Once again, TRM are in trouble on social media, being questioned again about our attempt at phonetic spelling and/or pronunciation. Viewers can tell how often we get questioned. Every time we receive a complaint about Toe – Paw we make sure we repeat their phonetic version in TRM blogs. For some reason the questions and complaints always seem to come from the northern end of the lake.
We have never seen any criticism of the council for trying to incorporate Maori pronunciation into their promotional material. Good on them. But when we support them by copying their phonetic spelling, we are immediately accused of racist slurs. Sadly, certain “Toe Pawrians”(?) lost their sense of humour a long time ago with silly threats and have tried to turn it into something else, so a full explanation might help their twisted understanding.
When it first appeared, we enquired at TDC but could not identify exactly where it came from. It was just a bit of cheap marketing blurb. We were told it was probably some enthusiastic new staff member who had done a night school class in Te Reo and who was trying to change the world. Seemed typical. So we tried to track down the anonymous source – see photo above. That was the closest we got…
It all started in October 2019. A special introductory occasion was the British Bentley Club’s first visit to NZ, celebrating 100 years of manufacture. They shipped out some vintage and veteran models to drive in convoy through NZ, stopping off at Toe – Paw to be welcomed by the Mayor and to take part in a photo session.
(There was BENY, specially polished up for the TV crew, starring in the foreground above, showing off and growling with pride and pleasure.)
TV1 Seven Sharp was also there. To add to the occasion, SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed is the Manager of everything at the motel, except for BENY) allowed some time off from my punishing laundry duties to join the convoy to represent TRM. The photos were all taken in 2019.
Then the council commitee (komiti?) made this dreadful error. To welcome everyone, they enthusiastically handed out the inflammatory, racist-worded brochures. It was good PR until then. With the purist intention of fostering better tribal relations, TRM blogs copied them. That upset some gentle souls at the northern end of the lake.
BENY served as TRM’s airport taxi. As there are no buses for guests to the airport, TRM tried to provide chauffeur-driven, gracious, refined, luxury tourist transport (to compete with Huka Lodge’s Toyota van with seats in the back). Guests loved it.
(Above are guests arriving and loading BENY. She made the Airport terminal look shabby so they have since replaced it – the terminal, not BENY.)
But now TRM is forced to sell BENY, as, despite a deliberately friendly intimidating brown paint job (officially Dark Oyster), she has become associated with this racist propaganda. Threats were made. We daren’t park it anywhere in Toe-Paw. So sad. So silly. Quite pathetic, really.
If you stop and think about it, there is an interesting precedent not too far away near Hamilton. The little settlement is called Ohaupo. Mmm… Try telling any of their farmers that they are pronouncing it wrong. Imagine Ohaupo with a “Paw” at the end…
The English language has developed over a thousand years and has many peculiar trends. When the early colonial missionary settlers arrived in NZ pre-1840, the inhabitants could not spell, as there was no written language. So any attempt to introduce a new way to pronounce Maori now, 180 years later, seems a bit late and futile. I wonder if someone at TDC was just having some fun with the pronunciation on their brochure at the expense of their uptight ratepayers? With the regional and district councils disappearing soon to form a new unitary authority or a local government body that combines the functions of both, it may be an appropriate time to consider a new name for Taupo too.
