Hawke's Bay A&P Society board president Richard Chambers said the desire to reclaim the Tomoana name came from wanting to connect the rural and urban communities, including the neighbouring Waipatu Marae, of which the Tomoana family was a big part.
"This was well overdue to be revisited and is fantastic for those two families to reconnect and also for the A&P community as well as the wider community to know more about this history's significance to Hastings and Hawke's Bay - it's exciting."
Hawke's Bay A&P Society general manager Brent Linn said their desire was to see the showgrounds as a community asset, which reflected and worked for those who used it.
"Hence the opening of the front gates, and the desire to see people using the showgrounds as they all have a deep association with it," he said.
"Most of Hawke's Bay has grown up celebrating something here. This is just another part of that story recognising that we are a community space."
The offer to change the name has been welcomed by the Tomoana whanau - whose ancestor Henare Tomoana once owned 20,000 acres of the Heretaunga land.
His great-grandson Ngahiwi Tomoana said the A&P society's surprise offer had "blown us away".
Henare and William Nelson had been like-minded, and had a shared vision for education, employment, and entrepreneurship which benefited the whanau of Heretaunga Marae and the wider community.
The two men had been peers, Mr Tomoana said, and had accomplished many things even when faced with adversity.
"It was a special moment in history that is put into the current context," he said.
Returning the name would bring provenance to the region, while allowing the whanau and Ngati Kahungunu to add "a bit of cultural texture to everything that happens there".
"We've always been supported but we didn't see how we could really get involved. Getting the name changed like that we're suddenly totally involved, we'll put a cultural texture to the whole thing."
The news was also well received by William Nelson's great-granddaughter, Margaret Walmsley.
She was pleased her ancestor's association with the name through the Tomoana Freezing Works would be restored in the title of the showgrounds.
As hoped by the society, the new title has already pleased several users of the showgrounds - from organisers of the weekly farmers market, to conveners of annual events held there.
Fiesta of Lights organiser Te Rangi Huata supported the change, which he thought would be a positive thing for the community.
"I'm in favour of calling the facility the Tomoana Showgrounds. And while it may take people time to adjust, I think in time to come it will be a positive move," he said.
"I've made a note of other areas that hold someone's name and I think the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds sounds too vague.
"It markets the idea to get the rest of Hawke's Bay to join in. It's an aspiring idea to have a place for all of Hawke's Bay but I think it would be good to have a local name."
A powhiri at Waipatu Marae to formally acknowledge the reclaimed name is due to be held next Friday.
Although it would take time to officially implement the change through branding and signage, "in our thinking and our actions . . . from the day after acceptance the name association will be there", Mr Linn said.
