Over 700 Māori place names in Hawke’s Bay Region have been made official, with more than 300 of these updated to include macrons for correct pronunciation and meaning.
Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board has changed them from “recorded” to “official”.
Recorded place names are those that appear on maps and charts but have not been formally approved by the Board. Official names have been approved by the Board, are legally recognised and must be used in official documents and communications.
Among the newly official names are Waipawa Saddle; Tūtaekurī River; Mōhaka River; and the iconic Te Mata Peak.
Board Chairperson Anselm Haanen says the names were approved through a fast-track process. The process allows the Board to make recorded names official where there are no other recorded names and public objection is unlikely. The process includes consultation with iwi and councils.
“Beyond their practical use, place names contribute to our sense of identity, both personal and national. The Board plays a key role in upholding our unique cultural and national identity by making names official, ensuring they have the correct spelling, including macrons,” says Mr Haanen.
To view the full list of newly official place names in Hawke’s Bay Region, visit: NZGB notices – October 2025
Kua hia rau nei ngā ingoa wāhi Māori i Te Matau-a-Māui kua mana
Kua neke atu i te 700 ngā ingoa wāhi Māori i Te Matau-a-Māui kua mana, ā, e neke atu ana i te 300 o ēnei ingoa kua āpitihia atu ngā tohutō e tika ai te whakahuaina me te tikanga.
Kua panonihia e Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board aua ingoa mai i te tapanga "kua takoto" ki te tapanga "kua mana".
Ko ngā ingoa kua takoto, ko ērā ka kitea i ngā mahere me ngā tūtohi, engari kāore anō kia whakamanahia e te Poari. Ko ngā ingoa mana kua whakaaetia e te poari ka whai mana i runga i te ture, ā, me mātua whakamahi i ngā tuhinga me ngā whakawhitinga kōrero whai mana.
Ko ērā atu ingoa mana e hou ana, ko Waipawa Saddle; ko te awa o Tūtaekurī; ko te awa o Mōhaka; me te wāhi rongonui o Te Mata Peak.
Ki tā te Heamana o te Poari, ki tā Anselm Haanen, i mana ngā ingoa nei mā roto mai i tētahi tukanga wawe. Mā roto i te tukanga nei, ka āhei te Poari ki te whakamana i ngā ingoa kua takoto, ā, kāore he ingoa kē atu, he iti iho hoki te tūponotanga ka whakahēngia e tētahi. Ka whai wāhi ki tēnei tukanga te whakapāpā atu ki ngā iwi me ngā kaunihera.
“I tua atu i te whakamahinga whai take, ka whai wāhi ngā ingoa wāhi ki te tuakiritanga ā-whaiaro, ā-motu anō hoki. He wāhi nui tā te Poari ki te whakaū i te motuhaketanga o te tuakiritanga ā-ahurea, ā-motu anō hoki, mā te whakamana i ngā ingoa, me te whai kia tika te tuhia, tae noa atu ki te āpitihia o ngā tohutō," tā Mita Haanen.
E kitea ai te rārangi o ngā ingoa wāhi mana katoa i Te Matau-a-Māui, me toro ki: NZGB notices – October 2025
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