��һ�ǿ�����

More so than ever, we live in a world where virtually everyone��is outraged or offended more frequently.����

There’s��never been anything wrong with being outraged or offended��– the difference in recent years is that we don’t��only want to tell everyone who’ll��listen about how we feel, we also want to shame the offender into stopping what they’re��doing.��We want to cancel them.����

The offending now extends to products on the shelf at Mitre 10��stores. The offended took issue with the misuse of Te��Reo Māori��names being used on several of their products.����

Mitre 10’s ‘Legacy Brand’��includes products like the ‘Te��anau��towel ring'��which has quickly become the 'Ellesmere towel ring', while the 'Karapiro��towel ring' is now the 'Clutha towel ring'. ����

Another offender was the 'Kaiiwi toilet roll holder' and is��now listed as the 'Legacy toilet roll holder'.����

Mitre 10 says that the changes they’ve��quickly made��intend to make the names more culturally sensitive.������They��identified��mid-last year that these longstanding product names needed to be changed out of respect for te��reo��Māori.��This ‘identification’ presumably came��following complaints from those outraged at the use of te��reo��Māori.����

I admit that I don’t��fully understand the misappropriation of Māori��names aspect here. Would some Māori��have been as offended if the products hadn’t��been toilet and bathroom related?��What if the products��were new cars or bespoke frilly frocks for a flash night on the town?����

What is it with this overzealous��policing of the language of our indigenous people when all the time we hear the need for te��reo��Māori to be used more and in more everyday walks of life? ����

It’s��not as though these products��were spotted on the shelf in some village in the��UK. If��these were seen at ‘John��Ramsbottom’s Hardware’��in Northumberland – then I’d��agree that would be an issue worth pursuing.����

Māori cultural and tikanga expert,��Karaitiana Taiuru��says that Mitre 10 is��correct in thinking the original names were inappropriate.��He also says that it’s��a little bit surprising that someone like Mitre 10 didn't��do cultural audits beforehand.����

Cultural audits? Really? When was the last time you thought of conducting��one at your workplace?��When did cultural audits become a requirement?����

Surely seeing the language used as a reminder of the rivers, lakes and mountains of New Zealand is just another way to encourage��us all to��respect��te��reo��Māori?��

This kind of highly offended, over the top cancel culture is not helping to keep the Māori��language alive. This is an example of what puts some people off it.����

What’s��been achieved by this name changing in Mitre 10’s across the country? ����

Nothing. Although being in the news isn’t��necessarily a��bad thing��for foot traffic through one of our��biggest home renovation chains.��