Brice Falls Place Name Proposal Report
- New name
- Lansdowne Valley, Halswell, Port Hills, Christchurch.
The Brice Falls Place Name Proposal Report is also availble in pdf (2.03MB).
General background
The proposal
The submitters are seeking to assign a new name to an unnamed waterfall situated near the head of Lansdowne Valley, in the Port Hills, south of Christchurch. The submitters propose that the waterfall be named after Gerald William Brice, who died in the 1980s, and who had a long association with the area and farmed the surrounding property from 1958 to 1985.
The submitter states that while Mr Gerry Brice died within a few years of leaving the farm, Mrs Betty Brice is still alive. The submitters were requested to advise which member of the Brice family they seek to name the waterfall for, and a response was received on 27 August 2009, advising that he feature be named after Gerald William Brice. The submitters have not provided evidence of biographical reference sources or any documentary support for the proposal although they state that they have undertaken verbal consultation with local families in the valley, none of whom were aware of the falls having a name.
NZGB frameworks
In regard to Using Personal Names item 16.10 of the Board’s Frameworks document refers:
| Principle | Personal names for geographic features and places should not be used unless it is clearly in the public interest. The person commemorated should have contributed significantly to the area where the feature is located. |
| Policy | Names of persons will not be given to features during a person’s lifetime. If the name of a deceased person is used, generally only the surname is applied. |
| Guideline/Practice | Personal names for geographical features and places in New Zealand are generally only acceptable if:
|
The waterfall is almost an ephemeral feature – drying up to a trickle in the height of summer, but with a permanent pool of water at its foot. Therefore it may not warrant an official name being assigned. The Board’s naming guideline discourages use of the naming of minor features.
In regard to the Naming of Minor Features item 16.15 of the Board’s Frameworks document refers:
| Principle | The application of names for very minor features is in most cases not considered by the Board. |
| Policy | In very special circumstances the Board may consider minor feature classification or naming on a case by case basis. |
| Guideline/Practice | The name still has to meet other criteria. |
Historical Maps/Plans
Early topographic and cadastral maps show:
| NZMS 1, S84 | Edition 1, dated 1947 | Not depicted or named |
| NZMS 1, S84 | Edition 2, dated 1947 | Not depicted or named |
| NZMS 1, S84 | Edition 3, dated 1957 |
Not depicted or named |
| NZMS 1, S84 | Edition 4, dated 1963 | Not depicted or named |
| NZMS 1, S84 | Edition 5, dated 1968 | Not depicted or named |
| NZMS 13, CAN080 | Edition 3, dated 1959 | Not depicted or named |
| NZMS 177, S84 | Edition 1, dated 1962 | Not depicted or named |
Some early survey plans show the following:
| TP 51764 | Dated 1900 | Not depicted or named |
| TP 63646 | Dated 1904 | Not depicted or named |
Early historical maps/plans show:
| PROC 354 | Dated 1893 | Not depicted or named |
| C(D)1 | Dated ? | Not depicted or named |
NZGB Archive Records
There are no archive records of the Board featuring the name Brice.
Duplication
Several streets and roads located around New Zealand are named ‘Brice’, but none are in the vicinity of this proposal.
| Brice Road | Piopio, Waitomo District |
| Brice Street | Taupo |
The feature is not located within a Conservation Area.
There are no other place names or CPA names using the name Brice.
Consultation
No comments have been received as to whether an original Māori name exists for this feature. The views of Ngāi Tahu may be brought to the Board’s meeting on 16 September 2009.
Comment
The proposal has some merit in terms of ‘good intentions’ by the submitters, seeking to acknowledge the significant contribution that was made by the Brice family to this area, and in particular Gerald Brice. While the waterfall is not a major feature, it does have value as an appealing destination for tourism, and therefore may warrant being named. A much stronger proposal could have been presented with documentary support from local residents, the local Council, local iwi, etc.
Map
A printable map is available in the Brice Falls Place Name Proposal Report pdf (2.03MB)
