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Place naming

Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board has opened consultation to officially name and correct the spelling of nine geographic features, including peaks, streams, glaciers and a reef.

Public consultation is open for between one or two months on the following proposals:  

Aratika Reef

This proposal is to name an unnamed reef in the Marlborough Sounds after the interisland ferry Aratika.

The Aratika was on a charity cruise in 1982 when its echo sounder indicated it was passing over an uncharted reef with a clearance of only three metres, making it a potential maritime hazard. Charts at the time indicated depths of 30 metres. The hazard was reported to a Royal New Zealand Navy survey launch and a Notice to Mariners was issued shortly afterwards.  

While the reef is now depicted on charts, naming it would help improve maritime safety. Aratika means “direct path”.

Consultation on this proposal closes 3 February 2025.  

Kā Pūtahi (stream)

This proposal is to correct the spelling of the unofficial name of Kaputone Creek to Kā Pūtahi, without any generic term (like stream or creek) and make it official.  

The stream flows from the western side of Belfast into the Styx River near Marshland in Christchurch.  

Kā Pūtahi means “to join, meet, as two paths of streams meet running into the other”.  

Consultation on this proposal closes 23 December 2024.

Rukuwai (stream)

This proposal is to assign Rukuwai as the name for a stream that flows from springs near Te Kauwhata township into the Whangamarino wetland.  

The name Rukuwai describes “descending waters” and is also the name of a Ngāti Naho, Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Pou tupuna (ancestor).  

The stream is sometimes referred to as Travers Stream or Travers Road Stream, however they are not the official names.  

The Ngā Muka Development Trust is working to restore the mana and mauri of the stream through environmental restoration and by officially naming it.  

Consultation on this proposal closes 23 December 2024.  

Pukekōwhai, Ngā Māipi-e-Waru-a-Kupe and Puketihia (peaks)

These proposals are to correct the names and positions of three tara (peaks) on the western edge of Ngāumu Forest, west of Riversdale Beach, Wairarapa.  

These are:  

  • An unnamed peak to Pukekōwhai (likely named for the native tree)
  • Pukekowhai to Ngā Māipi-e-Waru-a-Kupe (named for for the eight weapons of Kupe)
  • Te Māipi to Puketihia (named “because it is the most exposed point”)

The peaks have had the incorrect names applied to them on maps and have also been spelled incorrectly.

These proposals would see the peaks reunited with their correct names and correct spelling.  

Consultation on these proposals closes 23 December 2024.  

Brückner Glacier, Hess Glacier and Penck Glacier  

These proposals are to correct the spellings of three glaciers in Mount Aspiring National Park:  

  • Bruckner Glacier to Brückner Glacier
  • Hesse Glacier to Hess Glacier  
  • Pench Glacier to Penck Glacier

Consultation on these proposals closes 3 February 2025.

How to make a submission

Kua tuwhera te whakapāpā haere mō ngā tono taunaha tārainga matawhenua  

Kua tuwhera te whakapāpā haere a Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa ki te whakamana i te taunahatanga, ki te whakatika anō i te tuhia o ētahi tārainga matawhenua e iwa, pērā i te tara, te manga, te awa kōpaka me te pūkawa.  

Ka tuwhera te whakapāpātanga tūmatanui mō te tahi ki te rua marama mō ngā tono ka whai ake nei:  

Aratika Reef

He tono tēnei kia taunahatia tētahi pūkawa kei Te Tauihu o te Waka kāore nei ōna ingoa ki te Aratika, te kaipuke rere i waenga i ngā motu e rua.    

E tere ana te Aratika i tētahi haerenga ohaoha i te tau 1982 ka tohu tana oro whakatātūtū e rere ana ia i runga ake i tētahi pūkawa kāore anō i tūtohia, ka mutu, e toru mita noa te wāhi e wātea ana i raro i a ia, me te noho a tēnei hei tūraru hauata moana. E 30 mita te hōhonu o te tohu a ngā tūtohi i taua wā. Ka kōrerohia te raru nei ki tētahi waka ārohi o Te Taua Moana ka tukua tētahi Pānui ki te Kaumoana i muri tonu iho.    

Ahakoa te tohua o te pūkawa i ngā tūtohi o nāianei, ka āwhina te taunaha i a ia i te haere haumaru i te moana.  Ko ‘te ara rere tika’ te tikanga o te Aratika.  

Ka kati te whakapāpā haere mō te tono nei ā te 3 o Huitanguru 2025.  

Kā Pūtahi (manga)

He tono tēnei kia whakatikaina te tuhia o te ingoa kāore nei i mana, a Kaputone Creek kia Kā Pūtahi, ka whakakore ai i te kupu whānui (pērā i te manga, te kōawa rānei) ka whakamana anō ai.  

Ka rere te manga atu i te taha uru o Belfast ki te Styx River pātata ki Marshland i Ōtautahi.  

Ko te tikanga o Kā Pūtahi ko te “tūhono, te tūtataki, pērā i ētahi manga e rua e rere atu ai tētahi ki tētahi”.  

Ka kati te whakapāpā haere mō te tono nei ā te 23 o Hakihea 2024.

Rukuwai (manga)

He tono tēnei kia taunahatia tētahi manga ka rere i ētahi puna pātata ki te taone o Te Kauwhata ki ngā kūkūwai o Whangamarino, ko Rukuwai.  

E kōrero ana te ingoa o Rukuwai mō te “wai whakaheke”, ko te ingoa anō tēnei o te tupuna o Ngāti Naho, o Ngāti Hine me Ngāti Pou.  

I ōna wā ka kīia te manga ko Travers Stream, ko Travers Road Stream rānei, heoi, kāore ērā ingoa i mana.  

E mahi ana a Ngā Muka Development Trust ki te whakahoki ake i te mana me te mauri o te manga mā te whakaora ake anō i te taiao me te whakamana i tōna taunahatanga.  

Ka kati te whakapāpā haere mō te tono nei ā te 23 o Hakihea 2024.  

Pukekōwhai, Ngā Māipi-e-Waru-a-Kupe me Puketihia (tara)

He tono ēnei kia whakatikaina ngā ingoa me te tūnga tūturu o ētahi tara e toru kei te tapa ki te uru o te Ngāumu Forest, i te uru o Riversdale Beach, Wairarapa.  

Koia ēnei ko:  

  • Tētahi tara kāore ōna ingoa kia Pukekōwhai (tērā tonu e taunahatia ana ki te rākau)  
  • A Pukekowhai kia Ngā Māipi-e-Waru-a-Kupe (mō ngā rākau e waru a Kupe)
  • A Te Māipi kia Puketihia (i taunahatia “i te tū pahora mai”)  

I hē ngā ingoa i tohua mō ngā tara nei i te mahere whenua, i hē anō te tuhia o ngā ingoa.  

Mā ngā tono nei e whakahokia ai te ingoa tika ki te tara tika, e tika anō ai te tuhi i te ingoa.  

Ka kati te whakapāpā haere mō ngā tono nei ā te 23 o Hakihea 2024

Brückner Glacier, Hess Glacier and Penck Glacier  

He tono ēnei kia whakatikaina te tuhia o ētahi awa kōpaka e toru kei te Mount Aspiring National Park:  

  • Bruckner Glacier kia Brückner Glacier
  • Hesse Glacier kia Hess Glacier  
  • Pench Glacier kia Penck Glacier

Ka kati ngā whakapāpātanga mō ngā tono e toru nei ā te 3 o Huitanguru 2025.

Me pēhea te tāpae whakaaro mai

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