New Zealand Geographic Board publishes 2023/24 Annual Report

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa has published its 2023/24 Annual Report, highlighting a year of significant achievements and milestones. 

This year marks 100 years since the Board first met in 1924. Throughout that time the Board has been instrumental in preserving and promoting New Zealand’s rich cultural and geographical heritage through official place naming. 

In the 2023/24 year, the Board made 931  place name decisions, reflecting its ongoing commitment to accurately naming places across New Zealand, its offshore islands, and Antarctica. These decisions are part of the Board’s broader mission to ensure that place names are not only geographically accurate but also culturally appropriate.

One of the highlights of the year was the launch of the second edition Tangata Whenua Place Names maps. The maps show traditional Māori place names, as a celebration of their stories and heritage. 

Board Chairperson Anselm Haanen is proud of the Board’s achievements.

“We’ve come a long way from those early days when the Board named places to help ensure that mail was delivered, phone calls were connected, and passengers knew where their trains were going.”

Read the Board’s Annual Report:

New Zealand Geographic Board annual report 2023/24