Kapiti council 'want to get Maori pronunciation right'

I am a 25 year old woman with both Maori and European heritage who has a degree in English and I can speak the Maori language as well. It saddens me that so many New Zealanders can be biased and quick to put Maori down. The ignorance in the comments posted on this forum is astonshing. If central or local governments incorrectly spelt the English name of a town or city, there would be an outcry by the public to have it corrected. Why can't the same respect be given to the Maori language? It is a beautiful language and culture - one that brings in revenue to New Zealand through tourism. Kapiti without a macron is not the correct way to spell the name of the area - it has been spelt incorrectly by the council for decades, I commend them for working to do the right thing and respect the indigenous people of this country. To those that say the macron should not be added, shame on you. You would not like it if someone misspelt your name every day for years and years. New Zealanders need to remember that the Maori Language is an official language of New Zealand and deserves if not the same, more respect and care than English despite English being the majority language.

Tautoko your korero Mandy totally agree with you.
A pack of wingers the rest of you. You all need to learn the Maori language it's a much sweeter language to the ear no swearing words in it that I know of.
Pomarie

More likely the council is buying votes, so to speak. And in regards to mandy's comment , well, who cares, maoris cant even speak english properly and that is more useful in day to day life than maori will ever be

more political correctness gone wrong, burying this pandering etc should be the first step to catching up with aust

Good on you Kapiti Council - never to late to do the right and respectful thing. Its embarrassing that so many NZers can't pronounce Maori words correctly given Maori is an official language and indigenous to NZ - and it is such a simple language.

This council is known for not consulting rate payers, not even if it affects them directly; lying and cheating is their favourite - and when found out, hiding behind $ 500 per hour lawyers their ultimate sense of power (not considering that rate payers have to foot these bills). Indecision in all aspects of local Government is the forte if this Council. So, instead, they jump on the PC bandwagon, to see if this publicity helps them to hide their shame over the last 20 years.

What does it do? Id be pronouncing it the same no matter how many funny letters it has.