Treaty of Waitangi Settlement Names

Some Māori place names of special significance are included the cultural redress component of Treaty of Waitangi claim settlements. Treaty settlements are negotiated on behalf of the Crown by the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) and any affected geographic names are included in the relevant settlement legislation. Note that there are different requirements for proposing other types of names.

What Treaty features & places can be named?

The name for any feature, place or Crown protected area (CPA) can be assigned or altered as part of a Treaty settlement because the settlement is formalised in legislation that can over-ride previous New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) decisions. However, because names are given as part of a cultural redress package, they are typically limited to areas of special significance to the claimants.

The names for the following types of features and places are often included in Treaty settlements:

• a natural feature such as a mountain, peak, valley, glen, forest, lagoon, swamp, creek, stream, river, ford or lake
• an undersea feature
• a Crown protected area such as a reserve or recreation area

The role of the NZGB in settlements

The NZGB has an advisory role to the OTS, which negotiates settlements on behalf of the Crown. The NZGB provides comment on proposed names to the OTS to ensure that any names meet the NZGB’s naming rules, criteria, standards, guidelines and policies, and makes recommendations to the OTS. The Minister in Charge of Treaty Negotiations makes the final decision on Treaty names. Once the legislation has been passed, the NZGB publishes the decisions in the NZ Gazette, newspapers and New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names to make them official names.

The general process for assigning Treaty settlement names is outlined in a "Relationship Protocol" agreed between the NZGB and the OTS:

1. names proposed prior to Agreements and during the negotiation phases
2. the NZGB considers the proposal and weighs it against the naming rules
3. the NZGB makes comments/recommendations/objections to the OTS on the proposed names
4. the Minister in Charge of Treaty Negotiations makes the final decision
5. the names are included in settlement legislation (if agreed)
6. the official name is published in the NZ Gazette, is publicly notified, and is entered into the New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names (if agreed).

Note: no public notification occurs for Treaty Settlement names. The general public has the opportunity though the Select Committee to make their views known while the Settlement Bill is processed through Parliament.

You can also find out more about LINZ's role in Treaty of Waitangi settlements.