Waikanae naming traditions
The iwi history recounts Haunui-a-Nanaia and traditions relating to the naming of Waikanae and Waimeha.
Naming the landscape
The Waikanae and Waimeha names are part of traditions concerning Haunui-a-Nanaia, whose journey is remembered in a sequence of place names along the western coast of the lower North Island. The tradition is not simply a dictionary explanation of two words: it connects places, ancestors and the landscape in a continuing account of identity and belonging.
Te Ara’s account of tapa whenua describes the naming of places as a way of recording journeys and relationships with land. A published account associated with Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai also treats the Waikanae River as a tupuna and links its name with responsibilities of kaitiakitanga. Different tellings of the Haunui tradition exist; a single short summary cannot stand in place of the accounts held by tangata whenua.
Research source: teara.govt.nz — view record