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National | Chiefs

'Say his beautiful Māori name correctly' - Keith Quinn on Triple T

A veteran sports TV commentator has called out All Blacks coach Steve Hansen via Twitter after he referred to Chiefs halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi as 'Triple T' on television.  Keith Quinn says admits he's no expert in the pronunciation of Māori names but the decency, he believes should be afforded to anyone whatever country they're from, whatever name they have to say their name correctly.

"If Tahuriorangi is making his way into the top levels of New Zealand rugby, we should be trying more and more to say his beautiful Māori name correctly," says Quinn.

On Monday evening, Quinn took to Twitter about the issue saying, 'Memo to Steve Hansen: if you're going to include Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi in your All Black plans it's not acceptable to call him 'Triple T' as you did on TV tonight. As you tell your teams before a test: 'practice, practice' practice!' Quinn believes it's a casual attitude the Pākehā people have had over the years towards pronouncing names correctly.

"It was a matter of Pākehā like myself having to try and practice beforehand when the teams were announced to make sure I got the names correct, it's not just names around New Zealand, it's going to sports events, say, the Hong Kong Sevens and there are all kinds of countries going there trying to say their names correctly too."

The TV commentator told Kawekōrero it's something he prided himself on doing even though he didn't get it right all the time.

"I think it's quite a clever nickname the lad has, Triple T, it's easy to say and he's had it for some time so I'm told, I've never met him but I hope that his name is correctly spoken by more and more people and not just dismissed as him being Triple T because it's easier to say for some people, we should all be trying to say his name correctly and as I say if you make mistakes, at least we're trying therefore we're improving."