I want to start by talking about two amazing women: Rose and Maureen.
In 1926, the late Rose Matthews became Porirua’s first registered maternity nurse. In our city’s early days, without readily accessible doctors, Rose was indispensable, attending births at home and welcoming expectant mothers into her own house on Awatea Street in Ranui. Her dedication spanned years, her last recorded delivery being her own granddaughter, Rose, in 1939.
Maureen, who also happens to live in Ranui and has carried the flame of Rose’s memory for several decades, approached me to ask that Rose be honoured with a street name after her.
You might think that there is already a Rose Street in Ranui, but it wasn’t named after her. Porirua City Council’s outdated street naming policy designates Ranui streets based on a mix of “Historical and Tree names.” This highlights the core issue: the current rules for new or renamed streets in Porirua permit names drawn from disparate categories like Scottish rivers, Governors General, racehorses, Captain Cook, English counties, HMS ships, UK towns, and Greek mythology.
As I wrote last year, “The issue is that society changes and themes that once were a good fit, might not be so over time. In the case of Porirua’s street naming policy, it has been over 20 years since anyone took a proper look at it and these days the themes that determine the street names are out of step with where we are at as a country. For instance, you probably saw the change of Matahourua (formerly Calliope) Crescent in Cannons Creek a couple of years ago. For those not in the know, the name came from the HMS Calliope, a prison ship that took Ngati Toa chief Te Rauparaha – quite simply a offensive reference (Matahourua by the way is the name of the waka that Kupe used when he discovered Aotearoa). For those who are still struggling with the rationale, I reiterate what I said at council two years ago when the decision was made to change the name: would we be equally as determined to end the shame to people in our community if we found ourselves having a street named after Jimmy Saville?”
The public has offered insightful ideas for future street names, these are some of them:
- “Kia ora, Māori are tangata whenua so the street names should reflect exactly that…restore the original name of Porirua to Pari ā rua.”
- “Names reflecting local Māori history as well as ancient local flora and fauna…names associated with pūrākau like in Elsdon i.e Awarua and Muturangi…”
- “More local heroes, more local history, more maori/pasefika…NZ history, Maori leaders, iwi chiefs. Use Te Reo Maori…”
- “If people, groups and cultures can see what represents them and their ancestors and elders on a street sign, a sense of belonging, pride, mana and acceptance will make Porirua really thrive.”
- “More reflecting local history not wars…We should honour mana whenua – past and present, their stories- te Taiao – how about a suburb of bird or plant names? Significant leaders throughout the years – aspirations for the future -values.”
- “I would like to see our Pasifika social and religious leaders featured more.”
Thank you to all of those who gave their suggestions, which I already passed onto the Council late last year. The Council then also conducted its own consultation a couple of months ago, and while we await their response, Maureen and Rose’s story powerfully illustrates the urgent need for a street naming policy that truly reflects the unique history, people, and identity of Porirua.
