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THE NAMING OF KUMARA - From the West Coast Times, 19 June 1876.
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DescriptionTHE NAMING OF KUMARA.
From the West Coast Times, 19 June 1876:
The name of the new township at the Teremakau has been definitely decided on - it will in future be called Kumara, which is the native name for a white flower which grows freely on the banks of the Teremakau. There is no doubt that the name fixed on is far more euphonious than would be Seddontown or HoulahanDate of Photo1876Map[1]
From the West Coast Times, 19 June 1876:
The name of the new township at the Teremakau has been definitely decided on - it will in future be called Kumara, which is the native name for a white flower which grows freely on the banks of the Teremakau. There is no doubt that the name fixed on is far more euphonious than would be Seddontown or HoulahanDate of Photo1876Map[1]
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Location (city or town)KumaraEventTHE NAMING OF KUMARA.
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Date Created13th December 2021CommentsLes Bryce
Taramakau
Sharon Burnett
Les Bryce it was originally spelt with e’s
Jo Wickett
I always wondered, having both versions on sign posts
Iri Sinclair
Kohimarama is the correct name. It should be corrected otherwise we're left with a mispelt and misnamed aboration Kumara. I may put in a reque seed t to the NZ Geographic Board to get the process rolling. Pai marire.
Terry Harding
Iri Sinclair Too late. Kohimarama is already taken ( Auckland )
Iri Sinclair
Terry HardingTerry Harding Palmerston and Palmerston North lol
Trish Rennie
Yeah...another tribe got in first. Why are we so concerned about changing place names that have stood the test of time over 100 years....it's almost like trying to re-write history....
Ron Kendrick
Trish Rennie exactly the plan of this Govt!!
Kev Rasmussen
Trish Rennie exactly some people have nothing better to do.
Christie Wilson
Trish Rennie yeah but when that history is wrong, which it is in this case, why wouldn't you fix it?
Paul Robin
Iri Sinclair good stuff. Get that note off to Nz geographic board to set the record straight. Some people are uncomfortable with change but it’s just going back to its original name after all.
Iri Sinclair
Paul Robin Kia ora. Thanks for your support. Nga mihi mahana ki a koe. Warm greetings to you!
Iri Sinclair
Paul Robin and what a beautiful name and plant x a type of native bush clematis
Chris Kelly
Iri Sinclair dead right thats what i heard i live in kar-mar-ra
Rory Paterson
Iri Sinclair you should see the fight that community had about the name of the Kapitea dam
Michael James Keating
This article needs to be sent to the tv news channel's, before they start pronouncing it like the sweet potato.
Nova Hichens
Yes it’s KUMARA, not the potatoe called Kumara.
Dorothy Wills
Interesting; the tv announces many names incorrectly depending on where you were bought up or lived
Kevin Boyd
Dorothy Wills there is a difference in language between north island " maori" and South Island ""maori" te Reo is a bastardized version of both, with an emphasis on the northern version.
Pat Wills
Kevin Boyd I wandered when someone would bri g that up
Mike Keenan
Geoff Gabites — information on Kumara
Duncan Hamilton
What is the full name of the flower, did a quick search and all I got was the vege
Marilyn Grady
The kumara is a very pretty flower, that flowers very rarely. (Google).
Annie Swain
Back in the day the vege was spelled KUMERA - at least on the boxes it arrived in, but from a quick look on the net it seems to be spelled KUMARA these days. There are some (Australia) who still spell it with an e - https://www.localcrop.com.au/.../160-sweet-potato-kumera...
Sweet potato (kumera), locally grown and freshly picked - at Local Crop
LOCALCROP.COM.AU
Sweet potato (kumera), locally grown and freshly picked - at Local Crop
Sweet potato (kumera), locally grown and freshly picked - at Local Crop
Loretta Donnelly
I don't know anything about the spelling but I think the original vegetable was purple with purple flesh. It then had more of the healthy elements.
Peter Robertson
Loretta Donnelly Before it was developed(o dear,by colonists,)it was little more than a stringy root,like a little carrot. Least that is what an early colonist said.The Maori people adopted the potato right away and the kumera was ignored. Personally I love kumera but not the original,I wouldn't think??
James McIlhone
Houlahan?
Rory Paterson
James McIlhone yeah that’s what I was thinking.
Trevor Taylor
I read it was named after a sweet spudMary Fenemor
Lynette French
Yvonne Lawson
My Husband was from Kumara. Stayed there a few times.
Letty Macphedran
I thought Kumara was a name lost in translation. It originally was another
Suzanne Buckley
Marilyn Podmore Lynette Clunie
Laureen Tunnell
Lynette Clunie
Suzanne Buckley how cool, glad it was a flower and not a sweet potato
Mary Moffitt
I have also read that Kumara was named for the climbing plant mentioned above. It is believed that the name may have been derived from Kohimara.
Johnny Kwin
I was told a few times by old timers in the 1970's that the name should be Kohimarama, but locals could not be bothered pronouncing it properly and butchered it to Kumara. The name had nothing to do with the sweet potato, that is why it is pronounced the way it is, basically an abbreviated form of kohimarama.
Anne Honey
Kohimara what a lovely name maybe we could use it again.
Maree Lewis
Great old snapshot of life - little girl and dog right in the middle of the road, and clumps of horse manure lying about. How fragile the cart looks. This photo has atmosphere.
Thankyou.
John Rosanowski
If you read the autobiog of Arthur Dudley Dobson ("Reminiscences," 1931) you'll find that it was he who named the general area "Kumara" when he was doing survey work for the Canty Prov Council in the early 1860s, before the gold rushes. And yes, he seems to have misheard when he asked his Maori survey assistants what the attractive flowers - then in full bloom - were called.
Marilyn Podmore
I can't find the "white Kumara" flower. All I can find is the purple flower off the Kumara vine.?
Suzanne Buckley
Marilyn Podmore me either, looked up Kohimarama in Māori plants, wasn’t there.
ConnieSue Leigh
Sarah Manning you were asking about this the other day
Cathy Howat
I actually thought it was named for the veggie, thanks
Carol Phillipps
Why not get back the real name kohimarama
Amber Thompson
Kumara is what it is called has been for many years why are Nzer’s wanting to change names that have been in place for periods of time? Spending no doubt millions on changing names is not only confusing but a lot of cash that could be better spent on housing and health!
Taramakau
Sharon Burnett
Les Bryce it was originally spelt with e’s
Jo Wickett
I always wondered, having both versions on sign posts
Iri Sinclair
Kohimarama is the correct name. It should be corrected otherwise we're left with a mispelt and misnamed aboration Kumara. I may put in a reque seed t to the NZ Geographic Board to get the process rolling. Pai marire.
Terry Harding
Iri Sinclair Too late. Kohimarama is already taken ( Auckland )
Iri Sinclair
Terry HardingTerry Harding Palmerston and Palmerston North lol
Trish Rennie
Yeah...another tribe got in first. Why are we so concerned about changing place names that have stood the test of time over 100 years....it's almost like trying to re-write history....
Ron Kendrick
Trish Rennie exactly the plan of this Govt!!
Kev Rasmussen
Trish Rennie exactly some people have nothing better to do.
Christie Wilson
Trish Rennie yeah but when that history is wrong, which it is in this case, why wouldn't you fix it?
Paul Robin
Iri Sinclair good stuff. Get that note off to Nz geographic board to set the record straight. Some people are uncomfortable with change but it’s just going back to its original name after all.
Iri Sinclair
Paul Robin Kia ora. Thanks for your support. Nga mihi mahana ki a koe. Warm greetings to you!
Iri Sinclair
Paul Robin and what a beautiful name and plant x a type of native bush clematis
Chris Kelly
Iri Sinclair dead right thats what i heard i live in kar-mar-ra
Rory Paterson
Iri Sinclair you should see the fight that community had about the name of the Kapitea dam
Michael James Keating
This article needs to be sent to the tv news channel's, before they start pronouncing it like the sweet potato.
Nova Hichens
Yes it’s KUMARA, not the potatoe called Kumara.
Dorothy Wills
Interesting; the tv announces many names incorrectly depending on where you were bought up or lived
Kevin Boyd
Dorothy Wills there is a difference in language between north island " maori" and South Island ""maori" te Reo is a bastardized version of both, with an emphasis on the northern version.
Pat Wills
Kevin Boyd I wandered when someone would bri g that up
Mike Keenan
Geoff Gabites — information on Kumara
Duncan Hamilton
What is the full name of the flower, did a quick search and all I got was the vege
Marilyn Grady
The kumara is a very pretty flower, that flowers very rarely. (Google).
Annie Swain
Back in the day the vege was spelled KUMERA - at least on the boxes it arrived in, but from a quick look on the net it seems to be spelled KUMARA these days. There are some (Australia) who still spell it with an e - https://www.localcrop.com.au/.../160-sweet-potato-kumera...
Sweet potato (kumera), locally grown and freshly picked - at Local Crop
LOCALCROP.COM.AU
Sweet potato (kumera), locally grown and freshly picked - at Local Crop
Sweet potato (kumera), locally grown and freshly picked - at Local Crop
Loretta Donnelly
I don't know anything about the spelling but I think the original vegetable was purple with purple flesh. It then had more of the healthy elements.
Peter Robertson
Loretta Donnelly Before it was developed(o dear,by colonists,)it was little more than a stringy root,like a little carrot. Least that is what an early colonist said.The Maori people adopted the potato right away and the kumera was ignored. Personally I love kumera but not the original,I wouldn't think??
James McIlhone
Houlahan?
Rory Paterson
James McIlhone yeah that’s what I was thinking.
Trevor Taylor
I read it was named after a sweet spudMary Fenemor
Lynette French
Yvonne Lawson
My Husband was from Kumara. Stayed there a few times.
Letty Macphedran
I thought Kumara was a name lost in translation. It originally was another
Suzanne Buckley
Marilyn Podmore Lynette Clunie
Laureen Tunnell
Lynette Clunie
Suzanne Buckley how cool, glad it was a flower and not a sweet potato
Mary Moffitt
I have also read that Kumara was named for the climbing plant mentioned above. It is believed that the name may have been derived from Kohimara.
Johnny Kwin
I was told a few times by old timers in the 1970's that the name should be Kohimarama, but locals could not be bothered pronouncing it properly and butchered it to Kumara. The name had nothing to do with the sweet potato, that is why it is pronounced the way it is, basically an abbreviated form of kohimarama.
Anne Honey
Kohimara what a lovely name maybe we could use it again.
Maree Lewis
Great old snapshot of life - little girl and dog right in the middle of the road, and clumps of horse manure lying about. How fragile the cart looks. This photo has atmosphere.
Thankyou.
John Rosanowski
If you read the autobiog of Arthur Dudley Dobson ("Reminiscences," 1931) you'll find that it was he who named the general area "Kumara" when he was doing survey work for the Canty Prov Council in the early 1860s, before the gold rushes. And yes, he seems to have misheard when he asked his Maori survey assistants what the attractive flowers - then in full bloom - were called.
Marilyn Podmore
I can't find the "white Kumara" flower. All I can find is the purple flower off the Kumara vine.?
Suzanne Buckley
Marilyn Podmore me either, looked up Kohimarama in Māori plants, wasn’t there.
ConnieSue Leigh
Sarah Manning you were asking about this the other day
Cathy Howat
I actually thought it was named for the veggie, thanks
Carol Phillipps
Why not get back the real name kohimarama
Amber Thompson
Kumara is what it is called has been for many years why are Nzer’s wanting to change names that have been in place for periods of time? Spending no doubt millions on changing names is not only confusing but a lot of cash that could be better spent on housing and health!
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West Coast New Zealand History (11th Dec 2022). THE NAMING OF KUMARA - From the West Coast Times, 19 June 1876.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 5th Apr 2026 12:20, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/30469