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This Official Information Act response released copies of seven briefings to the Minister for Land Information, as sent, and as returned, for recent place name proposals. Part of the request was declined because one briefing had been released previously, and no briefing existed for one of the proposals.

Response to a request to the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa for information that led to the Minister for Land Information’s decision to maintain the status quo of Franz Josef/Waiau and Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere as official place names.

OIA request refused as no records exist of correspondence between Tasman District Council and Land Information New Zealand regarding the revocation of the Drivers Road, Lower Moutere name.

One instance exists where matters relating to the NZGB were discussed

This standard sets out the New Zealand Geographic Board’s criteria for naming features and places in New Zealand’s area of interest in Antarctica.

This standard sets out the New Zealand Geographic Board’s criteria for naming features and places in New Zealand.

This standard sets out the New Zealand Geographic Board’s criteria and principles for naming undersea features.

Updated name for Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council

Presented to the Minister for Land Information as required by section 14 of the New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008.

The NZGB has a function to collect and encourage the use of original Māori place names on official maps and charts. To help it to do this and to encourage Māori participation, the NZGB has developed this Kaupapa which describes ways of engaging with the appropriate Māori.

This Protocol was developed by the NZGB in collaboration with MFAT to encourage other nations to consult with the NZGB before naming undersea features within its area of interest and before submitting a proposal to the Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN), who are a group of international experts on naming undersea features.

This standard provides local authorities with a concise reference for making a proposal to alter a region or district name.

Index of original tangata whenua place names, their history, origin or meaning, important events and cultural significance where known, and their equivalent contemporary name or description.

This bilingual book tells the stories of early Māori discoverers, explorers and travellers from the first wave of migration waka, and the place names they gave. Each story has a map showing their journeys and the locations of the places named.

This A3 PDF gives an overview of the New Zealand Geographic Board - Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa - The memorial markers of the landscape.

The New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008 updated the Board's roles and responsibilities and replaced the 1946 legislation that previously governed the Board's work. This factsheet gives information about the Act as of 2008.

Index of names, their meanings where known and their equivalent names on contemporary mapping.

A response to a request for the New Zealand Geographic Board (‘Board’) decision on a proposal to alter the locality name St. Arnaud to ‘Rotoiti’ or ‘Rotoiti South’ or ‘The Village of Rotoiti’ or ‘Rotoiti/St Arnaud’.

This Official Information Act response provided clarification on the Minister’s final determination to reject the proposal for Waimarino Railway Station, released all Ministerial briefings for three place naming proposals, and confirmed the Board Chairperson and Board Secretary have not met with the Minister for Land Information, Hon Chris Penk.

This Official Information Act response released copies of all submissions supporting the proposals to alter Takanini to Takaanini and Takanini Railway Station to Takaanini Railway Station.

This standard defines the criteria that the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa will use when reviewing and concurring with proposals from the Department of Conservation to assign or alter official Crown protected area names.

This policy provides guidance when considering and applying generic terms to geographic names. The primary purpose of the generic term is to describe the feature part of a place name, eg River or Maunga.

At its hui on 31 March 2025, the Board considered this report on a proposal to make Te Puaitaha Canyon the official name of a fully submerged canyon feature immediately west of Te Puaitaha / Breaksea Sound. The proposal was notified for one month so that the public could make submissions supporting or objecting to the proposed name.

This companion book to the Māori Oral History Atlas focuses on ways of understanding Māori place names

New Zealand’s vast undersea area is largely unmapped. More than 1000 features on the ocean floor are named but there could potentially be thousands more.

New Zealand’s authority on place names, the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (Geographic Board), is committed to restoring original Māori place names.

This Official Information Act response released copies of submissions on the proposals to alter National Park and National Park Station to Waimarino and Waimarino Railway Station. It also released copies of the Board’s briefings to the Minister for Land Information along with some supporting documents.

Documents related to Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board standardising Ōwhiro Bay by adding a macron on the [O].

This OIA response released copies of all submissions objecting to the proposals to alter Takanini to Takaanini and Takanini Railway Station to Takaanini Railway Station. The Board also provided a response on behalf of the Office of the Minister for Land Information for a parallel request to that office.

To complement our interactive database of geographic features around New Zealand you can also download this full list of feature terms and descriptions.