Farm Forestry New ZealandMaori name now approved by Councillors
New Zealand Tree Grower February 2020.
New Zealand Farm Forestry Association | Oranga Rākau Aotearoa
At the Councillors meeting in May last year I made a brief presentation, as Chairman of the Wellington branch, about the remit for a Maori name to go with the English name for the NZFFA. This came about because in early 2019, an earlier remit from the Middle Districts had been proposed and had been discussed at our branch annual general meeting.
During those discussion we all agreed that we did not know what the Maori words really meant, although translations had been offered. I was ‘volunteered’ to get the meanings checked with a te reo speaker. The two options to be considered were Te kahui mara rakau and Ngahere whānau. There were others, but these were the only examples the branch agreed to consider from the remit.
The answers I got initially from a te reo speaker were summarised as −
- Te kahui mara rakau – Flock or swarm (in a) tree garden or nursery
- Ngahere whanau – Bush family
These did not seem particularly suitable to represent what we do in the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association. I therefore consulted someone at the Maori Language Commission, explained who we were, and what we did. He agreed with the earlier translations I had obtained from a te reo speaker. I then explained what we wanted to do, which was to put what we actually do into te reo, not a literal translation which can frequently be a problem. The name would reflect what we are and do.
The name we have we all know – the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association. We also have a strapline to go with this name − Promoting the wise use of trees for profit, amenity, sustainability and the environment. This strapline was added to the name after approval by Councillors and the Executive a couple of years ago. You will have seen this in all Tree Grower magazines since then, on the cover and now at the top of every page.
The strapline describes what we do. Recent surveys have shown that only about a third of our members are now farmers, about a third are investors and a third like growing trees for all sorts of other reasons. Some members represent a variety of combinations of some or all of these categories.
After a long period of thought, the Māori Language Commission suggested that New Zealand Farm Forestry Association | Oranga Rākau Aotearoa was the most suitable option. The thinking by the translator was as follows.
The terms in the strapline profit, amenity, sustainability and the environment are covered by the word oranga. He then said it was a choice between ngahere meaning forest or rākau meaning trees and the environment. Not very many people in the NZFFA grow a forest, although some do.
We generally grow trees, some of which may be in a forest, but more likely to be in a woodlot, a shelterbelt, as riparian protection or for amenity.
On that basis rakau was agreed as the best option. The word Aotearoa we all know. This gives us Oranga Rākau Aotearoa.
On that basis, from now on, it has been approved that the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association has the additional name Oranga Rākau Aotearoa. Options on how we use it will depend on the constraints. For example, on the front cover of the Tree Grower, it is all in one line. In other situations, as at the beginning of the article, the Māori name can be below the English name. If anyone has any questions just let me know and a solution will be found.
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