Shag River name change reflects shared history

The Waihemo Shag River on Horse Range Rd, near Palmerston, in late spring. Photo / Bill Campbell

The Shag River has undergone a name change.

The river will now be known as Waihemo Shag River, after the river's name was officially changed by the New Zealand Geographic Board.

Flowing from the Kakanui Mountains, the river is 75km long and meets the ocean at Shag Point, 7.5km east of Palmerston.

The name alteration was proposed by the late Jim Hinkley, and supported by Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki, both Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga and mana whenua.

Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki chairman and deputy upoko Matapura Ellison said Hinkley reached out to the rununga for support and it was happy to oblige.

"We wanted to support it because of a desire to recognise our more ancient names," Ellison said.

"It's a reflection of the bicultural basis of our society. I am not for getting rid of one name over another, I think it's nice to share the history."

Dean Olsen, of the Otago Regional Council, prepares to release a brown trout into the river in late spring.Photo / Gregor Richardson

It was a good step in recognising both Māori and Pākehā culture side by side while bringing ancestral names to life and maintaining a sense of belonging, he said.

"It's reflective, informing and educational."

New Zealand Geographic Board chairman Anselm Haanen echoed this and said the dual name acknowledged the significance of both Māori and European histories.

"Waihemo" translated to "river that has gone away" or "dwindled", and Shag River was named by early whalers as a reflection of the seabird presence, Haanen said.

The board received many submissions in support of the change, but because of several objections, the final decision was made by Minister for Land Information Damien O'Connor.

Both names were now required to be shown together on official documents such as signs and maps, and when used verbally, either or both names could be used.