Masterton street naming in focus

A Masterton District Council workshop is to help decide policy regarding future street naming in the town.

No definitive policy on the future naming of Masterton streets has been decided, with a committee of the district council choosing this week to refer the matter to a council workshop.

A brief discussion on whether there was a need to amend a Street Naming Policy prepared in 1995 was held at the Policy and Finance meeting, with some councillors believing there was only a need to tweak a few points and re-adopt the policy.

Councillor Gary Caffell said he didn't believe that property developers who created subdivisions should have a role in street naming. He questioned whether names put forward by developers had been turned down and district planner Sue Southey said they had.

Mrs Southey said, as well, some developers didn't take up the offer of suggesting road names and left it to the council.

Deputy mayor Graham McClymont said he would hate to see developers who put in a lot of money "getting stuck with a name they are not happy with".

Councillor Mark Harris said he believed naming streets for people applied only to "those who have passed on".

This was challenged by Mr Caffell who said it was an honour for worthy, living people to have a street named for them.

"They are not to know they have been honoured if they are dead," he said.

Mayor Lyn Patterson said another outstanding issue was whether street names should be named in English and in Maori and because of the unresolved issues, the matter should go to a workshop.