This year, Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board is marking 100 years of official place naming in New Zealand, its offshore islands, Antarctica and on the sea floor.
Place names are an important historical record, a unique identifier of cultural heritage – they mark the places we call home.
In 1924, Surveyor-General William Neill wrote to the Minister of Lands Alexander McLeod recommending he establish an Honorary Geographic Board of New Zealand. It was agreed a place naming authority was needed to avoid confusion. As key services such as post offices and railway stations were established, place names needed to be consistent and supported by an authoritative source.
The Board held its first meeting at 2pm, Friday 12 September 1924.
The 7 members of that original Board were:
- Judge Sir Frederick Chapman (Chairman)
- Surveyor-General William Neill
- Archdeacon Herbert Williams
- Dominion Museum ethnologist Elsdon Best
- First librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library Johannes Andersen
- Clerk-draughtsman Louis Ward
- Secretary to the Surveyors’ Board Maurice Crompton-Smith
The 7 founding members of the Board in 1926
Under the 2008 Act, the Board formally became Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board.
Today the 10 Board members include the Surveyor-General as Chairperson, the National Hydrographer and eight other members appointed by the Minister for Land Information. These include two people recommended by the Minister of Māori Affairs and nominations from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, New Zealand Geographical Society, Federated Mountain Clubs, and Local Government New Zealand.
The Board is responsible for upholding our unique cultural and national identity through place names. It does this by making them official, restoring, collecting, and correcting them, and sharing their origin and history.
With 100 years under its belt, the Board has stood the test of time as a respected and valued expert body who remains the government’s principal advisor on good practice place naming.
Make history – have your say on a place name
Anyone can be involved in making a place name official.
Propose a place name, suggest changing an existing one, or make a submission on a current consultation:
Have your say on current consultations
New Zealand Gazetteer
Explore place names in Aotearoa New Zealand, its offshore islands, Antarctica and on the sea floor, by searching the New Zealand Gazetteer. Often the meaning or history behind a name will be included and, if it is a Māori name, you can listen to the correct pronunciation where it has been recorded.
Search your hometown and discover the story behind its name
Tangata whenua place name maps
Learn the names of New Zealand places as they once were. These maps wind back time to show historical Māori place names, including for features that no longer exist.
Maps of Te Waipounamu and Te Ika-a-Māui - second edition 2023
Maps of Te Waipounamu and Te Ika-a-Māui - first edition 1995
Our place names: Ngāti Maniapoto stories
Join former board member Shane Te Ruki for a virtual field trip exploring the cultural significance behind place names in the Maniapoto region, local settlement stories and how names pass stories down through generations.
Our place names: Ngāti Maniapoto stories
Publications
Place Names of the Ancestors - A Māori Oral History Atlas
The Survey Pegs of the Past, Understanding Māori Place Names