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Councillors air mixed views on bilingual traffic signs

Yashas Srinivasa yashas.srinivasa@stuff.co.nz

Waimate councillors have mixed views on bilingual signs, from support to ambivalence, and one ‘‘totally against it’’.

The councillors were discussing whether to submit on the bilingual traffic signs proposed by Waka Kotahi NZTA, which aimed to ensure te reo Mā ori is more visible on roads across New Zealand, after changes in 2022 established bilingual kura/school traffic signs.

Cr Colin Pankhurst said he was ‘‘totally against it’’, at the open workshop on Tuesday, saying while certain areas had room for the signs, he had safety concerns such as reading them in heavy rain.

Pankhurst and Cr Sandy McAlwee also wanted to know why the Māori language came before English on the proposed signs.

Waimate mayor Craig Rowley said he had no issues with Waka Kotahi’s project. There were already bilingual signs around the Waimate District, he said.

In December, councillors had supported a plan to include te reo Mā ori on signs throughout the district as part of an economic

There are better ways to promote the Māori language such as in schools.

Cr Tom O’Connor

development plan.

Cr Tom O’Connor said he was not against the proposal, and said it would do no harm. However, he said there were better ways to promote the Māori language such as in schools.

Cr Peter Collins said Waka Kotahi would not gain any traction from the project, and Cr Lisa Small said there were better things to be focused on.

Cr Sharyn Cain said she supported the project as a lot of communities had been asking for the signs, and in her opinion, it did not have an impact on safety.

While travelling abroad, she had no problem reading bilingual signs.

However some of the signs needed work as they were too cluttered, Cain said.

Two councillors, Cr John Begg and Cr Rick Stevens, did

not raise any issues over the proposal.

Rowley said the council would put in a submission on the proposed signs, outlining some recommendations and also the concerns of the councillors.

The submission would be put before councillors at a later council meeting for further discussion and approval, before being submitted to Waka Kotahi.

The Mā ori language organisation Te Mātawai started the project. The signs were to be rolled out gradually as signs needed to be replaced.

Te Mātāwai Board co-chair Reikura Kahi said that using te reo Mā ori on traffic signs would contribute to an Aotearoa New Zealand where te reo Mā ori was visible at a community level, ‘‘where our whānau live and play, and the mana of te reo is affirmed and recognised’’.

‘‘Affirming the status of te reo and enabling community engagement are critical drivers of language revitalisation, so we celebrate this moment,’’ Kahi said.

He said bilingual signage was an important step towards affirming the indigenous status of te reo Mā ori in Aotearoa.

The consultation on the proposed package of bilingual traffic signs closes at 5pm on June 30.

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2023-06-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281548000288042

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