Raft of changes proposed for Kiwi place names

Photo / File

Nearly a dozen places around the country could have their names changed under proposals by the New Zealand Geographic Board.

Amongst a raft of changes announced today, the board has also "discontinued" the names of five other places.

The 11 new names would replace some unofficial ones, name unnamed places and adjust the spellings of others.

The proposals have been opened up for public consultation today.

From today, some newspapers throughout the country will include public notice advertisements, New Zealand Geographic Board, Land Information New Zealand secretary Wendy Shaw said.

The proposed new names are:

* Macraes (for township) a proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Macraes Flat;

* Waikoura (for locality) is a proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Waikouro;

* Waikoura Stream: A proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Waicolo Stream;

* Tutoko Basin: A proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Cromarty Basin;

* Makere Basin: A proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Stirling Basin;

* Stokes Beach: Proposed to be assigned to a currently unnamed section of beach;

* Otumoetai Beach: Proposed to be assigned to a currently unnamed section of beach, locally known as Otumoetai Beach;

* Otumoetai (for suburb): A proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Otumoetai;

* Otumoetai Pa: A proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Otumoetai Pa;

* Otumoetai Channel: A proposed alteration of the recorded unofficial name Otumoetai Channel; and

* Tindale Creek: A proposed alteration of an existing official name Tindall Creek.

The discontinued names related to either geographic feature types that the board did not have naming jurisdiction for ? meaning they should not be official names ? or for features that no longer existed.

The five discontinued names are:

* Domain Corner (road-related feature);

* Ewarts Corner (road-related feature);

* Pauri Village (village);

* Snares Depression (undersea depression); and

* Tavistock Corner (road-related feature).

Alongside these changes, the board has also adopted official names for 26 undersea features, assigned or altered 13 undersea feature names, approved as official 105 recorded names in the Nelson region and assigned six Antarctic names.