Emma Houpt: Locals 'generationally attached' to the name Merivale

Parkvale appears to have become the name for the surrounding suburb by default. Photo / George Novak

OPINION

It's clear to see Merivale community members have a strong connection to their home.

But there is still confusion around the name of the small suburb and residents deserve clarity.

Maps of Tauranga show the suburb tucked between Greerton and Gate Pa as Parkvale and the New Zealand Geographic Board has never recorded the name as Merivale. But this is what locals have always called it.

Board secretary Wendy Shaw says the name Parkvale was originally applied for at the now-closed post office. By default, it appears to have become the name for the surrounding suburb.

Interestingly enough, Parkvale is currently not an official place name because it has never been made official through the geographic board act.

So how can the school, community centre and other local amenities carry the name Merivale if it isn't the official name?

The first 22 years of my life were spent in Newtown, Wellington. It will always be home for me.

When I go there, it brings me comfort to see the same business owners sitting in front of their shops chatting, and packs of schoolchildren in dark green uniforms heading to school on their bikes and scooters. These are just some of the things that come to mind when I hear the word Newtown.

I can't imagine how difficult it would be if my suburb had another name. Not only would it be particularly confusing when talking to others about where I am from, but it would change how I identified with my home.

Merivale Community Centre youth worker Whaea Rach says locals are "generationally attached" to the name Merivale and it shows in their passion for the community.

A book on the history of Merivale showed the suburb emerged after WWII ended. Six family farms were purchased and subdivided, a Bay of Plenty Times story from 2013 reported.

One of the farms was called Merrivale Estate and the name stuck, although an "r" was dropped along the way.

In 1990, the geographic board received a proposal from the then Tauranga District Council to formally change the suburb name from Parkvale to Merivale.

Shaw says this proposal was declined based on "insufficient evidence" from the council. It also noted the duplication with Merivale in Christchurch which has been in use since the 1960s.

Shaw says the common use of either Parkvale or Merivale is of interest to the board, which recognises place names must be unambiguous and avoid confusion for emergency response.

But despite it being unofficial, residents are adamant it is Merivale and I think we should give them their way and change the suburb name to Merivale if Parkvale hasn't yet been made official.

The majority of students at Merivale School, also known as Te Kura o Tutarawananga, called it the Vale. "Only those people that don't live here call it Parkvale," says principal Tom Paekau.

The community deserves to have clarity around the name of the suburb. And if it is known by most as Merivale, then that should be the official suburb name.

Surely it would only strengthen the residents' ties to the community even more.