The story of Wānaka relates to the places of higher learning, Māori language exponent and academic Hana O'Regan shares the story behind the name. Photo: Claire Concannon
From Treble Cone Ski Area in Wānaka, Kai Tahu heralded in the Māori New Year with the RNZ National's coverage of the Matariki Celebrations.
The name Wānaka in the Kai Tahu dialect has the same meaning as the word ‘Wānanga’ and both reference the teachings of Māori lore in the Whare Wānanga of old, these were places of higher learning.
But the former name of the Wānaka township was Pembroke named after Baron Sidney Herbert, he was the son of George Herbert the 11th Earl of Pembroke. In a 1948 recording of a show called ‘History and Harmony’ in Otago, host Selwyn Toogood brings that story to light.
Paulette Tamati Eliffe and Hana O’Regan are exponents of language revitilisation, they share the Kai Tahu story of the name Wānaka and the connection to the eponymous ancestor Rākaihautū.
Matariki Hautapu 2024 Wānaka Photo: Richie Mills
Paulette Tamati Eliffe at Treble Cone, Wānaka. Photo: Justine Murray
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