Place Name Proposals Recognise Outstanding Scientists

5 November 2009: Media Release

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa today sought public submissions on place name proposals recognising Professor Beatrice Tinsley and Sir William Pickering, New Zealand scientists who excelled in the fields of astronomy and space exploration.

Mount Tinsley and Mount Pickering have been proposed for two currently unnamed peaks west of Te Anau in the Kepler Mountains, a range named after the 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler.

New Plymouth-educated Beatrice Tinsley (1941-1981), a Professor of Astronomy at Yale University, has been described as a world leader in modern cosmology and one of the most creative and significant theoreticians in modern astronomy.

Wellington-born Sir William Pickering (1910-2004) was director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 22 years until 1976. He led the development of US unmanned space exploration, including Explorer 1, the first US satellite; Pioneer IV, the first successful American around-the-moon probe; the Mariner flights to Venus and Mars in the 1960s; the Ranger photographic missions to the moon; and the Surveyor lunar landings of 1966-67.

Board Secretary Wendy Shaw said the proposed Mount Tinsley is a 1537m peak above the Iris Burn River visible from the popular Kepler Track. The proposed Mount Pickering (1650m) is at the head of the Tutu Burn, which flows to the South Fiord of Lake Te Anau. Submissions on both proposals close on 11 December 2009.

Mrs Shaw said the Board had noted that 2009 was the International Year of Astronomy, and believed the Kepler Mountains was an appropriate place to recognise these two people.

25 place name proposals gazetted

In all, the Board accepted 25 place name proposals when it met in September. These have been put forward for public consultation, and include:

Stonefields (Auckland) - a newly established residential development for a suburb on the former Mt Wellington quarry site, which lies between St Johns, Remuera and Mt Wellington suburbs in Auckland city (submissions close 12 February 2010).

Stokes Peak (Kaimai Range) – a proposal that recognises the late Waikato/Bay of Plenty geographer, Waitangi Tribunal and New Zealand Geographic Board member, Dame Evelyn Stokes (submissions close on 12 February 2010).

Hue tē Taka Peninsula (Wellington) – new place name proposal for peninsula at southeastern end of Lyall Bay, adjacent to Moa Point (submissions close 12 February 2010).

Te Waikoropupū Springs (Golden Bay) – freshwater springs also known as Pupu Springs and Waikoropupu Springs. The proposal brings the name into line with the adjacent Department of Conservation-administered reserve (submissions close 12 February 2010).

Hadfield Clearing (Abel Tasman National Park) – land at Awaroa Inlet purchased by the Nature Heritage Fund in 2006. The Department of Conservation proposes that the area be named after two brothers, William and Harry Hadfield, who initially settled the land in 1863 and whose descendants farmed the land until 2006 (submissions close 11 December 2009).

Poutākoro Head (Banks Peninsula) – a spelling correction from the feature currently named Putakolo Head (submissions close 11 December 2009).

Brice Falls (Halswell/Port Hills) - proposed name for a small waterfall near the head of Lansdowne Valley, in the Port Hills, south of Christchurch. The name honours the late Gerry Brice, a well known identity who farmed the land the falls are situated on for almost 30 years until 1985 (submissions close 12 February 2010).

Moose Lake (Fiordland) – a proposal for a currently unnamed lake in Herrick Creek, which flows into Wet Jacket Arm, Fiordland National Park. The lake is near the site of the first release of moose into Fiordland in 1910 (submissions close 11 December 2009).

Public consultation process

Any member of the public can make submissions to the Board either supporting or objecting to these proposals. Submissions should be made in writing to the Secretary for the New Zealand Geographic Board.

All proposals have been publicly notified in the New Zealand Gazette, and public notices will be published in a national and various relevant local newspapers, as well as on the LINZ website. The consultation period for each of these proposals varies from one to three months.

The Board will consider all submissions (received before the end of the designated consultation period), at its next Board meeting, which is likely to be in April or May 2010.

Final place name proposals

Twenty-six official place names determined by the Board are also gazetted today. They include:

• formal recognition of Lake Hood, an artificial lake on the Ashburton / Hakatere River south of Tinwald created in 2000 for recreational activities
• formal recognition of Lake Opuha, another artificial lake east of Fairlie at the confluence of the North and South Opuha Rivers
• alteration of the locality name Taitapu to Tai Tapu, at the request of the Selwyn District Council
• names of three features marking the German expedition to the Auckland Islands in 1874 to observe the Transit of Venus: Krone Creek, Seeliger Creek, Venus Valley.

See all place name proposals and final place name decisions.

Further information about place naming and the New Zealand Geographic Board.

Media enquiries: Dave Chowdhury, Land Information New Zealand, +64 4 496 5402 or mobile +64 27 222 9566, email media@linz.govt.nz.