Resources for researching place names in New Zealand and its offshore islands

Use these resources to help you research place names for geographic features and places in New Zealand and its offshore islands.

NZGB resources

NZGB archives and databases

The NZGB holds these archives and databases of information on place names, including proposals, submissions and historical gazetted names. Depending on availability, public access may be possible - please contact the NZGB.

• Correspondence volumes 1-72, 1915 -1994
• Board minutes volumes 1-9, 1927-1986
• File 22/2605/3 volumes 1-19, 1945-1993
• Antarctic names volumes 1-8, 1952-1994
• Manual card indexes
• Database of proposals and submissions 
• Database of enquiries 
• Database of Māori place name articles from New Zealand Surveyor  journals

NZGB publications

• A Māori Oral History Atlas 
• Understanding Māori Place Names 

LINZ library

Full list of titles in the NZGB place names collection

Maps

• LINZ topo maps
• LINZ hydrographic charts

Please contact NZGB for historic maps.

LINZ applications

• Geodetic Database
• LINZ Data Service

New Zealand Gazetteer

Official Geographic Names

Other resources

Maps

• Use the keyword ‘maps’ to search Auckland Council’s historic map collection
• Google Earth is a virtual globe and map that lets you view and travel the world on land and undersea
• You can purchase Geographic Information Systems from Quickmap® 
• You can purchase topographic maps of New Zealand from MapToaster™
• Search the catalogue of the National Library of New Zealand for maps 
• The Defence Map Library at Trentham has a catalogue of maps (contact the New Zealand Defence Force)
• United States Geological Survey’s Atlas of Antarctic Research

Gazetteers that list place names in Antarctica

• The Composite Gazetteer of the Scientific Committee on Antarctica Research (SCAR)
• The Australian Antarctic Data Centre 
• United States Antarctic Resource Centre 
• United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN) 

New Zealand Gazette

• The New Zealand Gazette is the official newspaper of the New Zealand government that documents all official place names. Search issues published since 1993
• Email gazette@parliament.govt.nz for issues of the New Zealand Gazette published before 1993

Victoria University

Research historical publications at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre 

Waikato University

Henry Fletcher’s index lists a large number of Māori names referred to in books and journals 

Te Puni Kōkiri

Te Puni Kōkiri has a directory of mandated iwi authorities to contact when consulting about Māori place names (link is external)

Ngāi Tahu Atlas

The Ngāi Tahu Atlas contains over 1,000 original Māori place names, kā ara tawhito (traditional travel routes), and the original Māori land allocations in the Ngāi Tahu takiwā.

Māori Dictionaries

For help with translation see:

• Te Aka Māori-English English-Māori Dictionary
• Learning Media - Ngata Dictionary 

Ministry for Culture and Heritage

• Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand has a Dictionary of New Zealand Biographies
• NZ History: In conjuction with Maori Language Week / Te Wiki o te Reo Māori you can read a list of 1000 Māori place names

Office of Treaty Settlements

Search Deeds of Settlement that list places names agreed to as part of Treaty of Waitangi redress

Department of Conservation

Check the Department of Conservation’s maps for recreational and reserve areas

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori

The Guidelines for Māori Language Orthography set out the best current practice for spelling and writing in te Reo Māori 

Kōrero Māori

Listen to how Māori place names are pronounced

International Hydrographic Organisation

• Find out more about naming on bathymetric maps and nautical charts, and access the international gazetteer of undersea feature names from General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN) 
• Search the Gazetteer of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names Advisory Committee on Undersea Features (ACUF) 

Archives New Zealand

You can search microfilms of historic documents and maps including Elsdon Best’s articles and articles published by the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961

The Online Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language

New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is an official language of New Zealand. You can search for place names in the Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language  

National Library

• Papers Past holds digitised copies of New Zealand papers and periodicals 1839-1945 
• Lands and Survey Annual Reports have information about past NZGB memberships and statistics 
• Information on land is available in Treaty of Waitangi reports that the Waitangi Tribunal produces for each claim 
• Heritage New Zealand has resources for searching place names 
• Matiu/Somes Island social enquiry activity is a teacher / student resource on the decision to rename Somes Island to Matiu/Somes Island.

Other

• Auckland City Libraries has a New Zealand card index where you can search place names 
• The Committee for Geographical Names of Australasia (CGNA) has a Gazetteer of place names
• The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) has links to searchable place names’ databases 
• The Journal of the Polynesian Society holds digitised copies of all its journals published from 1892 to 2012