Chris Penk rejects change to Petone but green lights other regional name changes

Petone will stay Petone. Photo / Dan Bailey

• National Park will be renamed Waimarino, but Petone will not change to Pito One.
• Te Tōangaroa is now the official name for an area in Auckland’s CBD.
• A peak on Pirongia Mountain will be renamed Pūāwhē, and a new suburb in Feilding will be called Maewa.

By RNZ

The central North Island town of National Park will be renamed Waimarino – the original Māori name for the area.

Meanwhile, the Lower Hutt suburb of Petone will not have its name changed to Pito One.

The Petone proposal was made to Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa/New Zealand Geographic Board by The Wellington Tenths Trust and the Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust.

Minister for Building and Construction Hon Chris Penk. Photo / Supplied

Late last year, Wellington City Council voted to support the name change, with other iwi groups from around the region voicing support as well.

Minister for Land Information Chris Penk made the determinations in his statutory role as final decision-maker.

He said he sought to balance official advice and public opinion.

“People feel strongly about the name of their home and each proposal received a range of submissions both for and against,” he said.

Penk said factors he considered when making his decision included respecting historical context, minimising disruption where relatively minor changes were proposed, and removing ambiguity of a generic place name.

“I weighed all factors carefully and, while I recognise there will always be a range of views on these matters, I am comfortable we have landed in a reasonable place.”

Here are the raft of place name decisions announced Wednesday by Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board:

Britomart's The Hayman Kronfeld Building. Photo / Supplied

Auckland

Proposals to alter Takanini (suburb) and Takanini Railway Station to Takaanini and Takaanini Railway Station have been declined.

But the proposal to make Te Tōangaroa the official name for an unnamed area in Auckland’s CBD has been approved.

The name refers to the dragging of waka a long way to the shoreline. The name will now be official for the area bordered by Britomart Place, Beach Rd, Quay St and State Highway 16, which contains Spark Arena, The Strand Railway Station, Te Taou Reserve, Māhuhu-ki-te-Rangi Park and several apartment buildings.

A peak on Pirongia Mountain gets a new name. Photo / Jesse Wood

Waikato

A proposal to rename a peak on Pirongia Mountain known as The Cone has been approved, it will now be known as Pūāwhē.

Pūāwhē is a traditional name on Pirongia Mountain and historically it referred to the mountain as a whole. The story of the name says the patupaiarehe (supernatural being or fairy-like creature) who bewitched Tāwhaitu had used a bundle “pū” of “ā” tree fern called a “whē” or caterpillars “whē”.

Manawatū-Whanganui

A new suburb of Feilding will be officially named Maewa.

Manawatū District Council made the proposal to extend the existing locality of Maewa to include a future housing development currently referred to as Precinct 4, and to formalise it as an official suburb of Feilding.

Maewa is an original Māori place name which Ngāti Kauwhata gifted to the council for the suburb name. It means “to meander” and describes the waterway that begins as a puna (spring) at the current locality and flows east into Makino Stream.

While National Park Village will have its name changed the town’s railway station will continue to be known as National Park Station, after its name change proposal was declined.

Proposals to add macrons to Manawatu District and Rangitikei District were declined.

Wellington

A proposal to alter Abbots Creek to Abbotts Creek has been declined.

Tasman

A proposal to alter 5 Mile Creek to Herwin Creek has been declined.

Upcoming decisions

A decision on the proposal to rename Russell to Kororāreka is expected to be announced in 2025.