What?s in a name?

It's been talked about for years, and now Onehunga Mall is likely to become Onehunga Mainstreet ? something that people on the strip are not entirely pleased to hear. Just two of 15 residents and workers The Aucklander spoke to favoured the idea. Most, including Brent Hargreaves of Mangere Bridge, believe a name change will chip away at what remains of the area's history. He says Onehunga is losing all references to the past, stressing its origin as a Maori burial site and then as an English village. ''I think it is a bit silly to change the name. Everything else is gone so this should stay as the Mall. It's important to keep its history alive.'' Sue Price agrees. She lived in Onehunga from the mid-1950s until the 1970s and was last week visiting from Dargaville with her sister, Helen Murdoch. ''This was always Queen St, Onehunga. If you keep changing names, then you lose all the history. Why can't we bring back Queen St?'' Why not? Well, Auckland City Council vetoed a return to Queen St about the time the mall was reopened to traffic in 2002. After that, the Onehunga Business Association decided to lobby for the renaming of the street to Onehunga Mainstreet. That application was not followed up because of staffing changes, but current town manager Amanda Kinzett says the feeling that the name Onehunga Mall does not represent the street is still strong. She says a recent questionnaire sent to the association's members to gauge their opinions on the re-naming proposal received just two negative responses. ''People have this thing that a mall is a closed-off area and they think Dress-Smart is Onehunga Mall so there is a lot of confusion. ''It's not a mall anymore and a name change will alleviate a lot of that.'' The matter is now in the hands of Maungakiekie Community Board. It has agreed to request that Auckland City Council surveys locals to decide whether the name should be changed ? or not. By Lauren Mentjox