The Catlins Place Name Report
The report considered by the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) at its meeting on 27 March 2009.
- The Catlins (formalising locally used name)
South-east extremity of the South Island
General Background
The submitter is seeking to assign this commonly used local name to the area in the south-east extremity of the South Island, the extent of which includes the coastline between Nugget Point and Slope Point on the coast, and inland to include the catchments of rivers and streams that flow to the coast. The submitter has requested that the Board exercise its responsibility under Section 15(1)(a) of the New Zealand Geographic Board Act 2008, which gives jurisdiction to assign ‘region’ names.
The submitter provides supporting evidence that the place name ‘The Catlins’ came into common use around 1840 and has been in long term usage since that time. Included in the application is a summary by AR Tyrrell, author of Catlins Pioneering (1989) with a brief historical background of the area. Captain Edward Catlin (sometimes spelt Cattlin), who ran a supply ship to a whaling station in the area, made a land ‘claim’ for which he paid Tuhawaiki, Karetai and other Māori £92 5s in cash and goods prior to New Zealand being annexed by the Crown.
The submitter has provided documentary support for the proposal from the Catlins Promotions Group, Kaka Point Community Group, Clutha Agricultural Development Board and Tourism Catlins. Several of the supporting letters have indicated that there should be an adjustment to the proposed extent; however, any changes sought will be made through a separate proposal. The submitter has forwarded the proposed place name to Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou for consultation. No comments have yet been received as to whether an original Māori place name exists for the area. The views of Ngāi Tahu may be brought to the Board’s meeting on 27 March 2009.
‘The Catlins’ uses both the definite article and possessive form. The Board’s naming guideline discourages use of the possessive form; however, in the case of ‘The Catlins’ the euphony of the name would be destroyed by not using both the definite article and possessive form. The area is inclusive of the following, all of which are gazetted and under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation:
| Conservation Park | Conservation Park |
| Catlins Heads | Recreation Reserve |
| Catlins Lake | Scenic Reserve |
| Catlins Point-Elbow | Scenic Reserve |
| Catlins River | Scenic Reserve |
| Long Beach | Scenic Reserve |
The submitter proposes that ‘The Catlins’ will be applied generally to the area where the people of the region reside, and where tourists stay and move outside the park, the submitter does not seek to override official names for conservation areas.
A number of place names, streets and roads throughout New Zealand have the name ‘Catlins’, four of which are within the area:
| Catlins Cone | Beresford Range, south-east Southland |
| Catlins Heads | South of the Nugget Point |
| Catlins Road | Clutha District |
| Catlins Valley Road | Clutha District |
| Catlins Crescent | Palmerston North |
| Catlins Glen | Porirua |
| Catlins Place | North Shore |
Topographic and cadastral maps have shown the following through the years:
| NZMS 1, S178 | Editions 1,2 & 3 dated 1944/1965/1975 | Not named |
| NZMS 1, S179 | Editions 1,2 & 3 dated 1945/1965/1975 | Not named |
| NZMS 1, S183 | Editions 1,2 & 3 dated 1944/1968/1976 | Not named |
| NZMS 1, S184 | Editions 1,2 & 3 dated 1945/1969/1977 | Not named |
| NZMS 13, OTA 157 | Dated 1944 | Catlins Survey District |
Some early survey plans show the following:
| SO 304 | Dated 1870 | Catlins District |
| SO 8877 | Dated 1876 | Catlins |
| SO 305 | Dated 1881 | Catlins District |
| SO 309 | Dated 1882 | Catlins District |
| SO 306 | Dated 1885 | Catlins District |
| SO 1453 | Dated 1894 | Catlins |
| SO 308 | Dated 1895 | Catlins District |
Early historical maps/plans show:
| O(D)6 | Dated 1865 | Catlins Hundred |
| O(D)6A | Dated 1865 | CatlinsHundred |
| O(D)1 | Dated 1866 | Catlins |
| O(D)5 | Dated 1866 | Catlin's Hundred |
| O(D)23 | Dated 1871 | Catlins |
| GAZ27 | Dated 1871 | Catlins |
The archive records of the Board (Canterbury National, Otago and NZGB card indices) record correspondence in 1985 (Vol. 13. pg. 265-267) enquiring as to the official boundaries of ‘The Catlins’. The response concluded ‘the Geographic Board has little information on the subject, apart from the record that Ratanui was once known as Catlin’.
Map
For a larger scale version of this map please refer to the pdf version of the the The Catlins place name report (pdf 2.0MB).
NZGB - Summary Report - The Catlins - 2009-03-26&27.doc, for Meeting 26&27 March 2009 LINZ file reference: GES-N15-07-08/1410/01
