BOPRC adopts Maori name Toi Moana

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has adopted the Maori title Toi Moana as its official name to co-exist with its English language name.

The word Toi is an abbreviated reference to Toi Te Huatahi, or Toi Kairakau, the ancestor that the Bay of Plenty is named for. Moana refers to the ocean on the region's coast and the freshwater rivers and lakes inland. It also means native, indigenous, summit, source, creativity and knowledge.

Toi is already used by a number of Bay of Plenty entities, such as Toi Te Ora, the Public Health Service and Toi EDA, the eastern Bay of Plenty economic development agency.

Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder said finding a Maori name for the council had been considered for some time, and gained traction with the new intake of the three Maori councillors in October last year. Further time was required to ensure the name resonated with all iwi across our region.

"It has been important to reach a consensus on a name that everyone could feel comfortable with, and this name was unanimously chosen. The Bay of Plenty is also known as Te Moana a Toi, and it's easy to pronounce for those who aren't fluent in Te Reo," Mr Leeder said.

"We hope that people will feel comfortable using either name."

Bay of Plenty Regional Council was the first council to elect Maori Councillors to represent the Kohi, Okurei and Mauao constituencies in 2001.