Petone or Pito-one: Geographic Board to consider name change proposal today

A proposal to change the name of one of the Hutt Valley’s most famous suburbs from Petone to Pito-one is being considered by the New Zealand Geographic Board after a successful endorsement from the council.

A spokesperson from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission, confirmed the matter would be on today’s Geographic Board agenda, and a representative from the commission would be attending the hui.

Following the council vote, Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic Board confirmed it received a proposal on December 21 from the Wellington Tenths Trust and Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust (Ahu Whenua Trusts) to change the name of the Lower Hutt suburb Petone to Pito-one.

Geographic Board Secretary Wendy Shaw said at today’s meeting the board would decide whether to accept the proposal to go out for public consultation, and deliberate on when consultation might happen and for how long, provided minimum processing requirements were accepted.

“Generally, in a consultation process, the public is invited to make submissions online, by email or in writing. Anyone is welcome to make a submission during this time,” Shaw said.

If consultation is agreed upon, the next board meeting will consider submissions and make a recommendation, with a final decision either by the board itself or the Minister for Land Information.

Numerous iwi groups had brought the proposal to the council, seeking support to correct a historic “misspelling” made by early settlers.

The Hutt City Council voted to send the name change to the Geographic Board, with a letter of support from Mayor Campbell Barry drafted before the discussion.

Barry’s letter stated the application to revert the name back to its original moniker is “consistent with the objective of [the city council’s] naming policy to ensure we use correct names to protect and enhance the character and heritage of Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai [Lower Hutt]”.

It describes Pito-one as translating to “end of sand beach”.

The council’s agenda, at the time of the discussion, spoke of the history of the name Pito-one being defined by the Pito-one pā, “home of the Rangatira Honiana Te Puni Kōkopu and the Te Āti Awa hapū of Ngāti Te Whiti, Ngāti Tāwhirikura, Te Matehou/Ngāti Hāmua and some others”.

In 1850, Pito-one pā was said to be the “largest and best fortified” within the Wellington region.

The “evolution of Pito-one to Petone” follows a colonial settlement during the latter half of the 19th century.

Petone is described by the council as a “misspelling” of the area’s original name.

The meeting document said “development in the region has removed virtually any trace of Mana Whenua presence”.

The Ngā Ūranga ki Pito-One (Ngauranga to Petone) section of Te Ara Tupua. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Deputy Mayor Tui Lewis, a councillor for the Petone area, supported the suburb reverting to the original spelling. At the time, she told NZME the discussion was “probably long overdue”.

Lewis spoke of Pito-one’s cultural significance, saying: “It was changed right back in the day when the settlers landed ... we all like to have our name said properly, and I think it’s an honourable thing to do to take it right back to its proper name”.

The Geographic Board has the authority to change the name and must consult on the matter.

Lewis hoped it wouldn’t be seen as controversial by locals.

“Most people are using this now - Waka Kotahi names everything both names ... it’s really nice and it educates people.”

Petone Community Board chairman Mike Fisher supported the idea, saying Pito-one was “correcting a misspelling” of the suburb’s name.

“Pito-one was the original place name,” he said. “Over the years since the settlers arrived, it was misspelt and the pronunciation changed.”

Chief Honiana Te Puni, known as Epuni, lived and died at Pito-one pā. Te Puni was a signatory of Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

Fisher said: “There’s no trace of that pā in the area now, although it’s obviously of great cultural significance to mana whenua.”

He hoped Hutt Valley residents would be in support of the change.

“In this case, it’s the same name - it’s just correcting its pronunciation and spelling. I would imagine although there might be some people who find it a bit of a nuisance or might have an issue with it, I don’t see it should be as controversial as perhaps other name changes that have happened in the past.”

Lewis agreed, telling NZME there would be a lot of people who spell their business names as “Petone” but “there’s nothing to stop them changing”.

The discussion comes after a similar debate around changing the name of Ruapehu’s National Park to Waimarino, as revealed by Newstalk ZB last year.

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.