina mōhio tātou ki te ingoa, kāore te maunga e noho hei āhua ataahua noa iho, kāore hoki te awa e noho hei raina ki te mahere. Ka noho hei whanaunga, hei kaiwhakaako, hei maharatanga. Kei roto i te ingoa te whenua; kei roto i te whenua te kōrero mō tātou.
