Should we rename the North and South Islands?

By Warren Gamble

They state the blindingly obvious, but New Zealanders are overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the names of the North and South Islands.

In a New Zealand Herald-DigiPoll survey 85 per cent wanted to keep the names while 12.7 per cent preferred a change.

Advertising guru Kevin Roberts brought the issue to light in August when he told tourism leaders that more imaginative and exotic island names were needed.

He suggested Maori names, such as Pounamu (derived from the traditional Te Wai Pounamu - greenstone waters) for the South Island and Maui (of the legendary fisherman) for the North.

Maori legend gives the North Island the name Te Ika a Maui (The Fish of Maui).

Politicians did not completely dismiss the idea, with the Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley, saying it was worth thinking about.

Maoridom was enthusiastic, with Tai Tokerau leader Sir Graham Latimer backing the reversion to Maori names and recommending that New Zealand be renamed Aotearoa.

Told the results of the Herald poll, Mr Roberts, the New York-based head of Saatchi and Saatchi, said that given a choice most people stay with the status quo rather than make a positive change.

"If you ask one question deeper why the names are so good, my guess would be people would say, `Because it's always been the same, mate'."

Mr Roberts said overseas-based New Zealanders he had talked to were 100 per cent in favour of new names because they were more sensitive to our international image. "If you were to start with a fresh piece of paper, no one would come up with North and South - there cannot be too many precedents for that lack of imagination."

The president of the fledgling South Island Party, Sam Long, said the issue had not been debated, as there were more important economic issues.

But he said he could understand the poll results that showed that South Islanders were more in favour of a name change than their northern counterparts - 18.4 per cent of Christchurch residents and 20.7 per cent of other South Islanders were in favour, compared with only 8.1 per cent of Aucklanders.

Mr Long said that feeling reflected a push for a new, bolder identity for the South Island.

Many party supporters believed the South was not gaining the benefits it should from its natural resources, such as hydro-electricity and logging.

The poll also showed that 23.1 per cent of Maori were in favour of a name change, with 73.9 per cent opposed, compared to only 12 per cent support from New Zealand Europeans.

Younger people were also more in favour (15.5 per cent) than those over 40 (10 per cent).