A mum was left furious after she discovered her daughter’s nursery had changed her name after claiming it was too “difficult” to say.
Mahinarangi Tautu was five years old when she started at her nursery, with staff nicknaming her “Rangi” after struggling to pronounce her name.
Her Maori mum Paris was horrified after learning the news, claiming her choice of the traditional name was important to her and her daughter.
Paris, from New Zealand, said her daughter’s name from the Ngāti Raukawa heritage has been passed down through several generations and has a deep line of descent, known as whakapapa, which often shows where someone is from.
Not giving someone their full name can be seen as a lack of respect.
In a further twist Paris said cruel children laugh at her daughter’s traditional name and didn’t even bother to try and pronounce it.
The bullying has left Mahinarangi so distraught she no longer tries to correct people when they say her name wrong.
Speaking to the Mirror, Paris said she has now taken the five-year-old out of the nursery and found a different one where they are happy to call Mahinarangi by her full name.
“I would fight the world to defend her and to be honest this has been a blessing in disguise. I thought that putting Mahinarangi into a private and expensive nursery meant we would receive the best care but what has happened shows we were wrong.
“Her old nursery was $10.50 an hour but this new daycare is free and putting her into a community-based centre was the best thing for my daughter and our whanau (family).
“They were extremely respectful and encouraged my daughter to gain the confidence she hadn’t had at her previous nursery. Her new nursery has taught her so much about her culture and history and I am just so grateful to them.”
Paris said she has taught Mahinarangi to break down her name into single syllables to educate people and help them to say her name correctly.
She is also urging other parents to remind their children about the importance of their name if it is traditional and part of their culture.
