University of Waikato Professor Pou Temara says while mainstream broadcasters such as Jack Tame are setting a good example, there's still a long way to go.

Waikato is taking steps to stop butchering Māori heritage and protect it instead.

As Māori Language Week commences, University of Waikato professors are calling for the Broadcasting Standards Authority to treat incorrect pronunciation of te reo as a breach.

And this comes as a proposal - made by Ngāti Maniapoto - to add a macron to Otorohanga District Council, making it Ōtorohanga District Council.

MARK TAYLOR/STUFF University of Waikato Professor Pou Temara hopes Waikato can lead the charge in revitalising the Māori language.

Ōpōtiki District Council recently decided to add macrons to its name.

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The country's native tongue has been disrespected for too long, University of Waikato Professor Pou Temara said, speaking on behalf of the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Ōtorohanga District Council Mayor Max Baxter said while he supports adding the macron, he can't speak for the wider community yet (file photo).

"We can be emotional about this and say, well, this is the language of the country. It's what makes us unique in the world. And we are a great part of the world now."

While mainstream broadcasters, such as Jack Tame, are setting a good example, there's still a long way to go, Temara said.

"Our great sports teams use part of that culture and language to broadcast to the world where we come from.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/FAIRFAX NZ Waipā District Mayor Jim Mylchreest didn't rule out the formal addition of a macron to Waipā District Council (file photo).

"Let it not be important just when we want to tell everyone we are from New Zealand and we are celebrating our victories."

All New Zealand councils should be using the macron correctly, said University of Waikato Associate Professor Tom Roa, of Waikato-Tainui and Ngāti Maniapoto.

There are five councils in New Zealand that could - but don't - use macrons on their main websites.

Three months of public consultation began in August over the proposal by Ngāti Maniapoto to incorporate the macron (tohutō, or pōtae - "hat") in the Ōtorohanga council's name.

Macrons or double vowels are not just pronunciation guides - they are vital to the meaning behind te reo words.

For example, while o means of, the elongated ō means provisions. Three stories explain the origin of the name Ōtorohanga, Roa said, and all three refer to the stretching (torohanga) of provisions (ō).

Roa, born and bred in Ōtorohanga, remembers his parents incorrectly pronouncing the district's name when they spoke English. They knew the proper way to pronounce it - they just didn't want to confuse anyone or make them uncomfortable by elongating the Ō and rolling the R.

Ōtorohanga District Mayor Max Baxter supports the addition.

"On a personal front, yeah, I'd like to see the name change," Baxter said. "But I'm not prepared to speak on behalf of the entire district without finding out more information first."

Waipā should have a macron, although Waipā District Council doesn't use one.

But Mayor Jim Mylchreest isn't ruling it out.

"It may do at some stage in the future," he said. "Personally, I would support it."

Ōpōtiki District Mayor John Forbes said adding the macron will help people pronounce Māori names correctly, something that should be important to everybody.

The correct pronunciation of Ōpōtiki comes as a surprise for some, Forbes said.

"Sometimes people go, what? Where was that?" Forbes said.

The country's getting better at pronouncing and spelling te reo correctly, he said.

"And that's how it should be. This is just a small thing."

Secretary for the New Zealand Geographic Board Wendy Shaw said in the past year, there's been a public expectation that macrons should be added to place names.

"Some of the place names recorded in the board's official gazetteer are outdated and don't include macrons where they should be," Shaw said.

In these cases, because the official record of the name (those that have previously gone through the board) lacks a macron, those councils would need to go through a process of consultation to add it.

"We need to move forward a little more swiftly than we have. We certainly welcome the councils to make their own proposals through to the board if they want to get on with it. That's a great thing that we would really encourage them to do.

"It's about standardising the written language.

"Hopefully we'll get to a point in the not so distant future where councils are using the correct orthography and the board has updated its gazetteer so that we've got the macrons in the right place and hyphens where they should be."

Roa believes respect for Māori language is growing.

But ultimately, decisions around name changes - such as the Ōtorohanga proposal - will show just how much, he said.

"If we talked about it 10 years ago, there just wasn't interest.

"I'd be very very happy if [the macron proposal for Ōtorohanga] goes through," Roa said, "but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't.

"If it doesn't go through, then I think, well, we've got a bit more work to do."

List of council names that should have macrons but don't use them on their main websites

Manawatū District Council

Ōtorohanga District Council

Rangitīkei District Council

Waipā District Council

Whangārei District Council

Council names that require macrons and use them

Ōpōtiki District Council

Taupō District Council

Kaikōura district councilWhakatāne District Council

Kāpiti Coast District Council

Disputed

Timaru/Tīmaru District Council (depending on which origin of the name is credited, either could be correct. Ngāi Tahu uses the macron, the council does not)