Place naming proposals and recent decisions

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa made 1,454 official decisions at its April hui on place names in the Tasman and Marlborough regions, as well as for undersea feature names around New Zealand.

The Board is also inviting public submissions on 10 proposals for the following place names and undersea feature names across and around New Zealand:

“The Board invites submissions from anyone who wants to have a say about these name proposals – particularly from those people in the local communities,” says Wendy Shaw, Board Secretary.

The Board received the proposals from members of the public except for the three undersea feature names, which the Board’s Undersea Feature Names Committee submitted.

The Board will accept submissions for or against the proposed names up to 28 June 2021, except for Pākaraka and Waipaekākā, where submissions will be accepted until 30 August 2021.

Further information, including the extent of each proposal and how to make a submission

Board decisions made at its April hui include:

• 506 existing place names made official in the Tasman Region (PDF)
• 948 existing place names made official in the Marlborough Region (PDF)
• 16 undersea feature names either newly assigned, altered, or discontinued because a feature did not exist (PDF)
• 2 undersea feature names approved as official (PDF)

The majority of these place names (1,454) are part of the Board’s fast track programme to approve existing place names as official.

Some of the better-known place names now official include Hope, Tasman, Maruia Falls, Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Saddle, Blenheim, Portage, Seddon and Ward.

“It may surprise many to learn that the name of the place they live in has not yet been made official, even if it has been used for a long time,” says Wendy Shaw.

Once official, place names must be used in all official documents, road signs, maps, websites and databases.

“It’s important to ensure we preserve and protect place names so that they endure, and we have certainty about their location, extent, origin and authenticity,” she says.

Some of the Māori place names like Tūī, Mātakitaki, Kaipākirikiri Bay and Mōioio Island now have macrons applied. Adding macrons in written Māori makes the meaning of a name clear and assists with pronunciation.

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa welcomes any feedback on these decisions by emailing NZGBenquiries@linz.govt.nz.

Background and additional information

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa is an independent statutory body that works closely with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand.

Place names tell us where we are. They are important signposts of modern, historical and cultural influences and values of the people that gave them. Knowing the correct names for places and their locations is important for everyday communications and activities, such as when emergency services need to identify ’where’ quickly, clearly and accurately.

Fast track process: A recorded place name is one that appears in at least two publicly available publications or databases that, in the Board’s opinion, are authoritative. A recorded place name can be approved as official or it can be discontinued, without public consultation. This is known as the fast-track process and is set out under section 24 of the New Zealand Geographic Board Act 2008. The Board is working its way through recorded place names under a region-by-region programme. If the Board is of the opinion that there may be public objection for a recorded place name within territorial New Zealand, then it must follow the full statutory process which includes public consultation.

More information about the fast track programme

Ngā tono ingoa wāhi me ngā whakatau o nā tata nei

I whakatau te New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa kia mana ētahi ingoa 1,454 i tana hui o Paengawhāwhā mō ngā ingoa wāhi o ngā rohe o Te Tai-o-Aorere me Te Tauihu-o-te-waka me ētahi ingoa tārainga takere moana huri i Aotearoa: 

Hei tā Wendy Shaw, Hēkeretari o te Poari, “E hiahia ana te Poari kia tāpaea mai e te tangata ōna whakaaro mō ngā ingoa e tonoa nei – ina koa te hunga kei ngā hapori o te takiwā tonu”.

I tae ake ngā tono ki te Poari i tētahi mema o te iwi tūmatanui, atu i ngā tono ingoa tārainga takere moana i tāpaea e te Komiti Taunaha Tārainga Takere Moana a te Poari tonu.

Ka whakaaehia e te Poari te tae ake o ngā tāpaenga whakaaro e tautoko ana e whakahē ana rānei i ngā ingoa kua tonoa tae noa ki te 28 o Pipiri 2021, atu i ngā whakaaro mō Pākaraka me Waipaekākā ka whakaaetia tae noa ki te 30 o Hereturikōkā 2021.

Ētahi atu kōrero, tae atu ki te toronga o ia tono, me ngā kōrero ārahi mō te tāpae whakaaro mai

Ngā whakatau a te Poari i tana hui o Paengawhāwhā: 

• e 506 ngā ingoa wāhi kua takoto kē mai kua whakamanahia i Te Tai-o-Aorere 
• e 948 ngā ingoa wāhi kua takoto kē mai kua whakamanahia i Te Tauihu-o-te-waka
• 16 ngā tārainga takere moana kua taunaha houtia, kua whakarerekētia, kua unuhia rānei i te kore o te tārainga i reira
• e 2 ngā tārainga takere moana i whakaaetia kia mana

Ko te nuinga atu o ingoa wāhi nei (1454) he wāhanga o te hōtaka whakatau wawe a te Poari mō te whakaae kia mana te ingoa kua takoto kē mai.

Ko ētahi o ngā ingoa wāhi kua mana e mōhio whānuitia ana ko Hope, ko Tasman, ko Maruia Falls, ko Shenandoah River, ko Shenandoah Saddle, ko Blenheim, ko Portage, ko Seddon me Ward.

Hei tā Wendy anō, “Tērā e ohorere ai ētahi ki te mōhio kāore anō i mana te ingoa o te wāhi e noho ana rātou, ahakoa te roa o te ingoa e whakamahia ana.”

Ina whakamanahia, me āta whakamahi te ingoa wāhi i te katoa o ngā tānga mana, pērā i te tohu huarahi, te mahere, te pae tukutuku me te pātengi raraunga. 

Hei tā Wendy anō, “He mea tino nui te āta whai kia mau tonu, kia tiakina te ingoa wāhi e toitū ai, e āta mōhiotia ai tōna wāhi tūturu, ōna toronga, tōna pūtakenga mai me tōna tūturutanga.” 

Kua hoatu anō he tohutō ki ētahi o ngā ingoa wāhi Māori pērā i a Tūī, i a Mātakitaki, i a Kaipākirikiri Bay me Mōioio Island. Mā te hoatu tika i te tohutō ki te tuhinga o te kupu Māori e mārama ai te tikanga o te ingoa, he āwhina anō tēnei ki te whakahua tika i te ingoa.

E ngākau tuwhera ana te New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa ki ngā whakaaro ka tāpaea mai mō ngā whakatau nei, īmērahia mai koa ki NZGBenquiries@linz.govt.nz.

Kōrero tuaroa me ētahi atu kōrero

He rōpū motuhake ā-ture te New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa ka mahi ngātahi ki a Toitū te Whenua Aotearoa.

Ko tā te ingoa wāhi he tohu kei hea ake tātou. He tohu hiranga anō mō ngā kawenga taha ahurea a te hunga o ēnei rā, o mua, nā rātou i taunaha, me tā rātou i uara ai. He nui whakaharahara te mōhio ki te ingoa tika o tētahi wāhi mē tōna wāhi tūturu ki ngā kōrero me ngā mahi o ia rā, pērā i te āta tautuhi a ngā ratonga whawhati tata ‘kei hea ake’ tētahi wāhi i runga i te whāwhai, te mārama me te tika tūturu.

Te tukanga whakatau wawe: Ko te ingoa kua takoto kē mai he ingoa ka kitea i ētahi tānga, ētahi pātengi raraunga e rua neke atu e āhei ana te iwi tūmatanui ki te toro, me te whakapono anō o te Poari e whai mana ana. Ka taea te ingoa kua takoto te whakamana, te unu atu, me te kore e whakapāpā ki te iwi tūmatanui. Ka kīia tēnei ko te tukanga whakatau wawe, e takoto mai ana ki te tekiona 24 o te Ture o te New Zealand Geographic Board 2008. E whaiwhai haere ana te Poari i ngā ingoa wāhi kua takoto kē i raro i tētahi hōtaka ā-rohe. Ki te whakapono te Poari tērā ka whakahēngia e tētahi o te iwi tūmatanui tētahi ingoa kua takoto kē mai e taka ana ki raro i te mana whakahaere o Aotearoa, me mātua whai ia i te tukanga ā-ture whānui katoa, ko te whakapāpā ki te iwi tūmatanui tētahi o aua tikanga. 

Ētahi atu kōrero mō te hōtaka whakatau wawe

Pātai pānui pāpāho

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