Find Undersea Feature Names

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) has a legislative responsibility to assign, alter, discontinue or approve undersea feature names on New Zealand's continental shelf and on the continental shelf of the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. Find out more in the NZGB's functions and jurisdiction.

New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names

You can find undersea feature names in the New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names (the Gazetter). The Gazetteer contains official names assigned by the NZGB. However, the Gazetteer is not an exhaustive list of official names because the NZGB does not have exclusive jurisdiction to assign, alter, discontinue or approve names for all undersea features.

GEBCO Gazetteer of Geographic Names of Undersea Features

Individual countries only have the exclusive right to assign names to undersea features within their territorial sea (for New Zealand this is within 12 nautical miles of our coastline). Before features outside the territorial sea are assigned names and shown on nautical charts or bathymetric maps they are reviewed by a group of international experts. The review is carried out by the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN).

The undersea feature names selected by SCUFN may then be shown on sheets and products of GEBCO and Regional International Bathymetric Charts projects, and on international nautical charts and bathymetric maps.

SCUFN maintains and makes available the names information in the form of a digital Gazetteer of undersea feature names.

NZ202 Chart Catalogue

The New Zealand Chart Catalogue includes an index to charts by region, a numerical chart list, ocean sounding charts, and the general bathymetric chart of the oceans (GEBCO).