Hutt City Council endorses Petone name change to Pito-one

The proposed change reflects the suburb's original Māori name and spelling. Image / Google

Lower Hutt’s City Council has given a vote of support for changing the name of Petone to “Pito-one”.

The proposed change reflects the suburb’s original Māori name and spelling - and will go before the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa, who have the authority to change the name.

A draft letter of support from Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry states the council is working closely with mana whenua “to develop an effective and more strategic process to change names in the city where they are not accurately stated. This will also help improve pronunciation”.

Barry’s letter states Pito-one, the proposed change, translates to “end of a sandy beach”, and is a culturally significant moniker for the area.

It’s the original name of Lower Hutt’s oldest suburb, and was changed to “Petone” by early European settlers.

Deputy Mayor Tui Lewis told NZME yesterday changing the name back to its original was the “honourable” thing to do.

Iwi representatives spoke to the council agreeing with the change. Only one person opposed the idea in more than an hour’s worth of public submissions.

Councillor Gabriel Tupou said the public gallery in the council chambers was full: “I want to thank our local people for turning up today - kia ora.”

At their meeting, councillors described being “bombarded” with emails over the past few days.

Wainuiomata councillor Keri Brown called some of the comments “vitriolic” and was moved to tears speaking about her family’s experience of receiving backlash for speaking te reo.

Matiu Jennings, from Taranaki Whānui and the The Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, told the council original names carry a “rich narrative of whakapapa,” and warrant a ‘correct’ pronunciation.

Jennings spoke in support of the conversation continuing around changing the spelling of other Hutt Valley suburbs, including officially adding macrons to Moera, Pomare, and Taita.

Barry said it was “clear to see the passion” of those who came to the council chambers to speak on the proposal.

“It’s important that we do show leadership on issues such as this,” the mayor told his colleagues, whilst expressing his support for a Māori ward.

Barry said co-governance was “what we should be aiming for”, saying it was good for all New Zealanders.

A consultation period will precede the Geographic Board’s decision on whether or not to change the name.

The Wellington Tenths Trust and the Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust sought support from Hutt City Council over the change. Officials recommended the council agree to support the requests.

Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, social housing and transport.