Public Consultation Open for New Zealand Geographic Board Name Proposals

10 June 2011

Public consultation opens today for proposals to assign new, or to alter existing, place names around the country. The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) has publicly notified these proposals in the New Zealand Gazette after accepting them at its April Board meeting. In the next few days, various newspapers throughout the country will also include public notice advertisements.

At its April meeting, the NZGB supported 30 name proposals and also declined and deferred a number of other proposals.

Some of the proposals now open for public consultation include:

  • Wairēinga / Bridal Veil Falls: Proposal to add a macron to an existing dual waterfall name near Raglan.
  • Te Tāhuna o Rangataua: Proposal to change the name from Rangataua Bay, in Tauranga, to the original Māori name.
  • Matira / Castle Rock: Proposed alteration from Castle Point to a dual name (for a prominent rock feature just south of the coastal township of Castlepoint).
  • Ayres Ridge: Proposal to name an unnamed feature on the main divide, in honour of a renowned mountaineer, Harry Ayres.

The consultation period for these proposals closes on either 22 July 2011 or 16 September 2011, depending on the specific proposal. See a full list of proposals and their closing dates.

About the public consultation process

Any member of the public can make a submission to the Board either supporting or objecting to these proposals. Submissions can be made in writing to the Secretary for the New Zealand Geographic Board or online via the relevant proposal page.

All proposals have been publicly notified in the New Zealand Gazette, and public notices will be published in national and various relevant local newspapers, as well as on the LINZ website.

The Board will consider all submissions (received before the end of each consultation period) at its next meeting, which is likely to be in late 2011 or early 2012.

Further information about place naming and the New Zealand Geographic Board

Visit the Land Information New Zealand website for information about place naming and the New Zealand Geographic Board.

Media enquiries: Victoria Dew, Land Information New Zealand, phone +64 4 496 5402, mobile +64 27 222 9566, email
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