Mum’s anger as nursery shortens daughter’s name ‘too hard’ to say

A mother hit out at a nursery school after she was told her daughter’s name had to be shortened because it was “too hard” to pronounce. Shortly after her daughter had started to attend daycare, mum Paris Tautu was told the staff would address the child with a shortened version of her name.

Ms Tautu, from New Zealand, named her daughter Mahinarangi, which means “moon in the sky” in the Māori language, but was told the child would simply be called Rangi.

By doing so, staff at the nursery would change the original meaning of the name and take away its mana – the supernatural force encompassing prestige, power and charisma in Māori.

The mother, who is proud of her Māori heritage, objected to the staff’s changing her daughter’s name, as she is determined not to see history repeating in her family.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Ms Tautu said: “My ancestors changed their original name from Perepe-Perana to Phillips because of colonisation. I will not let something similar happen with my daughter.”

The name of her daughter is particularly important for Ms Tautu, as it was passed down through her ancestors.

Nevertheless, the doting mum was left distraught after discovering Mahinarangi’s name was still being mispronounced despite her daughter’s attempt to correct people, sparking laughter among her peers.

Ms Tautu then took to social media to explain how the issue surrounding Mahinarangi’s name was affecting her daughter.

In a community Facebook post, Ms Tautu said: “Can you imagine your child being too embarrassed to say their name because people won’t make a decent effort to pronounce it properly?

“I am sad that in 2021, in Aotearoa, a five-year-old girl has lost the pride that comes with her beautiful name.”

Aotearoa is the contemporary Māori language name for New Zealand.

She added: “It made me so angry, especially because they’d use te ao Māori resources in her classes.”

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The mother, however, didn’t cave and taught her daughter to “break down her name into single syllables to educate people and help them with correct pronounciation”.

Ms Tautu wants other parents to make sure their children are reminded of their name’s importance and the meaning and culture attached to them.

She said: “It’s important for our kids to be confident in their names, regardless of their ethnicity.”

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