Dual naming of Queens Park is being considered as part of the management plan for the central city reserve.
The Whanganui District Council wants feedback on changing the reserve's official name to Pukenamu/Queens Park, acknowledging the original Maori name for the area.
"I think acknowledgement of the dual naming of land features around the country is really important," Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall said as the council's strategy and finance committee voted to put the plan out for public consultation.
"If you're voting against it you're not allowing that community feedback to reach this chamber."
Pukenamu/Queens Park was a pā in the 1830s and was the site of the last tribal wars in Whanganui. It later became the home of the Rutland Stockade and was used by British troops until 1870.
Councillor Helen Craig said it was important to acknowledge the reserve's Maori history.
"If I read the history of that site to Maori it was important long before white man ever got there," she said.
In the Pukenamu/Queens Park draft management plan, which outlines of council's intentions for the use, development, maintenance, protection and preservation of the park for the next 10 years, the council has also proposed changing the reserve's designated use from an area for municipal buildings to culture and heritage.
The reserve houses many council-owned buildings including the Whanganui Regional Museum, Sarjeant Gallery and Tylee Cottage.
Consultation will run between March 17 and May 26.
For more information on the consultation visit www.whanganui.govt.nz