'Too long' - 3/4 of people surveyed reject proposed new name for Phoenix carpark space

Three-quarters of people surveyed have rejected the council's proposed new name for the old Phoenix carpark because it is too long.

The name, Te Papa O Ngā Manu Porotakataka, meaning "the place of circling birds", was chosen by Tauranga City Council staff and iwi advisors for the new urban park created at the former Maunganui Rd carpark.

They expected it would naturally acquire a shortened nickname eventually.

When the name was presented to the council on November 20, councillors supported it but insisted on a last-minute public consultation against the advice of the staff who said it was not required by law and would have to be limited as the park was scheduled to be blessed on December 22.

The pared-back consultation has come under fire from some Mount Maunganui residents who felt it was poorly conceived and they should have been given a say far earlier in the process.

The council will receive a report today outlining the public feedback.

City transformation manager Jaine Lovell-Gadd said that due to the time and constraints and having no budget set aside for the consultation, an online survey was deemed the most cost and time effective way to gather the views of Mount retailers and residents.

It ran for the two weeks to December 12 and was promoted through direct emails, Facebook, the council's website and news websites. The council's staff also went door to door interviewing Mount Mainstreet retailers.

Lovell-Gadd said 1042 people completed the online story. Of that, 285 supported the proposed name, while the remaining 757 respondents did not like it, mostly because it was too long.

The full report will be tabled in the 9am full council meeting.