Western Bay of Plenty roading authorities are apologetically replacing sign on a State Highway 29 across the Kaimai Range after a complaint from a Maori kaumatua over the use of the letter ‘s'.

Matamata kaumatua Will Murray is extremely happy the Western Bay of Plenty Road Safety Committee is agreeing to remove the ‘s' from the sign reading ‘Have a safe trip over the Kaimais'.

NZTA has replaced the wording on the left with the new wording on the right.

"It makes a mockery of the Maori language," says Will, referring to the sign on the Hamilton side.

"There has never been, and never will be, an ‘s' in the Maori alphabet.”

Will submit a letter to the committee last month asking the New Zealand Transport Agency to remove the s and place ‘Range' underneath Kaimai.

The committee is made up of Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Tauranga City Council Bay of Plenty Regional Council, NZ Transport Agency, ACC and Police.

According to the report, Will was alerted to the signs by non-Maori members of the public and after driving to investigate was disappointed by what he found.

'The bottom statement ‘Just the facts' contradicts itself completely.

'I understand that they [the ranges] are referred to as ‘the Kaimais' in everyday conversation, but to have it on a sign that visitors from around the country, and world, are going to see is a disgrace.”

Western Bay of Plenty District Council transportation manager Alex Finn confirms the change in wording has been made and Will has personally viewed the amended version.

But Alex believes the change refers to the single sign rather than similar road signs across the Kaimai Range.

'There are other signs but different wording so they aren't implicated in the mistake. As far as I know there is one sign replaced and would have cost a couple of hundred dollars,” says Alex.

'It wasn't brought up a council level, it was discussed amongst the technical staff members of the committee who make the decision as to the exact wording on signs and their locations.”

A statement from the committee since apologises for any offence caused.

"We meant no disrespect with installing the billboard," says the committee.

"This was installed as part of the series of billboards making up the "Just the Facts" road safety campaign covering State Highway [29] from the Kaimai Range through to Tauranga.

"These emphasise to drivers the need to be aware of their driving conditions and to keep speeds down, and help lower the number of crashes that occur along this section of state highway."

Will says the committee needs to be commended for acknowledging a mistake has been made.