Kamo or Te Kamo?Mana whenua seeking township name change

• Author: Liam Rātana
• Published date: 10 April 2021
• Date: 10 April 2021

Local hapū Te Kahu o Torongare would like to see the name changed to Te Kamo, in honour of a rangatira of the area.

“Even though Kamo is a simple name, it often gets mangled,” said Huhana Lyndon, who has whakapapa links to Te Kahu o Torongare.

“We’re trying to change the name to get the right pronunciation of the word being used and also to remember a traditional story about an ancestor of the place,” local kaumātua Richard (Dick) Shepherd said.

The initiative has the backing of Whangārei District Mayor Sheryl Mai, who says changing the name would likely encourage correct pronunciation and also raise awareness around the history of the place.

“I’d question whether or not it’s a change or more of a correction of the name ... As a local community, understanding the reason why places are named the way they are and having an understanding of the history is a really important step in the process of getting place names correct,” Mai said.

“If steps like this encourage correct pronunciation and acknowledgment of the history behind the name, then that’s a win.”

Interestingly, according to Land Information New Zealand, Kamo is not an official name and the township has never been given an official...